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Nov 26, 2009
Nov 6, 2009
Great Scots! (part one)
We have returned from our trip to Scotland, and let's just say, AMEN to english speaking countries. The trip was enjoyable and quite refreshing to escape the daily routine of life in small town Germany. There were two parts to our trip, city and country, both of which are unique in their own ways. We did a lot of things, but we hope to give a glimpse into our week long vacation.
The City
Day One
The day started out with a wonderful flight on the extremely low-budget airline, Ryanair. This airline makes Southwest seem like you are flying in your own private jet. They set the standard for making you the most uncomfortable you can possibly be while flying as well as charging you for everything including the bathroom (I guess we are in Europe). Although it seems this airline is unsuitable, they happen to have a 90% on-time arrival rate, and our flight was no exception.
We normally like to take a picture of our lodgings, but since we forgot, we would like to let you know we stayed at 23 Mayfield. This B&B was a very nice house near the city and served traditional scottish fare for breakfast, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Lamb intestines anyone? Haggis is a traditional dish at anytime of day made of sheep's insides and mixed with oats and served like sausage. Rob, with the iron stomach, decided to have a sample, and said it tasted like LIVER. Yummo. Anyway, on to the activities.
First things first, Starbucks. Elizabeth made sure we hit up the Bucks before we went anywhere...she had been having major withdrawals since we've been in Germany. This also had the benefit of making the trip more enjoyable for her man(she had a cup in her hand at all times).
It also gave her the energy to walk up the famous Calton Hill. This is one of the highest points in the city and offers great panoramas of the city skyline. The Stewart Monument, The Scottish National Monument and The Nelson Monument all find their homes on top of Calton Hill, and make for some impressive photos. We did not stay long because of the weather...it's not what you think. Surprisingly for us it was not raining like you would suspect in this part of the world, but it was very windy. People assume we are used to the wind because we are from Chicago??? People need to get their facts straight. Regardless, we had to get off the hill for fear of losing Elizabeth and her ninety pounds.
In Scotland, the sun goes to bed well before the people. So, we spent the rest of the night, and if you're thinking 8 pm or later, try 3:30 pm or later, walking around Princes street and it's adjoining gardens. This street had many upscale shops and boutiques which we perused while waiting for dinner. We ended up eating at The basement . This is nothing like your Mom's basement...but an upscale bar and restaurant that served scottish fare. Nothing like a meat pie and some fish and chips to finish off our first day.
Day Two
We did three major excursions, The Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh Castle, and Mercat Tours.
The Royal Botanical Gardens is a huge nature park located in the northern part of the city. Although it was somewhat gloomy, we took pleasure in strolling through the gardens and seeing some of God's creation. Rob took this opportunity to practice his picture taking abilities which are still lacking (he thinks too hard). Elizabeth seemed to be preoccupied by searching for a bathroom because she just drank a Starbucks.
Edinburgh Castle is a major attraction for those visiting Edinburgh. This giant fortress sits atop a volcanic rock at the end of the Royal Mile (oldest and most famous street in all of Scotland). The structure and its surroundings is very impressive and will leave an impression on anyone. We spent a couple hours touring around and listening to our audio guide to give us a little more historical background about what we were seeing. We were lucky enough to see the famous One o'clock gun being fired at One o'clock. This happens every day except for a couple major holidays. Royal Guards walk around telling parents with little ones to makes sure their ears are covered, as the sound of the boom can be traumatic. So, Elizabeth followed the instructions and buried her head into my coat so she didn't die of a heart attack (she is becoming more and more like her parents each day). After awhile in the castle, we needed to refuel before our tour of the Historic Vaults.
If we made one mistake on this trip, it was taking this tour of underground Scotland. The underground vaults were created in the late 18th Century and abandoned by the 1830s only to be discovered again in 1996. These vaults have since made Edinburgh the capital of paranormal sightings. While we don't believe in ghosts, we thought this tour would be interesting and a little spooky. We were disappointed with all the hype because our guide spoke with such a thick accent that we had a hard time understanding a word he was saying. Our guide mentioned he never believed in ghosts until the day he married his wife, a practicing physic and medium, and now he is also a client. Weird, yea, you don't have to tell us, we were there. Surprisingly, we did not see a ghost, even though our guide resembled one.
Stay tuned for our second installment...The Highlands. Here is the link to the pictures.
The City
Day One
The day started out with a wonderful flight on the extremely low-budget airline, Ryanair. This airline makes Southwest seem like you are flying in your own private jet. They set the standard for making you the most uncomfortable you can possibly be while flying as well as charging you for everything including the bathroom (I guess we are in Europe). Although it seems this airline is unsuitable, they happen to have a 90% on-time arrival rate, and our flight was no exception.
We normally like to take a picture of our lodgings, but since we forgot, we would like to let you know we stayed at 23 Mayfield. This B&B was a very nice house near the city and served traditional scottish fare for breakfast, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Lamb intestines anyone? Haggis is a traditional dish at anytime of day made of sheep's insides and mixed with oats and served like sausage. Rob, with the iron stomach, decided to have a sample, and said it tasted like LIVER. Yummo. Anyway, on to the activities.
First things first, Starbucks. Elizabeth made sure we hit up the Bucks before we went anywhere...she had been having major withdrawals since we've been in Germany. This also had the benefit of making the trip more enjoyable for her man(she had a cup in her hand at all times).
It also gave her the energy to walk up the famous Calton Hill. This is one of the highest points in the city and offers great panoramas of the city skyline. The Stewart Monument, The Scottish National Monument and The Nelson Monument all find their homes on top of Calton Hill, and make for some impressive photos. We did not stay long because of the weather...it's not what you think. Surprisingly for us it was not raining like you would suspect in this part of the world, but it was very windy. People assume we are used to the wind because we are from Chicago??? People need to get their facts straight. Regardless, we had to get off the hill for fear of losing Elizabeth and her ninety pounds.
In Scotland, the sun goes to bed well before the people. So, we spent the rest of the night, and if you're thinking 8 pm or later, try 3:30 pm or later, walking around Princes street and it's adjoining gardens. This street had many upscale shops and boutiques which we perused while waiting for dinner. We ended up eating at The basement . This is nothing like your Mom's basement...but an upscale bar and restaurant that served scottish fare. Nothing like a meat pie and some fish and chips to finish off our first day.
Day Two
We did three major excursions, The Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh Castle, and Mercat Tours.
The Royal Botanical Gardens is a huge nature park located in the northern part of the city. Although it was somewhat gloomy, we took pleasure in strolling through the gardens and seeing some of God's creation. Rob took this opportunity to practice his picture taking abilities which are still lacking (he thinks too hard). Elizabeth seemed to be preoccupied by searching for a bathroom because she just drank a Starbucks.
Edinburgh Castle is a major attraction for those visiting Edinburgh. This giant fortress sits atop a volcanic rock at the end of the Royal Mile (oldest and most famous street in all of Scotland). The structure and its surroundings is very impressive and will leave an impression on anyone. We spent a couple hours touring around and listening to our audio guide to give us a little more historical background about what we were seeing. We were lucky enough to see the famous One o'clock gun being fired at One o'clock. This happens every day except for a couple major holidays. Royal Guards walk around telling parents with little ones to makes sure their ears are covered, as the sound of the boom can be traumatic. So, Elizabeth followed the instructions and buried her head into my coat so she didn't die of a heart attack (she is becoming more and more like her parents each day). After awhile in the castle, we needed to refuel before our tour of the Historic Vaults.
If we made one mistake on this trip, it was taking this tour of underground Scotland. The underground vaults were created in the late 18th Century and abandoned by the 1830s only to be discovered again in 1996. These vaults have since made Edinburgh the capital of paranormal sightings. While we don't believe in ghosts, we thought this tour would be interesting and a little spooky. We were disappointed with all the hype because our guide spoke with such a thick accent that we had a hard time understanding a word he was saying. Our guide mentioned he never believed in ghosts until the day he married his wife, a practicing physic and medium, and now he is also a client. Weird, yea, you don't have to tell us, we were there. Surprisingly, we did not see a ghost, even though our guide resembled one.
Stay tuned for our second installment...The Highlands. Here is the link to the pictures.
Oct 24, 2009
Its All Bruges To Me
I know what you must be thinking....What is Bruges and how do I get there? For those of you who fail to come and visit us, getting to this charming little town would be quite the problem. However, when you have the luxury of being a stone's throw from various attractive European destinations, driving 2 and a half hours to Bruges, Belgium is not such a bad deal. Not to mention easy access to one of the finer aspects of German culture: The Autobahn!!!
Bruges is a very small town on the northwest side of Belgium and about a 15 minute drive to the English Channel. The beauty of this city lies in its ability to convey a sense old European charm that has been spared being damaged from the many wars that have been through this region. Many people refer to it as the "Venice of the North" because of the many canals and style of architecture. In an effort to keep dentist's in business world wide, Bruges has taken the claim of being the chocolate capital of the world. Also, being in Belgium, waffles and "pommes frites" are mandatory. Finally, Bruges is a very romantic setting for enjoying while with your loved one.
Day 1
We spent the day walking around the city and stopping in some of the shops. One of these fine establishments was called the Chocolate Line. This was just one of the gazillion chocolatiers flooding the city. Seriously, its like Starbucks in Seattle, if you blink you might miss one. The Chocolate Line is famous for one very peculiar reason. The owner had the bright idea of creating a machine, as a gift for Mic Jagger of Rolling Stones Fame, that would pulverize cocoa into a very fine powder....as if its not already. This would then be sniffed and used in place of a more traditional drug. All we can say is: Weird. We took a multitude of pictures which we conveniently posted on smugmug (link to the right) for your viewing pleasure.
Day 2
Elizabeth saved the day by booking a fabulous 3 hour bike ride with Pink Bear Bike Tours. Yes, that was a plug because the tour and the guide were excellente (as they say in the spanish). We were outfitted with some sweet mountain bikes and some gloves because Rob was not prepared. Elizabeth actually was able to experience life on an adult bike without an accident. Nice!!! The trip went through some of Bruges, but mainly the Flemish country side surrounding the city. We were able to see some windmills, a variety of animals in their natural setting, and the historic village of Damme. While in Damme, we stopped at a nice little cafe for some famous waffles and beer. Elizabeth wimped out and had a plain waffle with some sugar on the side. I at least asked for some whipped cream on top. I mean if you're gonna do something, you might as well do it right. Both waffles were delicious. Elizabeth claims the beer was good too. Although, I have my doubts. After the bike tour we didn't have much time before heading back so we walked around the city some more and stopped in one of the many Markt Square eateries for some local cuisine.
That was our trip.
Bruges is a very small town on the northwest side of Belgium and about a 15 minute drive to the English Channel. The beauty of this city lies in its ability to convey a sense old European charm that has been spared being damaged from the many wars that have been through this region. Many people refer to it as the "Venice of the North" because of the many canals and style of architecture. In an effort to keep dentist's in business world wide, Bruges has taken the claim of being the chocolate capital of the world. Also, being in Belgium, waffles and "pommes frites" are mandatory. Finally, Bruges is a very romantic setting for enjoying while with your loved one.
Day 1
We spent the day walking around the city and stopping in some of the shops. One of these fine establishments was called the Chocolate Line. This was just one of the gazillion chocolatiers flooding the city. Seriously, its like Starbucks in Seattle, if you blink you might miss one. The Chocolate Line is famous for one very peculiar reason. The owner had the bright idea of creating a machine, as a gift for Mic Jagger of Rolling Stones Fame, that would pulverize cocoa into a very fine powder....as if its not already. This would then be sniffed and used in place of a more traditional drug. All we can say is: Weird. We took a multitude of pictures which we conveniently posted on smugmug (link to the right) for your viewing pleasure.
Day 2
Elizabeth saved the day by booking a fabulous 3 hour bike ride with Pink Bear Bike Tours. Yes, that was a plug because the tour and the guide were excellente (as they say in the spanish). We were outfitted with some sweet mountain bikes and some gloves because Rob was not prepared. Elizabeth actually was able to experience life on an adult bike without an accident. Nice!!! The trip went through some of Bruges, but mainly the Flemish country side surrounding the city. We were able to see some windmills, a variety of animals in their natural setting, and the historic village of Damme. While in Damme, we stopped at a nice little cafe for some famous waffles and beer. Elizabeth wimped out and had a plain waffle with some sugar on the side. I at least asked for some whipped cream on top. I mean if you're gonna do something, you might as well do it right. Both waffles were delicious. Elizabeth claims the beer was good too. Although, I have my doubts. After the bike tour we didn't have much time before heading back so we walked around the city some more and stopped in one of the many Markt Square eateries for some local cuisine.
That was our trip.
Oct 6, 2009
Stayin Alive...
For those of you who read this you probably think we are dead, but we are ALIVE and well. We have a lot of updates so we will start with a couple and continue to write more as we have time.
First things first, we have landed on the moon, aka, our internet is connected. This is our only means of communications as well as our one method for conducting shady business operations. Needless to say, we were lost without it (Rob was crying in his cheerios because he almost missed some deadline for fantasy hockey)! The internet company had us on house arrest because they said they would come to our home and install it but never showed up. This was a major problem because we could not just call and complain because nobody speaks english and if they do, they hang up on you. Luckily, we had our main man, Gungor, at Media Markt (BestBuy Germany), was able to help us out by calling and yelling at the internet company. He also hooked us up with a 200 Euro gift card which helped us purchase our Speed Link Speaker System and a Blender, which does not fit in our kitchen. Speaking of kitchen...
Secondly, we are finally settled in our new place. The place is OK but has some major flaws.
1. Shady construction--the place was obviously rehabbed by a blind man. We have random holes in the middle of walls and if Rob gains anymore weight he will fall through the floor by the end of the year. Disclaimer: If you come to visit and weigh more than Rob we are not responsible for any injury that may happen while being here.
2. Ceilings--we are on the top floor of a building that is shaped like an A...so, our ceilings are majorly slanted. This would not be a problem for Scott Wendell or Johnny Ballgame but the entire Globke crew would have dents in their head from bumping it on the ceiling every single day. To make matters worse, anything used frequently in the kitchen is placed under the lowest part of the ceiling. Rob is left with two options: a. double his arm length or b. ruin his back by crouching down like Montgomery Burns.
3. Bathroom--one word...bushleague. It's hard to explain without actually being able to see it or be in it, but let's just say only one person who is 4 feet tall can fit in there comfortably. The space is awkward at best and more confounded when you throw in a washer and a mirror system in a random corner behind the door.
First things first, we have landed on the moon, aka, our internet is connected. This is our only means of communications as well as our one method for conducting shady business operations. Needless to say, we were lost without it (Rob was crying in his cheerios because he almost missed some deadline for fantasy hockey)! The internet company had us on house arrest because they said they would come to our home and install it but never showed up. This was a major problem because we could not just call and complain because nobody speaks english and if they do, they hang up on you. Luckily, we had our main man, Gungor, at Media Markt (BestBuy Germany), was able to help us out by calling and yelling at the internet company. He also hooked us up with a 200 Euro gift card which helped us purchase our Speed Link Speaker System and a Blender, which does not fit in our kitchen. Speaking of kitchen...
Secondly, we are finally settled in our new place. The place is OK but has some major flaws.
1. Shady construction--the place was obviously rehabbed by a blind man. We have random holes in the middle of walls and if Rob gains anymore weight he will fall through the floor by the end of the year. Disclaimer: If you come to visit and weigh more than Rob we are not responsible for any injury that may happen while being here.
2. Ceilings--we are on the top floor of a building that is shaped like an A...so, our ceilings are majorly slanted. This would not be a problem for Scott Wendell or Johnny Ballgame but the entire Globke crew would have dents in their head from bumping it on the ceiling every single day. To make matters worse, anything used frequently in the kitchen is placed under the lowest part of the ceiling. Rob is left with two options: a. double his arm length or b. ruin his back by crouching down like Montgomery Burns.
3. Bathroom--one word...bushleague. It's hard to explain without actually being able to see it or be in it, but let's just say only one person who is 4 feet tall can fit in there comfortably. The space is awkward at best and more confounded when you throw in a washer and a mirror system in a random corner behind the door.
Aug 30, 2009
Vacuum Cleaner?
My departure date is nearing and I am anxious but excited. I leave on September 10th and arrive in Dusseldorf on September 11th. Rob has been living in a shoebox size apartment but is moving into our new pad tomorrow. I only hope there will be some curtains and useful kitchen items in the APT before I get there. Rob has the responsibility of contacting the internet guys, which we've heard can take a month or longer to install, but we hope to be the exception and they come in two weeks(hopeful thinking). I am bringing our computer so Rob will now have access to read and return emails, write amusing blogs, as well as participate in fantasy football leagues (he's most pumped about that).
Rob is doing well and is currently 6 hours from home in another part of Germany playing in a three game tourney. His last tournament in Poland he received the most valuable player and was given a vacuum cleaner for his efforts. In most cases when a player receives this honor they are given a watch, ring or nice sized trophy, but it looks like the economy has also affected the rewards the players are given. I prefer the vacuum over a ring or watch because I will actually see Rob use it at least once or twice a month(yes, he knows how to use a vacuum). All of his never-worn rings and watches are stowed away in a box somewhere collecting dust bunnies. Hopefully he plays well in this tournament and he gets a swiffer, then I will be able dust while he vacuums (the cleaning duo)!
I'm going to leave you with a little video clip of Rob's team, not sure what the song is or what the words are saying, but enjoy!
Rob is doing well and is currently 6 hours from home in another part of Germany playing in a three game tourney. His last tournament in Poland he received the most valuable player and was given a vacuum cleaner for his efforts. In most cases when a player receives this honor they are given a watch, ring or nice sized trophy, but it looks like the economy has also affected the rewards the players are given. I prefer the vacuum over a ring or watch because I will actually see Rob use it at least once or twice a month(yes, he knows how to use a vacuum). All of his never-worn rings and watches are stowed away in a box somewhere collecting dust bunnies. Hopefully he plays well in this tournament and he gets a swiffer, then I will be able dust while he vacuums (the cleaning duo)!
I'm going to leave you with a little video clip of Rob's team, not sure what the song is or what the words are saying, but enjoy!
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