Monday, July 31, 2006
Sunday, July 30, 2006
figuring out the Leipzig WC's
in Germany they keep things clean and orderly by having public bathrooms that you pay for. i know they have these in other cities (and they are gross so i was not so sure about giving it a try) so i made Dave go first just to make sure. i eventually gave in and it was A GREAT SUCCESS!
Day 8: Berlin: Day in Leipzig
Leipzig is a sort of college town just south of Berlin. well, i say "just south" but it's a similar distance away from Berlin as Los Angeles is from San Diego. anyways, Leipzig is where J S Bach (or Johann S. as we so lovingly call him these days) lived and worked during most of his life. the St. Thomas church (pictured above) is there and we were super excited to be able to go to the place where Bach made his amazing works of music.
also in Leipzig are Schumann's house and Mendelsshon's house.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
this was our very favorite train station in Berlin. we took the S-Bahn (a local train like Muni) there to transfer to the ICE (a super fast train that goes all over the country) in order to spend a day outside of the city.
Where's the Peanut Butter in Berlin?
why, it's on the USA shelf of course! you can find it between the mircowave popcorn and frosting.
i must also note that while places like the USA and Asia had their own shelves, Ketchup also had its very own.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Day 7: Berlin: German History Museum and the Schloss Charlottenburg
today we went to the German History Museum. among many other interesting things there we saw a very cool map. it was a relief map of europe and it had the changing country borders projected onto it dating back to the roman times and cycling up to the present year. you can imagine how long Dave and i stood and watched it. yeah, twice through.
then in the evening we went out to Schloss Charlottenburg. it is a really cool palace in the western part of Berlin. we went there to see an amazing concert with a piano and string quartet. other than it being unbearably hot the music was beautiful.
then in the evening we went out to Schloss Charlottenburg. it is a really cool palace in the western part of Berlin. we went there to see an amazing concert with a piano and string quartet. other than it being unbearably hot the music was beautiful.
Bebelplatz
Bebelplatz... current home of the traveling united buddy bears! 150 countries have one. I'm standing between Norway and Austria and Dave is standing between Cuba and Croatia. Of course the US made a statue of liberty bear.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
German Product of the day
if you happen to want to eat at Burger King in Berlin you won't find just a regular old chicken sandwich. it will be longer than you're used to.
don't worry, we didn't eat there.
don't worry, we didn't eat there.
Day 6: Berlin: Tiergarten, Swimming Pool and the Erotik Museum
today was the hottest day of the week so far in Berlin. for those of you melting back home, you can relate with a hot, urban-humid, upper 90's kind of day. after the conference talks in the morning all we could do in order to stay cool was have a picnic in the Tiergarten (the GG Park of Berlin) and then go to a public swimming pool.
then, just to keep with the "hot" theme we decided to check out the Erotik Museum. it was not as neat as what i remember from the Sex Museum in Amsterdam, but it was still interesting.
then, just to keep with the "hot" theme we decided to check out the Erotik Museum. it was not as neat as what i remember from the Sex Museum in Amsterdam, but it was still interesting.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Day 5: Berlin: Scheunenviertel
today we walked around the Jewish neighborhood of Berlin called the Scheunenviertel. in addition to stopping at the Neue Synagogue which has been rebuilt since its distruction during the war, we also visited an old cemetary which now only has one head stone (of Moses Mendelssohn) because the rest of it had been destroyed.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
German Product of the day
if you are going to use body wash in Berlin you might end up smelling like a City Flirt! "Dusch Das" translates to "Wash That" hahahaha.
Mattie... we tried!
Mattie, we went to BOTH Circus Hostels in Berlin and no one knew anything about a little vegetarian place with little lights or candles or anything! I asked many people, you can ask Dave. They all thought I was crazy! We couldn't find the place... but we sure tried. Sorry Mattie. But hey, the wild goose hunt was fun. :)
Day 4: Berlin: Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz, a public square situated in East Germany. It's so amazing to notice the communist influence in the Eastern sections of the city compared to the West.
KaDeWe
At the "Harrods" of Berlin, KaDeWe, we found lots of yummy stuff in the specialties food store on the 6th floor. Of course I got very excited about the little european cereals and Dave sniffed out the cheese from meters away! See, I said meters... you liked that, didn't cha?
Day 3: Berlin: Kurfurstendamm and Checkpoint Charlie
the Ku'damm (or Kurfurstendamm) is a major shopping district in Berlin. our flat is right near there so we have been walking around there a lot. the picture of that old church looking building is of the kaiser-wilhelm-gedachtnis-kirche and it was bombed during the war. it is left in this now very modern plaza as a reminder of what happened.
also you see that we went to Checkpoint Charlie, the place where people could cross back and forth from East to West Berlin. that was a really cool spot to see.
Monday, July 24, 2006
we moved!
here are pictures of the little flat we are living in now. we've got 4 burners in our tiny kitchen people, not to worry! our bathroom is freakishly small. you can use the sink while sitting on the toilet... not like we're doing that or anything! :)
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Day 2: Berlin: Brandenburg Tor, Reichstag and the Holocaust Memorial
on our second day in berlin we decided to figure out the subway system (U-Bahn) and see some sights. after some ticket purchasing difficulties we finally jumped on the train and headed into the middle of town (Mitte).
we walked down the Unter den Linden toward the Brandenburg Tor (or Gate, but i just had to write Tor, didn't i?). we then checked out the Reichstag and the Holocaust Memorial. i would write a lot about what these things are, but you can look them up online if you're truly interested. basically, everything was really amazing to see. you can imagine all of the WWII history connected to it all.
Day 1: Berlin: Savignyplatz
alright everyone! it's what you've been waiting for. pictures of my and Dave's adventures in Germany. while Dave is sitting in some conference talks, i am entertaining myself online.
we were very disoriented on the first day we arrived, typical for overseas travel of course, so after Dave registered for his conference we just explored a little neighborhood called Savignyplatz. the hotel we were staying in for one night was there, and it was super cute. check out the blue curtains and tall ceilings!
i love the freaky little cars all over Berlin too.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Friday, July 21, 2006
tour of UW
Today Malia and Hana and I decided to explore the University of Washington. That's Mt. Rainier in the background! You can only see it on clear sunny days, which there have been a lot of in Seattle this week.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
We explored Fremont
Fremont. Not to be confused with that weird little town in the East Bay down near San Jose, no sir! When you say Fremont in the Seattle area everyone exclaims "oh, you mean the 'Berkeley' of Seattle!" Of course we had to go there. We found a troll under a dark bridge, a rocket ship, Lenin, a blue bridge with Rapunzel letting down her hair, and much more. It was a cute place.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Monday, July 17, 2006
Whidbey Island
today we decided to take advantage of some warm sunny seattle weather and get out and about. a very large island in the puget sound is a great place for enjoying the outdoors, so we drove onto a ferry, had a picnic by the water, and explored the island. we even found a trail called the "trail of two kitties."
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Dinner Train!
then, to make our anniversary truly special we boarded the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train and zoomed, well maybe sputtered, up through seattle toward a cute little winery. other than feeling like we were riding in a dishwasher most of the time, it was very romantic and the scenery was lovely. seattle can be great when you're there during the non-rainy season!
Our one-year anniversary!
we weren't the only ones with an anniversary on the 15th of july! little did we know when we planned our tour of safeco park (where the mariners play baseball in seattle) that july 15th, 1999 was their inaugural game! coincidence that we decided to do this on the afternoon of our anniversary? hmmmmmm...
Friday, July 14, 2006
cost of living
hey, have you heard? according to the 2006 cost of living index San Francisco is the 2nd most over-priced city to live in. New York came in at number 6 and Los Angeles was at the bottom coming in 10th.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
my last day at work
some of you may have read the title of this post and thought, "what? last day?" i know, i didn't officially announce it on my blog when i was notified that there would be no funding for my position after july. i am bummed of course because i loved my job. it was the only job i've ever had that i can honestly say i loved.
my send-off was great though, lunch with the gang at Jitra and then cupcakes made my jason himself... with reeses peices positioned ever so perfectly by celia and jo-an to spell out my name. thanks again guys! i'll miss you so much.
goodbye little vine!
i am not known for having a green thumb. i can do kids and animals because they communicate to me, but plants... i always kill them. this little green sprout came into my life however unexpectedly. with jasons help and suggestions to water it, it is now growing into a lovely little vine. some day it may bloom morning glory flowers, my favorites.
while i travel jason and the SRC bunch will watch over the "love fern" and keep her hydrated until i get back. i'll miss you little vine!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Image of the day - a sepia transamerica building
monica took this picture yesterday as we drove through the city. i just liked it a lot so i wanted to share.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
makes you wanna dance
the original song is done by a romanian band called O-Zone and if you look for it on itunes you can hear it in a few different languages! but, this guy just warms your heart, doesn't he? makes me wanna dance!
Monday, July 10, 2006
the symphony performs in stern grove
i'm sure you can tell we embraced the music and the beautiful park setting to the fullest.something to check out if your ears deserve a treat: Time for Three
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Saturday, July 08, 2006
but then again maybe not all that cool
88% scored higher (more nerdy), and 12% scored lower (less nerdy).
What does this mean?
Your nerdiness is:
Not nerdy, but then again maybe not all that cool either.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
bon voyage julian and emily!
my friend who can do everything from picking up his friends at the airport to putting out fireworks-induced fires on twin peaks, julian, embarks today on a great journey. safe travels young ninja turtle, safe travels.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
how many waves?
after our hike we went to Ten Thousand Waves, a japanese style spa in Santa Fe. yes, it was as lovely as it looks.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
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