Well, it's was a long and excellent journey, but we've been home in the USA for about a month now. Our last few days in Germany were spent visiting our favorite places in Leipzig and also spending two days in Berlin. We stayed in a hostel not far from the airport and were able to see all of the standard sights--Brandenburg Gate, Under den Linden, the Reichstag, the TV tower, the Halocaust Memorial, the Opera House, the Berlin Wall/Checkpoint Charlie, and Charlottenburg. The contrast of new and old was especially interesting in Berlin. The city has been through a lot in recent decades. It was, as usual, a very busy two days, and we were successful in using nearly all of our Euros to avoid bringing home piles of change.
Our final journey of the trip started with an S-Bahn trip, a bus trip, and a very early morning at Tegel airport in Berlin. I was successful in locating the earplugs I need to fly and a Starbucks. The airport is not very well labeled and it took ages to successfully locate our gate. Security was a breeze, though, and we had plenty of time. Our first flight was to Warsaw, Poland. There was a delay, but we were promised that we would still be able to make it to our connection to Chicago. We made it to Warsaw and I was able to buy a few magazines in English to read on the flight to Chicago. All of my books were read and the Kindle couldn't download any more, so I decided it was worth it to pay the ridiculous price for some familiar reading material.
The airport in Warsaw was lovely, but Polish Airlines (LOT) was a little disorganized. There was some confusion during boarding and some odd moments when a passenger tried to convice me I should switch seats and sit alone for a 10 hour flight. In case you didn't know, flying is not one of my favorite activities, and sitting alone doesn't make it any better. We worked out the seating arrangement and were on our way. The plane left Warsaw at 12:30 pm and was set to land at 3:30 pm in Chicago. There were some kids near us that were entertaining at first, but quickly turned annoying when all of the other 10 year old boys on the plane came over with their Pokemon cards and played some intense Pokemon in the aisle of the plane. Then, they started to play hide and seek, which, in all honesty, is a pretty terrible plane game. Their antics made an already long flight seem longer. However, there were adorable and well-behaved children as well, so it evened out a little bit around Canada. :) It turns out that I don't particularly care for LOT's food either, so I was very happy to finally be approaching Chicago, where I knew Giordanno's was waiting for me.
When we finally landed, it was 3:30 pm, but it felt like 10:30 pm to us. Since we'd been on the train en route to Tegel at 6:00 am, it had been a long, long day. Customs went smoothly enough, but there was definitely a line and a long wait for our baggage. We were greeted with a thunderstorm, two completely dead cell phones, and humidity. Bryan used his first pay phone since 1998 and Rob and Judi were on their way with Diet Cokes and cookies for all! We had plans to meet Bryan's brother and his fiancee for dinner, but had enough time for real showers (the hostel showers didn't count) and for a bit of mail sorting (I may or may not have done a significant amount of online shopping and had it sent to Bryan's house) before we headed out to Giodanno's. Real deep dish pizza was the best choice for our first American meal in two months! It also felt a little like Christmas since we had so many presents to give out.
The next day, it was back to reality. We stopped in Rochelle for lunch with my parents and then I was back to the QCA to get ready to head back to work and move. It was certainly a whirwind few days. I was very tired and a little out of it, but I didn't really have any time to think about it.
Since then, I have caught on up mail, started teaching, attended a bachelorette party, moved, unpacked, booked a wedding date/location, and taken a trip back to the burbs for Labor Day. I start graduate school classes this week and then will be maid of honor in a wedding this weekend. I'm also running a 5k, attending another wedding, and adjusting to living completely alone. It's been ridiculous to say the least. Bryan is back to classes full time, looking for/applying to jobs, and watching the real estate ads for Quad Cities mansions.
It's strange to be back, but I am adjusting. I have decided to cancel my cable and am also enjoying a lot more "unplugged" time as a result of our trip. We've also started brainstorming where our next big adventure might take us. For now, it will be the QCA and the Chicago suburbs, but hopefully somewhere more exotic is in our future too. This will be the last post, but stay tuned for future adventures! Thank you for reading; we were glad to be able to share our trip with you!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Prague
Hey all! Our time in Leipzig is almost over, but we still have a few adventures planned. On Friday we headed out of Germany for the Czech Republic. Bryan has been to Prague before, but hadn't spent much time there, so we both knew there would be plenty for us to see and do.
We took the train to Dresden, Germany and then had bus tickets to Prague. During our layover, we ate at a "Californian" restaurant. Their specialty was burgers. As most of you know, neither Bryan or I eat burgers (though for different reasons,) so we passed on the specialties but still had a good dinner. It was nice to recognize all of the items on a menu for once. :) The bus part of our trip was not exactly desirable. Our bus was late on Friday night and this was an outdoor bus stop, which meant that there was no information about where the bus was or why it was late. Thankfully, the bus showed up about an hour late and we were on our way.
Our bus traveled on the Autobahn for awhile, which was pretty cool, but then we ventured on to side roads in the Czech Republic to avoid tolls (Probably. Not for sure for the reason). The trip was terrifying; there were a lot of hairpin turns, traffic circles, and the strange feeling that we were in the middle of nowhere. We finally made it to Prague and were able to catch the last tram to our hostel. Bryan and I have gotten really good at figuring out public transportation in strange cities late at night. We'd like to think it's a handy skill to have mastered. Our hostel was a nice enough place for a base for our weekend adventures; it provided coffee and breakfast in the morning and was clean enough. Here's the view from our window:
Saturday morning started early as we headed towards the city center to meet with one of Bryan's friends from his previous study abroad experiences. If it seems like there is always a foreign friend from a previous study abroad, it's because there is. These people have made our trips so much better!
The next 12 hours were spent seeing the sights, getting sunburnt, and walking 11,830,334 miles (Feels that way anyway! My shoes are worn out!) We spent time in churches, traditional pubs, and hole in the wall restaurants (including one with the best fajitas I have ever had.) We saw a castle, a beautiful river, crafts from vendors on a bridge, lovely architecture, and 498,345,345 tourists. I have never seen so many tourists in one place (well, Paris probably had more, but Prague is much smaller so everyone is crammed together.) By the end of the day, we were worn out!
On Sunday, we had about 6 hours of sightseeing time before we had to head back to the bus station. We ventured up (via a furnicular!) to a park that contains a replica of the Eiffel Tower (1/5 of the size, though) and also bought more presents to bring back home. We also wandered around the Jewish Quarter of the city, had lunch in an adorable underground pub, stumbled upon the Czech Senate and its gardens, and did some major people watching on one of the main squares. Sunday was a much more relaxed day than Saturday!
Here are some photos:
The Astronomical Clock:
The city's skyline and architecture and the Charles Bridge:
The St. Vitus Cathedral (next to the Prague castle):
Petrin Hill (the park where the "Eiffel Tower" is):
The Jewish Quarter:
We were determined to not bring any Czech money back with us, so we spent every last cent! Our money went much further in Prague than in Paris and there were some really neat jewelry pieces, photos, and Christmas decorations. I'm not sure how we will be getting all of the great things we've picked up back to the US, but I know that I definitely have some shoes to throw away. :) Also, the drinks were much, much cheaper in Prague than in the US, Germany, or anywhere else we've been.
It was worth the terrible bus trips (Coming back we stopped in some random Czech Republic town because of mechanical problems, which resulted in our bus driving away while our driver was on the sidewalk. No, we didn't go back to get him. No, I don't understand either.) to spend the weekend in Prague. Prague is a beautiful city and it was interesting to spend some time in Eastern Europe. There are definitely differences there than from Germany. It is apparent how much money the eastern part of Germany received after reunification and it was strange to return to Leipzig and think that it was a modern city. I've gotten kind of attached to Leipzig, I suppose. :)
Some final photos for you all:
We took the train to Dresden, Germany and then had bus tickets to Prague. During our layover, we ate at a "Californian" restaurant. Their specialty was burgers. As most of you know, neither Bryan or I eat burgers (though for different reasons,) so we passed on the specialties but still had a good dinner. It was nice to recognize all of the items on a menu for once. :) The bus part of our trip was not exactly desirable. Our bus was late on Friday night and this was an outdoor bus stop, which meant that there was no information about where the bus was or why it was late. Thankfully, the bus showed up about an hour late and we were on our way.
Our bus traveled on the Autobahn for awhile, which was pretty cool, but then we ventured on to side roads in the Czech Republic to avoid tolls (Probably. Not for sure for the reason). The trip was terrifying; there were a lot of hairpin turns, traffic circles, and the strange feeling that we were in the middle of nowhere. We finally made it to Prague and were able to catch the last tram to our hostel. Bryan and I have gotten really good at figuring out public transportation in strange cities late at night. We'd like to think it's a handy skill to have mastered. Our hostel was a nice enough place for a base for our weekend adventures; it provided coffee and breakfast in the morning and was clean enough. Here's the view from our window:
Saturday morning started early as we headed towards the city center to meet with one of Bryan's friends from his previous study abroad experiences. If it seems like there is always a foreign friend from a previous study abroad, it's because there is. These people have made our trips so much better!
The next 12 hours were spent seeing the sights, getting sunburnt, and walking 11,830,334 miles (Feels that way anyway! My shoes are worn out!) We spent time in churches, traditional pubs, and hole in the wall restaurants (including one with the best fajitas I have ever had.) We saw a castle, a beautiful river, crafts from vendors on a bridge, lovely architecture, and 498,345,345 tourists. I have never seen so many tourists in one place (well, Paris probably had more, but Prague is much smaller so everyone is crammed together.) By the end of the day, we were worn out!
On Sunday, we had about 6 hours of sightseeing time before we had to head back to the bus station. We ventured up (via a furnicular!) to a park that contains a replica of the Eiffel Tower (1/5 of the size, though) and also bought more presents to bring back home. We also wandered around the Jewish Quarter of the city, had lunch in an adorable underground pub, stumbled upon the Czech Senate and its gardens, and did some major people watching on one of the main squares. Sunday was a much more relaxed day than Saturday!
Here are some photos:
The Astronomical Clock:
The city's skyline and architecture and the Charles Bridge:
The St. Vitus Cathedral (next to the Prague castle):
Petrin Hill (the park where the "Eiffel Tower" is):
The Jewish Quarter:
We were determined to not bring any Czech money back with us, so we spent every last cent! Our money went much further in Prague than in Paris and there were some really neat jewelry pieces, photos, and Christmas decorations. I'm not sure how we will be getting all of the great things we've picked up back to the US, but I know that I definitely have some shoes to throw away. :) Also, the drinks were much, much cheaper in Prague than in the US, Germany, or anywhere else we've been.
It was worth the terrible bus trips (Coming back we stopped in some random Czech Republic town because of mechanical problems, which resulted in our bus driving away while our driver was on the sidewalk. No, we didn't go back to get him. No, I don't understand either.) to spend the weekend in Prague. Prague is a beautiful city and it was interesting to spend some time in Eastern Europe. There are definitely differences there than from Germany. It is apparent how much money the eastern part of Germany received after reunification and it was strange to return to Leipzig and think that it was a modern city. I've gotten kind of attached to Leipzig, I suppose. :)
Some final photos for you all:
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Pizza time!
What to do when you're missing Chicago? Make a slice of home, that's what! We even shared it with one of our roommates (and will maybe even convince a vegan to try a piece!). Here are pictures of our first hand-made Chicago style pizza:
Giordano's eat your heart out.
Giordano's eat your heart out.
Flash Mobs and Garden Plots
On Tuesday, Bryan's boss invited us to visit with him and his family at their garden plot. I met Bryan after work and we had some time to kill before we started our tram and bus trip to their garden, so we had a pint on the town square. All of a sudden, "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" (in German) began playing over the loudspeaker and people began to assemble in the middle of the street, take of their street clothes (they had swimsuits on), and began to do the Macarena dance. No, I am not making any of this up.
Bryan's reaction to the dancing:
After recovering from all of the excitement, I did a little shopping (It's the most dangerous season here... summer sale season) and then we were on our way to meet Bryan's boss. We had a slight delay because Bryan helped an older gentleman figure out how to buy a ticket from the automated ticket machine, but we still made it to our designated meeting spot on time. Which is good, because we don't have phones and being late or having a change of plans is no good for us here.
Bryan's boss and his family have a plot in a large garden complex owned by the city. They rent their plot each year. There are hundreds of plots and each is unique. The garden plot movement in Germany began in the 1800s and is called the Schrebergarten Movement because of its creator. When Leipzig was a part of the GDR, the garden plots were crucial in being able to feed people, especially senior citizens. Now, it is more recreational, though 10% of each plot is required to be made up of edible plants. Some plots even have small structures on them and some people "move in" to their garden plots for the summer months. There were tons of bikers, people tending their plots, and people enjoying a cold beverage or two while children ran about.
It took about 10 minutes to walk from the entrance to the family's plot. We sampled wild strawberries, gooseberries, and peas. It was delicious! The family also gave us some homemade jam to take with us. Being invited to spend an evening there was an absolute delight; we chatted (with heavy translation duties for Bryan) for about 2 hours about the garden and different travel topics.
Here are some garden photos:
If you look closely in the photo above, you can see some awesome tomato stakes. Seriously, these little guys are like art! They are plain metal and swirl up from the ground. Too bad they won't fit in my suitcase! :(
It was a beautiful night, so we decided to walk the 4 km (roughly 2.5 miles) home instead. The route was through a park and featured views like this:
After grabbing a quick dinner from a doner stand, it was time to sit down and relax!
Cross Eyed Opossums (aka Leipzig Zoo)
This weekend, we ventured off to the Zoo Leipzig. Though a bit pricy, it was definitely worth it! The zoo just opened up a new exhibit and have been heavily advertising that they now has a cross-eyed opossum on display. The zoo's aquarium is also well known. We were able to walk to the zoo from our apartment and had an awesome day.
As soon as you walk through the gate you are greeted with flamingos:
In the reptile area, Bryan tried to imitate the Mississippi Crocodile (just like the ones I have actually seen in Mississippi):
After checking out the fish and reptiles, we ventured over to Bryan's favorite part of the zoo... the Penguin Pool! These penguins were vastly superior to the penguins at Lincoln Park Zoo.
The brand new exhibit was up next. This just opened a few weeks ago and is also the only exhibit that was translated into English. My theory is that there weren't as many English speaking tourists coming to Leipzig when the zoo's older exhibits were built. The exhibit is supposed to demonstrate life on Earth when Africa, Asia, and South America were all connected. I think. The whole exhibit is in a large bubble (like an indoor sports bubble) and has a river, underground exhibits (for nocturnal animals,) and a super-intense rope bridge pathway.
The exhibit:
Bryan's reaction to the rope bridge:
The famous cross eyed opossum (Not kidding at all. This little guy is real. And creepier than the opossum we found in my parents' garage that one time):
Overall, this exhibit was pretty cool. Lots of beautiful plants and flowers, too. Next we went to visit my favorite animals, the elephants. However, they only wanted to show us this:
They told their friends the monkeys to do the same. Hmm.
We had better luck in the African exhibit. The baby giraffe was adorable and the other giraffes were willing to show their faces while chowing down on some leaves and grasses.
And, there was an ostrich. He looked a little cranky, but they always seem to be in a bad mood.
We also saw dwarf cows:
Horses, red pandas, and llamas wrapped up the visit:
This zoo was awesome! The exhibits had a lot of variety, it was easy to get around the park, and food at the zoo is much, much more reasonable than at home in the US. Saturday night was spent at another going-away party for a friend of ours here. It is the time of year for that, I suppose. Sunday was going to be spent at Champions, The American Sports Bar at the Marriott for the World Cup Finals, but Bryan came down with a stomach bug so we watched our beloved White Sox instead (MLB tv for a month was worth it!). Stay tuned for a post about garden plots!
As soon as you walk through the gate you are greeted with flamingos:
In the reptile area, Bryan tried to imitate the Mississippi Crocodile (just like the ones I have actually seen in Mississippi):
After checking out the fish and reptiles, we ventured over to Bryan's favorite part of the zoo... the Penguin Pool! These penguins were vastly superior to the penguins at Lincoln Park Zoo.
The brand new exhibit was up next. This just opened a few weeks ago and is also the only exhibit that was translated into English. My theory is that there weren't as many English speaking tourists coming to Leipzig when the zoo's older exhibits were built. The exhibit is supposed to demonstrate life on Earth when Africa, Asia, and South America were all connected. I think. The whole exhibit is in a large bubble (like an indoor sports bubble) and has a river, underground exhibits (for nocturnal animals,) and a super-intense rope bridge pathway.
The exhibit:
Bryan's reaction to the rope bridge:
The famous cross eyed opossum (Not kidding at all. This little guy is real. And creepier than the opossum we found in my parents' garage that one time):
Overall, this exhibit was pretty cool. Lots of beautiful plants and flowers, too. Next we went to visit my favorite animals, the elephants. However, they only wanted to show us this:
They told their friends the monkeys to do the same. Hmm.
We had better luck in the African exhibit. The baby giraffe was adorable and the other giraffes were willing to show their faces while chowing down on some leaves and grasses.
And, there was an ostrich. He looked a little cranky, but they always seem to be in a bad mood.
We also saw dwarf cows:
Horses, red pandas, and llamas wrapped up the visit:
This zoo was awesome! The exhibits had a lot of variety, it was easy to get around the park, and food at the zoo is much, much more reasonable than at home in the US. Saturday night was spent at another going-away party for a friend of ours here. It is the time of year for that, I suppose. Sunday was going to be spent at Champions, The American Sports Bar at the Marriott for the World Cup Finals, but Bryan came down with a stomach bug so we watched our beloved White Sox instead (MLB tv for a month was worth it!). Stay tuned for a post about garden plots!
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