Regensburg

The best thing about the lovely historic town of Regensburg is that Mark is here for a work meeting, and my bestest friend from California, Lauren, is here as well!

And not only did she bring her lovely self, but she also brought, all the way from San Diego, 2 big bags of Cheetos and 2 big bags of Munchies (seriously Germany, what is up with the Paprika chips?!?!)

I was specifically informed by Lauren that she is sick and tired of looking at a picture of a toilet every time she opens this site (sorry dear!) so with orange dusted Cheetos fingers, I say goodbye to the shelf toilet...

And what better pictures to replace the toilet but the lovely historic town of Regensburg.

Despite the rain and chill, while Mark and Lauren were busy at work, I've ventured out on my own to see the sights. The Dom St Peter was a definite must see and since it's smack dab in the centre of town, became my beacon in the sky so I didn't get lost (I have absolutely no sense of direction!!)

The Schloss Thurn und Taxis was my next stop and while I was too early for the guided museum tour, I wandered the grounds happily and toured through St. Emmeram's Church (a former Benedictine monastery). I was the only one there and I've gotta say it was a little eerie listening to my footsteps echo down the empty aisles.

Back across town to the Steinerne Brucke (stone bridge), at one time the only fortified crossing of the Danube, a cafe latte by the river and back to the hotel for a nap.

In my travels, I did manage to buy a lovely pair of winter boots (thanks Mark!) and found an Aveda hair salon. Despite the results of the hair incident of 2010, I have made an appointment for tomorrow for a cut and colour in the morning (pray for me!).

Afterwards, the plan is for lunch at the Historische Wurstkuche for the best sausages in Bavaria and then a 2pm tour of the Altes Rathaus (old Town Hall) and Reichstagsmuseum which, according to my Lonley Planet guide includes "the original torture chambers in the basement...with tools such as the rack, the Spanish Donkey (a tall wooden wedge on which naked men were made to sit (!!) and spiked chairs."

So between the Aveda salon and interrogation room, tomorrow might be a tough day...

Can't wait!

The List

We've had a few visitors now as well as a few trips back home to Canada and Ireland, and the one question we frequently get is "what is the strangest/weirdest/most different thing you've noticed about Germany?" So here goes - the list (compiled with the help of Mark, Sarah and Hoff in one shape or form) of all that makes Germany so...well...different...

1- All things toilet - This discussion started when we took Sarah to Heidelberg and while coming out of the washroom she casually mentioned that the woman who used the stall before her left the toilet seat up. That made us consider that the sign (pictured above) which is prominently displayed in our bathroom at home (who the heck lived there before us anyway???) was possibly there not to prevent men from sprinkling on the seat, but perhaps women??? This finally lead to talk of the German shelf toilet (also pictured above). Apparently when asked, any German will explain the reason for the location of the "shelf" is so that you can examine your "business" to ensure it is normal before flushing it away. I swear I have never put this much consideration into my toilet activities until moving to Germany...(and for the record, we have a very American toilet in our house!)

2 - Smoking - As previously mentioned, Germany has cigarette vending machines on every street corner, as well as the convenient cigarette slide at the grocery store. It wasn't until I attended my first music festival in Darmstadt, however, that I realized how much they embraced smoking. There were well dressed, cigarette logo adorned models milling through the crowds with open cigarette packs handing out samples to anyone who was interested. They were also encouraging sample takers to sit in the special roped off cigarette area to enjoy the music and said free cigarettes in the comfort of a lounge chair. All the PSA's in California against smoking came rushing back to me upon witnessing this spectacle. I've decided I will start smoking (perhaps a pipe?) just to belong!

3 - The man in the 5 sizes too small tight white pants on the tram (you know who you are!) - for that matter, I will include the 75 year old ladies with fuchsia and turquoise hair as well as the guy I frequently see biking through the park with small round sunglasses and turn of the century carny clothes. Apparently I am not living in the fashion capital of the world.

4 - Women only parking spaces - (The sign doesn't indicate for pregnant women, women with kids, disabled etc...) I assume it's just women. Needless to say I haven't driven around searching for a parking spot since we arrived.

5 - On the topic of driving - no speed limits! Everything they say about the autobahn is true. But my question is, why is it that we now live in the land of no speed limits and yet Mark, for the first time ever, has received 2 speeding tickets in 3 months??!?

6 - No Sunday shopping - 'nuff said

7 - The air raid sirens - The first time we heard them was about 3 days after we arrived and I was tempted to hang my Canadian flag out the window so the allies knew where we were. Apparently, since there are a lot of chemical companies around our area, they are in place as a warning system in case of toxic spills/chemical explosions. We, however, have been hearing regular test sirens. Supposedly. But if I start to develop a rash, I'm moving...

8 - No kitchens - It's customary when you move from your rented apartment to take your entire kitchen with you (yes, even the kitchen sink). We discovered this while house hunting when we walked into a series of apartments with bare walled kitchens and water hook ups. We were lucky enough to find a landlord willing to install a kitchen for us, but normally we would have spent many hours in Ikea with limited ability to speak German, miming out what our dream kitchen would look like!

9 - The working girl - One Sunday on our way to the train station, we passed by a lovely woman standing on the side of the road in the middle of the day. The next time we passed, she was there again, talking to a bus driver (this was not a bus stop by the way). Eventually we clued in to exactly what she was doing on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm. The last time we drove by she had found herself a nice little trailer to park on the side of the road. Apparently business is good!

10 - The Herkules Bar - Germany certainly doesn't have the strict closing times we had become accustomed to in California, however, you can imagine our surprise when we walked by the Herkules bar and saw that it's opening hours were listed as 6am to 5am. The bar is open 23 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have it on good authority that just before 5am, a bell is rung to signify last call. Patrons can then order 2-3 pints, head outside to the curb and drink happily for an hour while the place is literally hosed down inside in preparation for the 6am opening. We haven't experienced this first hand ...yet...

So to all future visitors to our humble no pee on the seats apartment, this is just a taste of what you can expect.

And any volunteers brave enough to join us on a night out the Herkules are very welcome!

The Hair Incident of 2010

I'm a little ashamed to admit that while living in California, I did get caught up in the endless pursuit of beauty. I began waxing things that should never be waxed, had regular mani's and pedi's, sported acrylic nails for a period of time and spent $150 every 6 weeks to have my hair cut, coloured and highlighted at a fantastic salon in Carlsbad (Entourage Salon ) where the owners and girls working there were like a big family and you couldn't help but become part of it all. I loved it!

So, when I found out about the German move, I had serious reservations about how I was going to cope - style wise. I immediately decided I'd give up the acrylic nails, mani's and pedi's and gave serious thought to not getting my hair cut until we went home.

But, after 10 weeks in Europe, my hair had a different idea...

In an effort to ease into the transition to a new hair dresser, I took to the Internet to find out what other people do. Turns out 95% of the expats on line actually go back home to get their hair done in order to avoid the dreaded euro cut. While I did crunch the numbers to see how hard it would be to fly to San Diego 8 times a year, apparently it's not that practical (according to Mark anyway...sigh...)

But I was not to bet deterred! So when Mark came home from getting his hair cut down the street raving about the girl who speaks almost perfect English I decided I'd take a chance. (For the record, Mark has always had the same cut which can be described using clipper number lingo, however, he came home from this hair salon with it a little long on the top sporting the pseudo-faux-euro-Mohawk. It should have been my first clue...)

I walked in on my way back from class and it was pretty busy (usually a good sign right?) so I made an appointment for the next afternoon for a cut and colour.

The conversation upon arrival went something like this:

Her: So you lived in America?
Me: Yes, in California
Her: I've always wanted to visit America!
Me: Really where?
Her: Detroit...

Okay - Clue number 2! No one wants to visit Detroit!?! Not even our friend Jason - and he actually lives there! Apparently it was some sort of gangster Eminem thing for her... So...moving right along...

Her: So you want your hair the same colour?
Me: Yes, just something to cover the gray (yes I have lots of gray!) Will that work?
Her: Okay, but Really? You're hair colour is nice but it's a bit....boring...

What? ME! Boring?? Never!!

That was when it all went awry...

In an effort to reduce the boring factor, I suggested some red highlights. What then appeared before me were little hair swatches of varying shades of fuschia, so I gave up and picked one. It's not really clear on the photo, but trust me - they're there!

I then proceeded to explain that I have been trying to grow out my hair (like FOREVER!!) so PLEASE don't cut too much off. I have a lot of hair, so it needs to be layered to reduce bulk and usually it's cut in an angled bob a little longer in the front, with a longish bang to cover my massive forehead.

I really thought we connected. She seemed to understand! So for 2 hours I sat there while she proceeded to cut enough of my hair off that it no longer fits in a ponytail!

Finally, at the end of it, she asked what kind of styling tools I needed to blow dry my hair. I gave her a confused look until I looked around and realized the other ladies in the salon were drying their own hair! Really?!? Isn't the professional blowout one of the reasons we go to the salon?? Especially those of us with coarse questionably wavy hair!!?! So I politely said I'd let it air dry and tried to get outta there!

On the positive side - it only cost 46 Euros, which is cheap!

On the negative side - I have punk rock mom hair...

So, we will never speak of this again until the Hair Incident of 2012, because that's the next time I'm getting my hair cut. Gray hairs be damned!

But I really do need to get my legs waxed....I'm scared...

Just a Housewife

I don't think the musical "Working" has been on Broadway since the 70's (although apparently there will be a revival in 2011? Who knew?) yet some of it's songs, like Just a Housewife, still ring true.

Apparently I'm "just a housewife" (or eine Hausfrau if you want to get technical). This realization hit me last week when I decided to join Mark on a business trip to Glasgow. While filling out the customs card, I reached the question "occupation" and almost choked on my peanuts when Mark said smugly over my shoulder - "it's housewife you know..."

Not that there is anything wrong with that (so please don't write any nasty comments about the merits of housewifedom!) I think it can be a noble profession, especially if you have kids. But we don't have kids (as much as I may treat Stormy like a baby - I do realize on some level he actually is a cat!) So now that I'm unemployed, as our dear friend Cherrie put it, I seem to have just no place in society.

So in an effort to get back out there (is this how I'll feel when I finally drive Mark to divorce and am again getting back out there?) I've started an intensive German language class. It's a 4 week beginner course with Studio Mondiale in Darmstadt and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for language training. The cost was reasonable (only about 300 Euro compared to Goethe Institute 1000 Euro plus) and there are 8-12 people in each class (9 in mine) from all over the world. Although I naively thought the instructors would have to speak English, they actually exclusively speak German. So after an initial panic because I had no idea what was going on, I realized that everyone else had the same blank stare, so we would all figure it out together. And we have! It's amazing what you begin to understand in a very short period of time.

So, while I doubt this blog will be written in German anytime soon, I'm hoping that in a couple of months I will be able to understand enough German to ....wait for it....actually get a job. Who would have thought I'd actually WANT one of those?

Or maybe I'll just go back to school...I could get used to writing "student" on my customs forms! Either way, I'm slowly finding purpose once again.

Anyway, since Mark will be home from work soon, I really should put dinner on! And he likes to have his Martini at just the right temperature when I meet him at the door...

Drink...and Don't Drive

All you North Americans (ie Canadians and Americans) are surely familiar with the Don't Drink and Drive campaigns...

Well, we did discover a similar sentiment here in Germany, however, at least they have their priorities straight - Drink! (and don't drive). Very clever...

This little discovery was all thanks to our first visitor since we moved to Germany - Hoff!

The nice thing about visitors is you actually plan all the sightseeing trips you should take but don't because you live here (we took him to Heidelberg, saw the castle and bought Cuban cigars - since he's from the USA it's a treat!). More importantly, however, visitors allow you to discover the little cultural differences between where you were and where you are.

This came about when Hoff asked what would be a quintessentially German gift he could bring back for friends, leading to a discussion of his observations of what's different. To sum up:

a) Drink and don't drive (as long as there's drinking!)
b) And if you're drinking anyway, drink in the streets (it's like Vegas without the incessant sounds of slot machines! - see picture)
c) And if you're going to drink in the streets - you should smoke since there are still free samples given out by cigarette companies, vending machines in the streets and a convenient slide in the grocery store where your pack drops right onto the conveyor belt for easy access - also see picture.

While it was decided that beer and smokes were what he should take back, I hope he bought a t-shirt at the airport.

For good measure, I also included some pictures from the gardens by our place in Darmstadt and us in Heidelberg - just to prove we aren't the worst hosts ever...

So these are the take homes from our first visitor. I hope you had a good time Hoff, or at least pretend - otherwise, we won't get any more visitors!! Hopefully we can get our act together before our next guest - Mark's mum!

"Feels Like Home"

For some reason the Chantal Kreviazuk song popped into my head today. Not sure if it's because our furniture is scheduled to arrive from California tomorrow or if it's because we just came back from Ireland and I may have slipped into that post fun festival funk...

Either way, last Tuesday, Mark and I hopped on a plane from Frankfurt to sunny Dublin (yes you read that right - it was actually sunny in Ireland in August!). We rented a car and drove north through Belfast to the Heart of the Glens Festival in Cushendall. The new motorway had just opened so for 2 1/2 hours I listened to Mark exclaim "I can't believe how quick this is! I remember when it used to take an hour just to get this far!" (I also believe he was walking barefoot in the snow up hill back then, but I digress...)

As per our usual, we arrived at his mum's place, ate a wonderful dinner and immediately took off into the village to find his old high school friends for a drink. (Although his mum did come with us, so we didn't feel too bad about eating and running...). Day one passed and we were reasonably unscathed (we got home around 2am? That's early!).

Day 2 was nice and relaxing - take away for the chinese in the village and in bed by midnight. I thought I had finally cracked the secrets of the lasting the week with Mark's friends!

Day 3, however, was a completely different story. It started innocently enough with tickets to the seafood barbecue at the boat club. Sounds like a classy event at the club right? Sure, Klassy - with a K. After the Kearney's and the O'Gradys got hold of bottles of wine, it was all down hill. We eventually were kicked out of the "supper" area and told to go upstairs where the fire was going, the bar was open and the band was playing. Sure enough, we were eventually kicked out of upstairs too and told just to go home. I think it was close to 4am? Not sure...

Day 4 was "Dallywood" night (ie everyone dresses up like movie actors and characters and drinks in the street...there were an inordinate number of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...are they making a comeback? Only in Belfast...) A much quieter night I must say - likely in response to the night before. Eventually when we all got together again, we were able to piece together what happened the night before (and what happened after everyone went home - needless to say, one person had to sleep in the car to avoid her snoring husband, locking everyone else inside the house, someone else passed out on the couch with a peanut butter sandwich, and more than one parent had to walk their kids to hat making class the next day (some in their night gowns I might add) because they really "shouldn't have been driving". I love the festival. The only potential downside is that the girls have agreed to get dressed up next year and since I'm technically unemployed, I'm in charge of costumes. I really need a job!

Saturday was the traditional Lurig run ( a 3.5 mile run from the Curfew Tower to the top of the Lurig and back - 1150 feet high) and given my new career as a fitness model, I must do the run next year - just to inspire the little people. Training starts tomorrow...

Sadly, we were headed back to the Fatherland on Sunday and I really think I hit a funk having to leave the fun behind.

So now, I'm sitting on the floor in our near empty apartment (the rental furniture was picked up today) waiting for our stuff to arrive tomorrow. Time to find something else to occupy my time...hopefully something that involves a bit less wine...people will start to think I have a problem!

And the Oscar goes to...

Excuse the title, it was the only move reference I could think of...

But, we've discovered what might be the best thing about movie theaters in Germany. They serve beer and wine! In lovely wine glasses and everything!!

Since we are leaving for Ireland tomorrow to visit Mark's family for a couple of days, we decided that this weekend was not meant for a fancy getaway to exotic parts of Europe.

Instead, we honoured the great American date tradition - dinner and a movie (or in our case, movie and dinner)...only in Frankfurt.

Frankfurt has a selection of original language movie theaters, so we decided to check out Inception and see what all the fuss was about. The movie was great, but frankly the whole trip was worth it just for the concession stand! The candy selection was dire (M&M's were the only thing that could technically qualify as candy...) however, they did have the requisite popcorn and nachos with plastic cheese (which of course we ordered, along with M&M's). But...the best part...they served beer. And wine. And for an extra 2 euros, you got a real wine glass with a poker chip so you could get your money back if you returned the glass. How great is that! I'm thinking you should just keep the glass and in 4 movies have a 4 piece serving set for only 8 euros! Cheaper than Ikea! I must say I was thoroughly impressed. Yes, I took a picture...

After the movie we hopped on the subway to "Goldman Restaurant" on Hanauer Landstrasse in Frankfurt. For 80 euros each, they have a "surprise" 5 course tasting menu and wine pairing which was excellent and worth every penny. (although I wonder if they'd drop 2 euros off the price if I brought my movie wine glass? Must try that next time!)

All in all a great date night and a nice weekend home before the Glens of Antrim festival in the Dall.

If nothing else, the next 5 days promise to be full of blog worthy events...like 2 years ago when a man walked into the bar with a donkey...really...gotta love small towns!

Move to Germany - become a fitness model!

Of course anyone who knows me would understand that I am far from the picture of fitness commonly associated with the crazy trainer from Biggest Loser (although I have been working out now that I'm unemployed...sort of...)

But, apparently I was not far off when I said I was skinny in Germany (compared to California standards of course!)

I went out for a run in the Herrengarten (which for those who don't speak German apparently translates loosely to the "man's garden". If I were a feminist I might be annoyed). It's a park across the street from our apartment with a nice pond in the middle, lots of ducks, occasional Herons and a few nice running paths. Usually I can do 3.5 runs around in about half an hour so if I don't feel like walking out to the gym (ie if I get out of bed after 10am and feel lazy) I can at least do some exercise and feel good about myself.

I was just at the beginning of lap number 3 when I turned a corner and saw a man with a very fancy looking camera and another in work out clothes staring at me smiling as I ran up. I was convinced that either the Mormons or Jehovah's witnesses were changing their approach in order to relate to the young people, however, after the usual "blah blah blah" in German and my "Sprechen sie englisch?" we established that a local newspaper was doing an article on a fitness group and were wondering if I minded posing for pictures with the trainer. Who am I to say no to what will undoubtedly be the beginning of my modeling career!

We did a couple of tricep dips and a few photos of us jogging together, exchanged e-mails and I was on my way. If I get copies of the photos I will surely post them (unless I'm not sucking in my gut, in which case forget it!).

The trainers website is www.bartel-personal-trainer.de

Check it out

I'll be sitting at home waiting for my call from Vogue.

I just want 5 minutes alone with whoever stole the GPS out of our car

Mark has tried to claim responsibility for this one since he claims he may have left the car door unlocked, however, I believe, I also have a part to play...

It all started when we moved in. For 60 Euros/month our apartment comes with one parking space. The space just happens to be rented in a garage around the corner. To open the garage, you drive up to a little lock outside the door, insert an odd looking key that looks like it should be for a safety deposit box in Zurich which contains millions of dollars in foreign currency and Jason Bourne's passports, and when the door opens, you head down the drive to the safety of covered parking. (Someone please bring the garage door opener to Germany...it will make my life easier).

Of course we were only given one such mystery key, so it needed to be shared depending on who had the car. In order to make the hand off as easy as possible, the key was placed on its own easy to use (IE loose) key ring. Mark, having more experience with said key ring than I did, had come home on occasion to exclaim "we have to do something about the garage key. The ring keeps sliding off my key ring and I keep dropping it. We might lose it one day." I think you know where this is going...

So last week, when I had to take Stormy to the vet for his ultrasound, I was trusted with the car and the sacred key. Somewhere between lugging a crying cat into the car, out of the car, into the vet, out of the vet, to the first pharmacy, to the second pharmacy (apparently Prednisone is not readily available), to the pet store and finally home - the key took a dive off my key ring and is no more. Despite frantic phone calls to the vet, a trip to the pet store and a phone call to Mark containing strong language only found in R rated movies, it's gone forever.

The landlord has said he can order another key, however, the building manager is on vacation so it will be a while. With our landlord, this likely means we will have a key about a month before we move out (which should be 2 years, but with the rate things are going may be a lot sooner!)

Needless to say, the car now has to be parked on the street. So, last week, while Mark was in Scotland and the car was resting comfortably on the street, the brand new Garmin GPS which was purchased upon arrival in Germany, decided to also go AWOL. Mark assumes the door was accidentally left unlocked, however, none of this would have happened had we not had the stupid garage key. Regardless, I am very annoyed that someone decided to help themselves to something that didn't belong to them, locked car or not. All I'm saying is I want 5 minutes alone with them. I can be very scrappy when I want to be...

The absence of said GPS was realized on Friday evening as we headed out on this weekend's road trip - Luxembourg to see the Pogues play before Shane McGowan bites it. After a quick detour to MediaMarkt for another GPS, we were off. We needed to stop for a quick bite, and were running late, so we hit McDonald's. I've gotta say, it was surprisingly nice. There was wicker.

Luxembourg is a beautiful city and our hotel (the new Sofitel) had a beautiful view from the bar upstairs. Apparently, the band was staying at the same hotel, because a bloke we met at the concert said that Shane was sitting at the bar on the Thursday night drinking pints of gin and signing autographs for fans. Apparently, he wasn't saying much (probably because at this point, I don't think he can!) but he was very nice to fans. Wish we had seen that!

Regardless, the concert was great fun and we sat at the bar at the hotel afterwards for a quick drink. I was even able to speak what I think was superb French to the locals (although apparently, after a few vodka tonics, my French isn't as good as I think it is).

Saturday was a day of shopping at Ikea - an adventure for another post - but I will say that after a month, I'm sadly disappointed that we are still having to make a lot of purchases for this apartment of ours in order to make it livable. It also means many more Sundays spent putting together furniture, putting up shower heads and installing towel racks.

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me for 2 years but what do I know...

One good thing about having to run errands around Germany however, is you get to see a lot of characters. We actually saw someone (with a mullet I might add) drive up to the pet store in the General Lee (which has a for sale sign on it if anyone is interested).

It takes all kinds...

Insert Roman cliche here...

So, I was going to title the post "When in Rome..." or "All roads lead to Rome..." or "Roman Holiday..." but I suppose it's been done and done again, so I will let you decide on the most appropriate Roman cliche!

The weekend plans were to drive to Strasbourg with our newly purchased travel guide (in French I might add...oui oui) but a last minute opportunity presented itself that we couldn't pass up. Our dear friends C&C from California were in Rome for 3 days so we decided, what the hell, let's hop on the plane and join them for dinner.

Quick search and we found flights on Swiss air for 300 Euros return, a hotel around the corner from the Lakey's and a train ride to the city for 11 Euros each. Off we went!

This did mean leaving Stormy at home unattended for 36 hours, which was a little unnerving but again what the hell! We threw his pills down his throat before we left and hoped for the best. (Incidentally, he was quite content sleeping on the couch in his underwear when we got home, surrounded by empty junk food wrappers so I think he had a good weekend!)

Because of the last minute flights, we did have a quick stop over in Zurich (which in the future, we must avoid - direct flights only!). One thing I will say about Swiss air, however, is they serve the BEST Swiss chocolate EVER! I had to take a picture. And, I got Star Alliance miles so I'm well on my way to renewing Premiere Executive status (aka free upgrades to business class!)

A quick train ride to the city and a (long) walk to our hotel and we arrived in Roma! It was a beautiful, rather hot day, but the city was wonderful. We spent the afternoon on the Green Line Tour, a 2 hour bus tour, to see the highlights, and then dinner with the Lakey's for proper Italian!

Sunday morning we hit the Colosseum (I highly recommend paying the extra for a guided tour - the tour was crap, but you skip the 1 hour line just to get through the gates...totally worth it!).

A quick metro ride back to the hotel (an experience I will smell for years to come) to pick up our bags and then off we were home.

I can now say I went to Rome...for dinner.

2 years, 100 weekend trips to plan. 1 down, 99 to go.

Next weekend, Luxembourg to see the Pogues play (assuming Shane McGowan doesn't die before then!) Must start planning!

Who knew so much could happen when you get out of bed before noon?

So the weather has cooled down considerably (finally!).

Stormy has been to the vet and has a clear diagnosis of non functioning liver. We've been doing some reading and I'm not sure if it's hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) or cholangiohepatitis, but we are still waiting on some blood work results from the vet. My concern is we will have to force feed him, but the prognosis isn't horrible with treatment so we'll see. I have faith in Dr. Michael!

Mark and I have finally joined a gym (Fitness First) so I'm trying to set up some kind of routine. The memberships are horrifically expensive at all the gyms we looked at (I assume it's because there is nowhere near the same competition as there is in California - which probably also explains why I'm skinny in Germany compared to CA!! ;-) This location is a 15 minute walk from home and the facilities are air conditioned and clean, so why not.

The membership includes 5x30 minutes lessons with a trainer so I'm trying to schedule them in the morning just to get me out of bed! The second session today was fun and the trainer I'm working with is super nice - and has even offered to show me around town. Little does she know I will take her up on that!

On my way home, I walked through the Luisenplatz. Since I must look like a lost soul in my sweaty workout gear listening to my ipod, I was approached by 2 girls who were clearly on their mission from the Church of Jesus Christ. Now, I am not particularly religious, and really don't have a problem with other people's religions as long as they are not too preachy about it, right?

Turns out these girls are from California and were super nice. I think I came across as a little desperate to chat since I spilled my life story in about 4 sentences, but, they did say that they offer free German language lessons on Wednesday nights as part of their "service to the community". So, I've decided the Mormons are going to teach me German. Because it's free. And who am I to deprive them of their opportunity to serve? (as long as they are clear about the whole I'm not religious thing...what harm can it do???)

After leaving my new best Mormon friends, I walked through the town square and all hell was breaking loose! The cops were there, and an ambulance, and it appears that a fight had taken place between what I assume were a few residence of the platz (based on the lack of clothes and abundance of beer?) Blood everywhere, and some tall drunken man in hand cuffs being escorted to the ambulance. All this before noon! Who knew Germany was as exciting at the Bourne Identity movies made it out to be!

Tonight is the first meeting of the new Darmstadt book club as organized by a few keeners on ToyTownGermany.com. I'm really looking forward to it (but hope that it becomes a little less about the books and a little more about getting together for drinks once a month with some cool people who speak English!) Anyone interested in joining, just let me know!!

And it looks like we may be heading to ROMA for 24 hours this weekend! Friends from CA will be there for a few days and we found relatively cheap flights so figure we should make the best of it....

My only worry is leaving the Stormy bear for 36hours in his condition. But the decision was made that the point of this little jaunt to Germany was to travel Europe, so here goes...Maybe I can ask the Mormons to pray for him while we're gone?

Best Vet EVER

First of all, my Stormy bear is a monster of the first degree when he goes to the vet. Our last vet in California, who was great, decided on day one that she was no longer going to see our precious baby without a heavy dose of sedatives (for the cat, not her). So began a series of vet visits over 2 years that never cost less than $300.

Stormy's adjustment to Germany has been slow to say the least, and given his apparent liver issues (as seen before leaving CA), it was imperative that we find a reliable vet ASAP who spoke enough English that I could explain his abundant history (blood work, ultrasound results and on and on...) and who would be able to explain to me what was going on (yes, I'm one of THOSE pet owners who needs to be involved in every detail, and yes I do think that just because I have a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry, I know everything there is to know about cat anatomy. Really it's a wonder no vet has yet refused to see me without a heavy dose of sedatives!)

So, the search for a reliable vet began. We were unfortunately thrown off track slightly after Stormy refused to eat anything for 2 days and in a desperate attempt to keep him alive, we went to the vet around the corner who spoke not a word of English. While she did give him a shot that allowed him to eat (God bless her for that!) she flaked on our recheck and apparently no longer worked at the practice when we returned.

Anyway, after much searching online, I found an "All Cats" practice in Oberursel. On paper (read internet), they had all my must haves - website seemed top notch, fancy pictures of the practice showed abundant happy staff, sunny waiting rooms, and for Stormy - no dogs! I tentatively sent an e-mail asking if any of the vets spoke English. Within 20 minutes, I received a response, from the vet himself, that he did speak English. One more e-mail and we had an appointment at 4pm today. I was sold!

Although the location was a bit far - 30 minute drive with a little traffic - it was totally worth it! Sunny waiting room, happy staff (who already knew I was English, by the way and I was able to avoid the awkward - Verstien sie Englisch?). And Dr. Michael was lovely. Despites Stormy's monsterousness (word?) Dr. Michael was able to examine him, get blood, and run the labs on site in 20 minutes! He spent lots of time answering my abundance of questions and didn't seem one bit annoyed!

Although we are still short of a diagnosis (apparently it is not uncommon for cats to suffer from liver issues of unknown cause), we have a course of treatment (antibiotics and steroids - Stormy's thinking of taking up body building) and follow ups scheduled accordingly. Also, he was able to get blood for the rabies titer for his EU/UK passport and recommend a cat sitting service. Not a single sedative required!

SOOO - looking for an excellent vet in the Frankfurt area for your cat - look no further than Katezin-Praxis and Dr. Michael Streicher.

He's a life saver - just ask Stormy!

When in doubt....Shop!

I must admit that today, we found the best shopping mall ever...even better than...wait for it...any shopping mall visited in Southern California. I know, it's hard to believe I am actually admitting to finding something, in Germany, that is better than anything from either the US or Canada!

Our day began with the buzzer ringing at 9am and the nice men from Amazon.de finally delivering our washing machine. I was thrilled at the prospect of finally having clean underwear that had not be hand washed in the bathroom sink! I spoke too early, however, because our old apartment had an old tap that the washer needed to be hooked up to, so of course the fittings didn't work!

Mark decided to head out to the hardware store while I stayed home to make breakfast (ie lie in bed and watch Friends reruns on E4 - they're always on...it's great!). He came home with what he thought was the right fitting, which of course didn't work. But more importantly, was super excited about finding the German equivalent of Home Depot. Like, down to the layout, "hand" written signs and orange smocks! So, since he had to go back anyway for a different fitting, I decided to see for myself.

Sure enough (as the picture will attest to), we found the German equivalent of Home Depot. This lead to a series of purchases for what might eventually be a normal shower (don't get me started on what is currently passing for a shower in this place!) and clean underwear...(For the record, we still don't have the right fitting, so I have planned my Sunday around sink washing once again...).

After finally dragging Mark out of the Home Depot, it was decided that I needed a proper food processor and Garmin GPS if I was going to survive one more day in Darmstadt. The nearest Saturn (read European Best Buy) was just around the corner. What we didn't know was that it was housed in the most glorious shopping mall EVER! Stores abound including Starbucks, Guess, Nail Salons, Hair Salons, Esprit, Clothes, Clothes and More Clothes. I was in heaven and have decided if you need to find me at any point over the next 2 years, look for me there (because now I have Garmin GPS who will show me the way!).

Many hours later, Mark was afraid I would spend all his money (hey - I don't currently have a job, so who else's money will I spend?) so headed out to our planned Saturday destination. IKEA. While much window shopping and planning was accomplished only a few purchases were made (and we still haven't solved the washer or shower problem!).

Eventually, we were both hungry and headed to Wiesbaden to see what it was all about.

We had dinner at a lovely Scottish pub (the Scotch and Soda) and then off to Murphy's Irish pub for Guinness and Strongbow. Wiesbaden has a lovely downtown that remains untouched since before the war and due to the American Army/Air force base is full of English speakers who will tolerate my lack of German skills. Long story short, it was decided that we would be spending many more weekends pub crawling through Wiesbaden (and who knows - may have to move there if it suits us!). Apparently they have the worlds largest cuckoo clock. How can you go wrong!

All in all, today was a good day....which is a great thing to come by!!

God Bless The Rain (and Internet!)

I'm currently at home living through my first German thunder storm and my first storm in at least 5 years (since I left Canada).

I used to hate thunderstorms, but the heat here has been unbearable (30C +) since we arrived so I'm glad that the air has cooled down some and we might actually get some relief. I really don't understand what the German's have against air conditioning! (oops - negative... I'll try to keep that to a minimum!)

Poor Stormy has not weathered the move well and has decided to stop eating. Apparently he also hates thunderstorms and is hiding behind the couch. Hopefully he will come out when the air cools off? Or he can chase the moths that have made their home in our apartment (again, what do people have against window screens??!)

Our first week in Darmstadt is finally complete and we have tried to settle in as best we can. We have a working dishwasher, dryer (but no washer so really what's the point?) and a very large "American" fridge that our landlord ordered but that still needs to be hooked up to the water source to produce ice. Apparently there are parts missing. At least it can be plugged in and keeps things cold!

We find a great British pub around the corner owned by an Indian couple who have been her for 25 years or more. They have Magners and Guinness on tap, the best curry dishes in the country and speak amazing English (super bonus!) so hopefully we can become regulars.

Our internet has been set up (I was so relieved I almost cried - for the 97th time since we arrived!) so I can now waste my time on Facebook and job hunting (with no intention of ever getting a job!) while mark is at work supporting us!

We started to do a little travel over the weekend. We drove to France (Vive la France!) because I begged Mark to take me to a country where I spoke the language. It was oppresively hot there as well, but they have wonderful supermarkets and Hagueneau has good ice cream so it was worth the trip.

We also took the train to Frankfurt, which means I may actually be mobile now! I kind of liked Frankfurt and have decided it is the place I will find German language training and possibly go back to school...or get a job...or go back to school...or be on vacation for 2 years? We'll see...

Must make plans for next weekend getaway. Perhaps a trip to somewhere cool? (never thought I'd say that!)

Germany - the early days

If 2 days of company provided cultural connection training taught me anything it was that moving across the world is hard and don't dwell on the negative. So here is my attempt not to dwell on the negative...

We arrived safely and on time at our destination. Stormy weathered the trip as well as can be expected. The vet decided to give him a new sedative (torb) instead of the usual (Acevet). Not such a great move. We arrived at the security gate where he needed to be removed from his carrier and carried (ie wrestled) through the metal detectors. A bloody match ensued (I have the scars to prove it!). Cleary, not so much sedated. The ATA officer standing on the otherside of the detector asked nervously if I could remove his harness and leash before walking through the detector. What I wanted to say was "Sure - if you want a terrified black cat running wild through you airport, crazy lady!" but instead, politely said no, and agreed that if I set off the detector we would submit to secondary screening. Luckily, Stormy did not set off any detectors, was quickly returned to his carrier and off we went.

As expected, we were upgraded to business on the first flight so were able to drink our share of wine in preparation for the second flight. No upgrade on the second(because of the cat...Stormy was very upset since he is used to flying in style) but the flight was empty so we were able to spread out a bit.

Upon arrival, not a single German customs person was to be seen so despite our best efforts at showing someone Stormy's "passport" we ended up bringing him into the country without inspection. I feel a bit like an animal smuggler (and I also wasted $35 on USDA endorsement!) but better to be prepared than not.

When we arrived at our new apartment the rental furniture truck was already there to greet us (although I don't think the movers were too plased at having to lug everything up 3 flights of stairs!).

Our settling in has not been without glitches - no internet, phone or fridge until next week, no washer/dryer until we order one (please come next week! I'm quickly running out of clean clothes and it's very hot and sticky here!), no cold water in the kitchen for the first week, no working dishwasher at this time, and until yesterday, no english TV except CNN. That one nearly killed me! I can only take so much of the same top stories over and over again (although I did catch Larry King's interview with Lindsay Lohan's father about her jail sentence. Rivetting. I miss California!) In an attempt to keep me from getting on a plane for Canada (my bags are still technically packed...) Mark was able to rig up some kind of satellite which gives me free to air UK TV. I've never appreciated reruns of Star Trek as much as I do now (Captain Kirk - your such an alien ladies man!).

Our landlord is a lovely man who is generous with invites to local bars to watch football (hence the pictures - sorry Germany!!) and has much advice on where to go (I think he wants to take us wine tasting in Burgundy - which is nice, but a little forward? Have I become that American?). I'm just hoping he might be able to help with the appliance situation with the same enthusiam!

Mark has returned to work on and off, leaving me to my own devices (not always a good thing). I have now driven a car on tiny German roads (also, not always a good thing) so I'll let you know when my first accident and/or speeding ticket arrives. I kind of always forget the no right on red thing...

We've found a gym and a Starbucks with free wifi (hence the update) so my next challenge will be finding German language classes and friends. I've even considered looking for a job (although I'm not that desperate...yet...)

But who knows what may happen! It'll get better...right?

Independence Day

It's 10pm (PST) July 3rd and tomorrow is our Independence day from America.

A few updates...

The movers came and went, successfully packing our storage, air and sea shipments. There was minimal damage to the house (although I'm convinced that the scratches on the floor in our bedroom were not there when we vacated the premises!)

It was kind of cool to see the actual sea container show up at our front door. The big green monster was opened and one by one our furniture and belongings were loaded. Since the delivery time is 3 months, I assume our container will be driven to Long Beach and loaded onto a freighter bound for the Panama Canal. It's a little disconcerting to realize that by the end of the journey, Stormy's cat tree will be more well traveled than I am. I hope that the ship makes frequent stops and that our Papasan chair has a chance to hop out somewhere in central America for a quick drink and dance lesson, or that when our 3-piece sectional docks in Europe, it can hop a cab to Amsterdam for a pub crawl (although if it arrives smelling like smoke of any kind I will not be happy!).

Our neighbors were kind enough to invite us over for dinner on Friday night where we shared 4 bottles of wine until 1am. Frank and Sandy are lovely people and I'm truly going to miss them. It's a shame that we didn't get a chance to spend more time with them (ie, I will miss Sandy's cooking and stories!!) but hopefully they will still be there when we move back!

Despite a late night on Friday, we were up at 7am Saturday, back to the house for cleaning (and Stormy cuddles), and the final touch ups that I hope will make the house ready for rent.

I then enjoyed a mani, pedi and eye brow wax (who knows where I will find that kind of service in Darmstadt!), a quick trip back to the house to give Stormy his meds and we are finally at the end of the preparation stage.

The Taylor's joined us at the hotel for a swim, dinner and fire works (to celebrate our send off of course!) and after many tears (yes mostly mine) we said our final good byes to the best friends we could ever have here in So Cal. I'm still crying...

So this will be the final update from these US of A. Since our internet is not going to be hooked up until July 13th (really? can we not do better than that??) I will provide an update of how the actual flight passed once Stormy and I have slept off the sedatives and I can find an internet cafe.

Happy 4th of July to all our friends in So Cal that we will miss dearly!!

Happy Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian and Expat Canadian friends!

Incidentally, it's also Stormy's 12th birthday, so happy birthday to my little old kitty.

Since today is day 1 of the move, I had almost forgotten it was Canada Day. I'm sitting here with nothing to do but watch 4 boys pack up our house (with great efficiency I might add) and started surfing the web for Canadian expat sites in Germany and found numerous Canada day parties abroad. Hopefully we can partake next year!

Mark is off organizing the selling of the Dodge Ram, banking details, customs paperwork and visa things so I'm here alone with the movers. It's kind of awkward sitting around with nothing to do while they work so hard, and yet I wouldn't trade having packers for anything. My best advice to anyone out there who is planning a move is spend the money on packers. It's worth EVERY PENNY!

Stormy is hiding under the couch, having a heart attack no doubt because of the activity. If he only knew what was in store for him on Sunday!

We will be staying at a fancy hotel tonight (on the company dime!) so I'm looking forward to that. It will feel like a vacation after the chaos at home. Then back to more of the same tomorrow....

My Work Here is Done

It's packing day eve (ie the night before the movers come...). 2 days of packing and our life will be ready for Germany apparently.

So, a brief update...

The house has been sorted between 3 shipments (long term storage, air shipment and sea shipment). It seemed an easy prospect. The air shipment was 1000lbs that should arrive within 10 days. The sea shipment, 12000lbs to arrive in 10-12 weeks. I thought you could live without anything for 10 to 12 weeks, until I realized that it translated to 3 months minimum. It seems a lot longer that way! So after much agonizing, things are sorted and we're ready for the movers to arrive.

Stormy's saga continues, but he's packed and ready to move.

His last trip to the vet sent him home with controlled drugs for the flight (which we might both need to take!), antibiotics for an unidentified infection, and a shaved belly from the ultrasound (it's a very slimming look for him - although he refuses to lie down on the hard wood floors!). His liver looks clean but there is inflammation in his kidney's, hence the antibiotics. All in all, though, a clean bill of health to get on the plane and through customs.

Also, for anyone moving a pet from So Cal to another country, I highly recommend using the USDA office in Hawthorne, CA for document endorsement. I arrived at 8:20am with no appointment, his rabies cert, international health cert, form 998 and $35 and left with the American government's endorsement for us to get the hell out of here! Very easy and stress free!

So now on the eve of the great pack, I'm watching Top Chef, trying to finish the last of our wine (you can't take it with you after all!) and ready to go.

Cross your fingers that the pack will go well. I'll keep you posted!

Stormy E. Cat Esq.'s journey across the world

I would be remiss if I didn't spend some time musing over the joy of traveling from Canada to the USA to Germany with a small yet sometimes angry black cat.

To begin, 5 years ago when we moved from Ottawa, Canada to San Diego CA, I thought it was a hassle. I couldn't have been more wrong! A trip to the vet (where Stormy made his dislike for all things medical blatantly known) produced a 1 page health cert and a script for Acevet (an absolute must!). Stormy was then unceremoniously tossed into a soft sided carrier and stored lovingly under the seat in front of me for a trip to CA through Chicago. All in all, everyone survived.

Now (5 years later mind you, ie 5 years older) it all seems so much more complicated. According to the pet relocation company, we require a German translated form 998 signed by the vet and then endorsed by the USDA within 10 days of travel. Also, he needs to have in international microchip and updated rabies vacc and a form 7001 international health cert which the vet will have. Simple enough right? Maybe? First, apparently his microchip is not the right kind. Second, the USDA main office is in Northern Cal. The form can be mailed to them, but isn't there a scary risk that I won't get it back in time? Third, the vet doesn't have and has never heard of form 7001.

A trip to the vet provided a new microchip, an updated rabies vacc. and also revealed Stormy has lost 1.5 lbs (a lot for a 14lb cat!) Blood work shows elevated liver enzymes and now he's gone off his dry food altogether. Needless to say panic has set in. I'm partly convinced he's dying, and partly convinced he's just picked up on my sense of panic related to the move.

After purchasing 4 different dried foods and 10 different cans of wet food, we've finally found something that he will eat. Major step forward! The vet has him scheduled for an ultrasound (do they have to shave his belly for that?) and he's on antibiotics (a treat for everyone involved since he seems to be able to hide the pills and spit them out hours later. Trickier than a patient in a psyche ward I say!).

If all goes well, he will get the ultrasound and certs completed on the same day (5 days before we are scheduled to leave). I can then run the paperwork up to USDA. And as for the form 7001? According to the USDA man who answered the export line, it's not required. Good thing since my vet doesn't have a copy but has a different international cert. Chaos.

So, hopefully Stormy is just being stubborn and all will be well. Otherwise, we'll be living in an empty house while Mark is off in Germany!

Right, off to get ready since today is our going away party at the house! We have great sense of timing don't we!

Animal Style

Luckily many "to do's" off my list today! First lunch at In-n-Out Burger (best burger joint ever!) Mark was lucky enough to join me and snapped this pic of me finishing my cheese burger, animal style. I will certainly miss the 3 item menu and the fresh fries!

Second thing off my list was a trip to the Wild Animal Park! Where are the pics you ask? Well, stupidly I left the camera on last night while downloading and killed the battery, so no pics, but memories forever! I love that place and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting San Diego.

Finally, tonight is dinner at Benihana. I know, I will be incredibly fat by the time I reach Darmstadt, given the need to eat at every greasy place in SD, but it's all worth it. (just for the chicken fried rice!).

The date for the move has finally been set - flight leaves July 4th! Stormy has his ticket purchased too, and if all goes well, will be upgraded to business class (he hates flying in the back with the common folk).

Not sure what's next on the list of to do's but I'm sure I'll come up with something before tomorrow!

Day 1 - The Beginning

The date is finally set and it looks like the fateful move abroad is really happening - in 3 weeks! Despite the fact that I should be busy planning and executing a long list of move related to do's, the only list I have successfully generated is the list of things to do and places to eat in San Diego before leaving these US's of A all together! So far the food list is easy (and mostly fast food - Red Lobster, Benihana, Chipotle - all those things you never thought you'd miss until they're gone). But the things to do, a whole other story.

Luckily, Disneyland has been scratched off the list, but all that remains are biggies like the Zoo, Wild Animal park, one last surf in carlsbad, shopping at the outlet malls. Any suggestions? (hopefully cheap ones - I am officially unemployed after all!).

The first to make this list is tomorrow's trip to the wild animal park. Hopefully it will include some pics that will be posted post haste (assuming i can figure out how?!)

I've got to get it all in before the new adventure begins!