Hello again loyal followers!

I thought it would be important to share a recent journey Erin and I took before too many of the memories slip away. This tale begins a few months ago when I initially started making plans and came to fruition the day after Erin’s birthday on May 25^th. May 25^th began as just another work day, driving to a small town known as “Neuenburg” in the company car to start my lessons for the day, while Erin went to a company in Freiburg to teach individuals. Teaching hours passed without incident and soon I was on my way home, walking briskly in anticipation of the coming evening.

Upon my arrival in our attic loft, Erin and I exchanged the usual pleasantries and polite conversation. Following our conversation I casually mentioned to Erin that she had about 2.5 hours before our train left and should probably pack her bags. “Where are we going?” she asked excitedly. To which I responded “I don’t know”.

Shortly before 7pm we left our apartment and walked to the train station which is conveniently located down the street and around the corner. We strolled down platform 4 eagerly looking for a train compartment with minimal occupants. After passing a number of compartments a voice called from behind “Manny”. We turned around and that was the moment Erin realized I had invited our 2 good friends Baddy and Amanda to join us on the weekend journey.

Hugs and smiles were exchanged and again Erin asked “so where are we going?”.  We refused to give a straight answer suggesting locations such as Bratislava, Oslo, Barcelona etc. just to throw her off. Our first train ended in Offenburg, a city 1 hour north of Freiburg, where we had to find our connecting train. As we approached the platform there were two options that became available. On the left was a sign indicating a train going to Moskawoya, Belaruskya and the other indicated Straßburg (Strasbourg), France. She hesitated for half a second before realizing the left platform might be a bit too far this time.

The second train traveled for about 30 minutes to Straßburg where we made our final connection onto the TGV bound for Paris! The train ride was quite comfortable and also the fastest train we’d ever been on, reaching speeds of about 320km/h.

We arrived in Paris at 11:30pm determined to find our hotel as quickly as possible since we were excited to begin exploring the following morning.  The journey was a bit of a confusion and after 30 minutes of walking in the wrong direction it became clear that walking with our large knapsacks was no longer an option. Add to this recipe an injured Amanda who was forced to hobble everywhere due to a recent accident (that’s another story) and it becomes clear that public transit was our best and most affordable choice. Our attempts to communicate with the man selling train tickets was challenging as our French was a bit out of practice not unlike his English/German. Hand gestures and a medley of broken French eventually yielded results and we were on our way to our hotel.

As an aside I would like to mention that the Parisian metro is host to all sorts of interesting and questionable characters. During the next few days we would utilize the public transit system on a number of occasions and a few notable persons included; a drunken political critic asking for donations (I think, my French is a bit rusty), 2 men with a portable speaker to which they freestyle rapped and did some break dancing to (yes, in the middle of a train), a man with an accordion giving the train a very 19^th century Parisian feel and so on.

Our first night was spent catching up on much needed rest. The following morning we readied ourselves and set off once more. Again we started in the wrong direction and were helped by an elderly woman. We turned ourselves around and continued our walk, albeit a little more oriented than previously. To save on costs we found a grocery store and purchased a selection of fruits, bread, cheese, meat and a few veggies to make breakfast with.  We hungrily consumed our first meal in front of a marble church occupied solely by us and a few homeless people partaking of their morning beer.

From there we traveled in a general direction towards the heart of Paris, weaving through the small narrow streets typically associated with older European capitals. Before reaching the downtown we stopped for a few moments outside a large building which appeared to have all of it’s walls removed exposing the complex network of colourful piping encompassing the building.  In front of this was a courtyard with a large fountain. The fountain had a number of strange creations made from old iron or steel which had been manipulated and painted into an assortment of creatures or things which spurt water from one orifice or another.

We continued walking in the direction of the downtown, crossing the Seine river as we approached the heart of Paris. Our friend Baddy suggested a  free walking tour (free in the sense that you pay as much or as little as you wish). Clear sunny skies and warm temperatures made this the perfect day for a walking tour. After 3.5 hours of walking we had quickly toured the Pont Neuf, learned a little history of Napoleon (I and III), saw the only building in Paris to be damaged with bullet holes during WWII, a monument to Henry the IV and the brutal torture of his assassin, the Louvre, the Hausmannization of the boulevards among many other things. We arrived at our hotel late in the evening and after creating a meal from a number of provisions, had an early night.

The following day Erin and I did a little exploration of our own and promised to meet our friends a bit later. A little more oriented with the streets we began to walk in the direction of the Louvre while also making a point to pass the location of the former Bastille, which is now a historical monument. Before going to the Louvre we decided to stop at the Notre Dame Cathedral and take a tour since it was free and might prove interesting. The cathedral was enormous with an immaculate display of stained glass and intricately carved masonry. The building was very detailed in every respect and quite fascinating to see. Interestingly enough the opening of Whitsun mass was beginning just after Erin and I entered the cathedral. We made our round through the large church and continued on our way towards the Louvre.

Unlike most tourists we had the foresight to do a little research and avoided the extremely long lines by taking a different entrance.  The Louvre’s outside appearance is that of a grande palais, extended over centuries and becoming evident in the altering architectural styles of the building. It is very impressive on the outside but the really intriguing parts are found inside. Many are familiar with the Mona Lisa (which isn’t very impressive), but fewer are aware of the massive collections of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian collections which adorn the walls and floors of a large portion of the Louvre. Erin found the Venus de Milo to be quite fascinating while I really enjoyed the stone carving of Ramses II.  I could rant about the innumerable treasures to behold but that would probably result in more naps than a room full of cats.

After spending a good 6 or 7 hours in the Louvre we returned to our hotel, had a nap, met our friends and made plans for the evening. We decided to check out the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre district of Paris. Some of you may recognize the area from Amelie the film, which took place in this section of the city. We had a few gin and tonics (brought from Germany to save cash) and wandered the streets until we came to the precipice in front of the Sacre Coeur overlooking the bright city. A number of Parisians and tourists had also discovered the location so we were subject to both entertainment by locals (a fire twirler, a firecracker twirler, musicians) and harassment by unofficial vendors selling everything from beer to cheesy tourist merchandise. A favourite quotation came from what one man said to us that night while trying to sell laser lights “Disco disco party”. A little advice for anyone going to Paris, speak a language other than English or French and they’ll quickly leave you alone. That and a stone faced “NON!” also works.

The third and final day of our stay in Paris was spent as busy as the first two. We began our day in the Jardin du Luxembourg where we ate a breakfast of breads, cheeses, jam, fruits and nuts. Shortly afterwards we took advantage of the overcrowded McDonalds to use their facilities free of charge. Contrary to popular belief, you can find free washrooms in Paris if you know where to look. I recommend Starbucks, McDonalds or any other busy chain restaurant.

We took the metro to the Champs-Élysées and enjoyed the fantastic sights that greeted us. The Arc de Triomphe is very impressive and the street itself hosts some of the most expensive and lavish stores in the world! Not surprisingly the price tags on some jewellery items ranged over the 50,000 Euro mark. We avoided any purchasing here but did stop to enjoy a live dance performance in which a group of men impressed crowds with flips, twists and spinning on their heads in hopes of earning cash.

The final point of interest was during our visit that night just after the sun set. We finally made it to the Eiffel tower and were impressed by the majestic light show it put on, lighting up like a series of fireworks for 2 minutes each hour. Of course simply staring was not enough so we climbed the tower to the second level, (there were no stairs to the top) pausing to read the occasional snippet of information. The panoramic view of Paris at night leaves one in a state of awe. All around the city glows in an eclectic mixture of old and new history which dozens of photos fail to capture. The dichotomy of light and dark brings out the more romantic side of onlookers who reach out to clasp the hands of their loved one, although occasionally resulting in an “Ew no!”.

We left our hotel the next morning on a train back to Freiburg and back to work. Still, the moments we had in Paris are fondly reflected upon and produced a rather large stack of virtual photos. 

Easter Weekend

Hello friends and family,

It's been a while since we last posted and we have much to share with all of you, however I don't want to make this blog entry too long so we'll stick with this weekend and then do a catch-up blog in the coming week.

     So, where to start? Let's begin with our exciting Thursday evening. I say exciting because Monday and Friday are both holidays and what could possibly fill one with a greater sense of ecstasy than the prospect of four consecutive days of free time? 
     We spent the evening with a couple of wonderful friends we've found in Germany....and actually the rest of the weekend was spent with them as well. Fortunately this particular couple, Baddy (or Bastian if you're his mother) and Amanda, are very easy going and wonderful to adventure around with, mostly because the "I want to slap you" temptation we sometimes experience after spending too much time with friends or family never arises when we are together. That is to say, I haven't awoken with any hand prints on my cheeks. 

Friday we met at the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) in Freiburg and decided to take advantage of the regional transportation system by using our regional public transit passes to take a train as far as possible into the high elevation regions of the Black Forest. The train ride was quite pretty despite the somewhat rickety nature of the ride. Not to worry though, nobody lost any of their morning meal during the 75 minute train ride from Freiburg to the small village named Schlucksee (Sh-louk-zay). Upon arrival the weather was overcast creating a rather remarkable effect on the landscape. Large clouds laden with moisture would glide over the peaks of the evergreen covered mountains. A large lake lay at the foot of the village and small villages could sometimes be spotted several kilometers away. We began our journey through the town admiring the quaint feel and learning a little of the geologic history, the previous ice-age whose remnants could still be witnessed. Having not planned any sort of route we simply decided to follow signs leading toward one of the most renowned breweries in southwestern Germany which was located some 6.5km away. We hiked uphill through a forest of coniferous trees, singing and joking along the way. After pausing for a midday meal we continued along, following a trail through the woods and eventually finding a road which led to a tiny village surrounded by farm fields. The journey continued without incidence, aside from discovering the gravestone of a Polish woman from 1945 and finding a giant snail local to the region.
     We finally managed to get to the brewery which we learned was the brewery at the highest elevation in all of Europe. Of course, being Good Friday it wasn't open, so we snacked on breads, cheeses, chocolate, tea, apples, nuts and whatever else we could fit into our knapsacks earlier in the day. Still, the brewery did have a rather enjoyable playground. The child inside each of us was released and we spent some time monkeying around (quite literally with the rope tower). Eventually the cool air and setting sun demanded we find a bus stop and make our way home. The return trip was peaceful and the scenery once again proved quite enjoyable. Small villages dotted the valleys as we gazed down from the window of our train. Although, that peace only lasted part of the way. Music and hand-slapping games (I said hand, not face) occupied the rest of our journey.
    Once more Amanda and Baddy joined Erin and I for dinner and drinks. We invited a couple more friends over for the evening and proceeded to laugh, chat and finally make our way out for some dancing. We met a few of Baddy's friends and followed them to a local hangout. Unfortunately laws in Germany are not like those in Canada and many nightclubs and pubs still permit people to smoke inside. Being of a strong anti-smoking nature we all left shortly after arriving, feeling disappointed with German smoking laws. Soon after we returned home and decided to get some rest before our travels began the following day. 
     Saturday's plans took us in a different direction. On this day we went West into France. Our destination was a scenic town known as Colmar in the Alsace province which our friends suggested as opposed to the more touristy city of Straßbourg farther north.
     The bus ride took us over the Rhine and through the now vacant border security into France. We traveled through a small town surrounded by massive walls and large ditches which had served as defensive fortifications a few centuries ago. From there our bus continued on towards Colmar where we said "Adieu" to our bus driver. Colmar was quite stunning and gave me the distinct feel of being a character in a Dr. Seuss book. Many of the buildings were slanted or leaning and no two looked identical. The Saturday markets were in full swing and the four of us had a very difficult time not succumbing to the many tantalizing treats that stood in many shop windows or under recently erected tents. The smells of chocolate, buttery baked treats, jams, and cheeses were just a few of the scents we experienced. As a lover of all things chocolate it was difficult to resist the urge to purchase something unique and authentic however, the price tag attached to most items usually dulled my senses to some degree (100g of chocolate for 5 Euros/7 Canadian).
     Shopkeepers and customers conducted business in German and French, which I found surprising until I was informed that the region has been contested for centuries. In fact many older persons still speak German or a version of it. We all tested our abilities in French, which took a little practice, but we still managed to order a crepe and Erin was able to find a lovely handmade red coat from a local. The real test came when trying to ask locals for directions to a nearby supermarche. We may have butchered the language a little, but we got our message across and found what we were looking for. There, we stocked up on as many different cheeses we could find before making our way to the bus stop for the return journey.
     Why did we need 9 blocks of various cheeses you ask? Well, for one the price was quite reasonable. Second, how often do you go to France for cheese? But the real answer is a little simpler. Erin and I were both invited to Baddy's family's for Easter and the cheese was a very important part of the gorging process. Also, I wanted to bring more to the table than just cookies (although my cookies are pretty good and I had made a total of 91).
     Sunday morning we were back at the Hauptbahnhof on our way to the Lörrach region south of Freiburg and very close to Basel, Switzerland. The air was chilly, but the four of us were all in high spirits. A few twists and turns through small streets finally led us to Baddy's sister's home. We were greeted very warmly and made our introductions. Erin and Amanda spent a little time occupying the small children while Baddy and I tried to help prepare the brunch, although I was probably more in the way than anything. The doorbell rang and new arrivals came and greetings were made once more. In total the table was set for about 14 people, decorated colourfully with Easter eggs, small cutlery and rice crispy nests with tiny eggs, courtesy of Amanda. The food was wonderful, a wide variety of breads, buns and rolls were served as well as a large meat platter, smoked salmon, 9 types of cheese, jams, shrimp and other things which I'm probably forgetting. We began with a toast and a little champagne before digging in to our excellent meal.
     Afterwards a number of gifts were hidden in the yard for the children while they played with Erin and Amanda in one of the bedrooms. Upon release they quickly scoured the yard for all traces of the Easter bunny "Osterhase" and any gifts left behind. A large amount of chocolate and small gifts were found and one even contained our names. We were happily surprised by the thoughtfulness of the Osterhase and have been enjoying the gift ever since.
     After several hours of chatting and goofing around we began coffee/tea and dessert. We had a chocolate cake, a raspberry-quark filled cake of sorts... picture an oreo ice-cream sandwich. Now instead of ice-cream in the middle it's a pink strawberry filling that's light and tasty and on the top and bottom is a soft thin cake layer and you'll understand the dessert. There were also rice crispy eggs and my own oatmeal chocolate walnut cookies. We had plenty to eat and spent some time discussing topics ranging from weddings to travel to baking. All the while we (Erin and I) got to practice our German. I think Erin found speaking with the children to be a good learning experience, not to mention kids don't exactly discuss the finer details of politics or home decorating.
     Overall we had a wonderful weekend with friends doing many different things. We have a great many photos that we took as well, a few (but not all) of which Erin has posted on facebook. We'll be sure to keep you up to date on things in the future and of course give you a quick 50 page summary of the past few months here.

Happy Passover and Easter!

Manrin
    

A "How To" Instructional Blog: Moving

Moving

So you want to know how best to move heavy furniture across Freiburg?  Well, we are just the people to tell you, having just done it ourselves.  Now if you enter our once sparse apartment, you will find a pull out couch (now Mom doesn’t have to sleep on the floor when she visits), a glass kitchen table and four chairs and a bed.  Since we’re not wizards, having never received that fateful letter from Hogwarts at age 11, we couldn’t alakazam everything into place.  But with a little help from very kind people, a lot of abuse of the public transit system and a whole lot of elbow grease, we managed it.

The first thing to arrive was the kitchen table and chairs.  We were at inlingua (the language school where we teach downtown) one day, sorting out some course details and using the internet (still none @ the apartment), when Manny came up with a successful search for second hand goods.  One was a used goods store at the end of tram line 5 and the other was an apartment sale and it was just around the corner.  We visited the apartment sale first.  They had a great mish-mash of stuff for sale from bright red eighties style lounging chairs with matching ottomans to elaborate candelabras and a very nice and ordinary looking round, glass kitchen table and chairs.  The table looked promising but the rest, not so much, so we put in an offer and it was ours...ours but still across town.  We started off with the chairs.  They are metal framed and their seats and backs are covered with a black/tan leather substitute (two are black and two are tan).  They’re comfy and not too heavy but just a little cumbersome.  After walking to the closest transit stop, we got them home without too much difficulty on the tram.  Did I mention there are about 80 steps between the front door of our apartment building and our place?

We didn’t head back straight away for the table.  Instead we checked out this thrift shop we happened to see as we whizzed by on the tram.  It’s very close to our building and there we were able to pick up a (working!) toaster for 4 euros.  That item, at least, was very easy to get home.  

So we headed out on the #5 to the used goods store.  If you wanted your guests to swear they’d been transported back to the 70’s, you need only shop there for all you household goods.  We saw a spin dial telephone that was...upholstered?!  Aside from the telephone...which I almost had to get, we spotted this great set of plates, bowls, egg cups (YAY!) and mugs that the staff must’ve just be setting out on display.  Most of it was still packed snugly in a box which was doubly perfect.  It’s such a cute set.  It’s a pottery style with trees on it and it matches.  We even got them to throw in a casserole dish on the side.

Once we got that back to our apartment on the tram, we faced up to the fact that we still had to get the table.  So Manny grabbed his big, new, orange backpack for the table legs and we headed out.  The table selling people very kindly wrapped the table top, sans legs, in a couple old sheets and mummified it in packing tape. This was, by far, the hardest thing to get home.  It was a bit of a walk to the transit stop and we got a lot of funny looks.  And some helpful hints like “roll it” (only in German...) which would have worked if the table top wasn’t glass and the streets weren’t so cobbley.   It was too much for one person to carry alone so I volunteered to be the one to walk backwards because both people walking sideways wasn’t working.  We did get it onto the tram and then to our place and then all the way up 80 steps to our apartment where we released it from its mummification.

We waited a couple of days before attempting any other large manoeuvres.  Then, on Saturday, it was off to Ikea.  Fun fact, Manny has only been to Ikea twice, ever.  And both times were in Germany.  I find Ikea can be quite overwhelming and exhausting, if very rewarding.  So we tried to remain very focused on our list and bypass all the “OOOoooh, look at that!” stuff.  A nice salesman helped us in the bed section and we put together a fairly inexpensive yet comfortable and functional bed set.  Then we saw another frame that was cheaper by 60 euros!  So a now slightly disgruntled salesman changed our order for us.  On the way to the warehouse to select our unassembled bed, we found 2 frying pans, 1 pot, 2 blankets, 1 set of sheets and 2 pillows.  Not a bad haul, all things considered.  We decided the best way to get this all home was on the bus.  A natural assumption, I think you’ll agree.  The bus stop is so close to Ikea we just rolled our trolley right on out to it.  We returned the trolley (come on, we’re not animals!) and got on the bus.  Funny stares aside, it was a pleasant journey and a nice gentleman helped us unload our goods at our stop.  I waited at the bus stop while Manny carried the mattress home and unloaded his backpack.  Together we managed to get the frame, lattice mattress support and assorted other items home without a glitch.

You’d think that’d be enough for one day, but it wasn’t.  We also had agreed to check out a pull out couch we’d seen listed on the communal posting board at the university.  We’d even managed to negotiate delivery for a small additional fee.  Armed with the measurements of our narrow, staircase hallway entryway, Manny set off to size up the couch.  (I was prepping our place for our apartment’s first company).  The size jived so Thomas (previous couch owner) and Manny (new couch owner) tried to fit it in the car...it didn’t fit.  No problem, the neighbour lent them a veeeery small hand cart.  It was a children’s wagon really, but it worked, and Manny and Thomas set out, on foot, for a one hour hike to our apartment where they were photographed by our neighbours.  I didn’t think the small delivery fee really covered foot treks hauling a couch so I got the boys some beer and after the couch was comfortably snuggled into our apartment (it fit up the stairs!!), we had Thomas, his wife, Eva, and their baby, Emma, over for a beer.  We only gave Emma a little, tiny bit.  We got a new couch, made 3 new friends and garnered an invite to dinner.

Jess and Jonas arrived a short time after and we wined and dined them to the point where we convinced them to help us assemble our bed!  Coincidentally, the frame we got was the same one they had invested in and so they had previous experience.

Thank you to all those wonderful people out there who know how hard moving can be.  And thank our lucky stars for a tolerant public transit authority.

Learning to drive....in France?

Greetings to all of our loyal and lovable followers,

 Team Manrin has decided to share with you their most interesting tale of the weekend. It began after Erin and Manny were both presented with employment at an English school in Freiburg. Since the job requires some travel on the part of the teacher, the school coordinator asked if Erin and I would be confident to drive. Of course we both nodded and agreed at our own interviews but did not reflect until afterward that neither of us had driven a manual transmission vehicle. This may not sound difficult to some, but having driven only automatic vehicles as is quite common in Canada, we tend to be.... at a loss when presented with this situation.

As a safety precaution and a means of practice, not at all an excuse to travel, Erin and I decided to rent a car for the weekend and travel to the neighbouring nation of France. We were fortunate to walk into the rental office a half hour after closing and be able to get service. Our vehicle, a lovely pale blue Opal with a complete sunroof, was the automobile of choice. We prepared ourselves strapping in seat belts and slowly walking ourselves through the process of driving stick. And so began the most painful driving Freiburg has seen in decades. Ninety year old persons would have put us to shame.  Manny, having had a quick lesson from a friend before traveling overseas, began the driving experience. His attempts weren't terrible, but he did manage to stall the car at least two dozen times in the first half hour. The many honking horns, questionable looks from pedestrians and missing a streetcar by 3 inches were only a few of the reasons we thought we should simply return the vehicle. Erin was having no more success than Manny either, we just couldn't get it going. As we sat parked in a small alcove next to a construction site, trying desperately to stay positive but finding little success, a light bulb went off in Manny's head "I think we've been trying to start the car in 3rd gear". Needless to say, the driving became significantly smoother thereafter.

That does not mean it was easy by any means. France is notorious for roundabouts and tightly compressed roads that have vehicles brushing past one another like shoppers during Christmas season. That, and the faulty GPS (aka Helga) made the 3 hour journey become a 5 hour journey. Couple that with angry Frenchmen whose living room Manny accidentally shone the headlights into while desperately searching a map and you've got yourself a 6 hour journey in the dark on mountain slopes.

Yes, it was stressful and difficult, but on the bright side our hotel had a fantastic spread of many foods and desserts for dinner and breakfast. Fresh bread, fruit, cheeses and meats of our choosing, a variety of salads, cold cuts and a few things that I'm not sure what they were (I think one was asparagus except it was white and strange tasting). Desserts of ice cream, mousse (chocolate, strawberry, lemon) figs, dates, apricots, banana pie, coconut pie, something that may have been chocolate cake... among other things (can you tell I'm a connoisseur of food?). The return trip was a visual masterpiece. Erin departed from our hotel in Lon-le-Saunier amid 15 degree weather onto a canvas of sunny blue skies,  alpine mountains coated with deciduous trees, valleys absolutely filled with vineyards and the occasional castle still standing proudly upon its high peak in the mountains. Small villages and towns  occupied valleys creating quaint picturesque scenery which made the previous days disaster worth the drive back. We took what pictures we could and hope you enjoy them. They should be available on facebook for all of you interested.

Until the next journey

Manrin

Searching for house and home, with a sprinkling of hiking on the side

Hello everyone!

Well, it's not yet been a week but we already have much to share. As some of you may know, we are currently residing with friends from the Guelph area living in Freiburg. They have been very gracious and accommodating hosts, still we don't think they'd be overly pleased if we ate all their food for the entire year of our stay.

Searching for an apartment is a difficult task, but in Germany it seems the rules are... different from those in Canada. In many situations apartments will not come with a stove, fridge, or in some cases even a kitchen sink! A deposit worth two months rent is generally required and top that off with several owners asking for a commission simply for choosing you to be their tenant. The commission usually ranges from $1500 to $2500! Those are the landlords who we've decided to have nothing to do with. So, browsing the web has led to several potential apartments which have the basic utilities, don't ask for a commission (Provision) and don't charge ridiculous rates. We were very close to having a lovely 2 bedroom apartment...until we discovered the home was actually 40km from the city, out in the middle of the Black forest. We had a laugh and are continuing our search with many possibilities presenting themselves. 

For those of you who would like to visit us, we'll have plenty of hiking ready for when you arrive. Pictures will be posted soon, but we both agree that the mountain forests are absolutely stunning. We spent a good 6 hours of yesterday hiking through the mountains, getting lost in the fog, but inevitably enjoying the serene beauty. The trees stretched a good 25-30m (80-100 feet) into the sky and there was something breathtakingly haunting about walking the misty alpine trails where Hansel and Gretel, Red Riding Hood and many other fairytale stories took place.

That's all for now, but we'll keep you posted in the coming days, weeks and months.

Manrin

Traveling Abroad!

Hello friends and family!

Well it was a lengthy travel but we finally made it to our destination. We said our goodbyes in Toronto, Tottenham and Guelph over the past week and it was difficult not to try and drag each and every one of you with us.

The plane ride from Toronto to Heathrow was manageable, with a strong selection of movies and shows to keep one occupied, as well as the actually edible meals and snacks served aboard. Our connecting flight was a slight panic. The first flight had arrived late at Heathrow and our connecting flight was set to depart 40 minutes after we landed. If any of you have had the fun of wandering the football field length hallways that encompass Heathrow you'll understand why 40 minutes is too little time. That, and the ever present security scans, make for a lengthy indoor journey. Fortunately, Odin was watching over us and managed to delay the second flight, giving us plenty of time to stumble upon our gate somewhat haggard and dishevelled. We landed in Frankfurt around 2pm German time and from there loaded up enough baggage to survive a year abroad. To save on space I (Manny) wore both my spring and winter coat. Needless to say I was not cold at any point, but I may have lost a few pounds of weight from all the sweating I managed to do.

From the airport in Frankfurt we took a train to Freiburg. We feasted upon fruit, water and some pre-made sushi Manny found in a train station supermarket. We arrived in Freiburg a few hours later, barely awake. The taxi driver had no idea where the address was, but eventually asked a friend and discovered it was really not very far.

We buzzed the door and were greeted with the smiling face of Jonas, a friend and former U of G German TA. With a little help we hauled up our luggage and finally sat down in a place that allowed us to stretch our legs without fear of being trampled or rolled on. After a nice dinner and a display of wedding pictures we decided sleep might be a good option. I think the 13 hours of sleep is a testament to how we were feeling last night. Today we are relaxing and beginning our search for a home of our own and checking out the local job market.

We both miss our friends and family terribly. Although the adventure has only just begun it will not be the same without each of you there to make our lives the joy that they are... but hopefully we can convince a few of you to fly in our direction in the coming months.

Lots of love

Manrin

The Bachelorette!!

It's the story you've all been waiting for...what happened @ the bachelorette party!?!?  All I knew is that on Wednesday, August 31st, something was gonna go down so I was prepared for anything, almost.  I got a text from my sister, Shayna, telling me she'd be at my apartment in 20 minutes.  She didn't say anything about what we'd be doing or where so I just put on an outfit and waited.  Turns out, I needn't have put on an outfit at all!

It sounds scandalous, I know!  As soon as Shayna arrived, she opened a Mary Poppins-esque carry all out of which exploded a cornucopia of white clothing items.  She told me I was to change immediately and to don only items that had burst forth from her bag.  I emerged robed in white short shorts, a pretty knit tank top and my only white long sleeve item, a lab coat (I looked like a sexy doctor all night, lol).  You think I was getting away easy, right?  Wrong!  Then I got a "Bride to Be" sash (a la beauty pageant), a bride button and to top it all off, a princess tiara complete with veil.  I looked smashing, truly.

We rushed from our building and hopped in the WHITE car Shayna had rented and illegally parked outside our building for a quick getaway.  Next surprise, Em was waiting in the back seat!!  Since I got shotgun, I also got navigator duties and we headed to the Woolwich Arms & Arrow for dinner.

Yay!  Everybody was there!!  Julia, Erica, Sara, Johanneke, Jane, Fatema and Janiene joined shortly by both Karolina and Anneke!  Let us not forget to mention that the rest of the girls were all sporting black, further accentuating my whiteness!  Smart Shayna told us to order post haste because the waitress said the kitchen was very busy and we were on a schedule.  But we were talking too much and we didn't get to order right away and we ended up having to take almost all of our food with us!!  At least we got the appetizers that were ordered before I got there and Sara got her Bison Burger...lol, what is a Bison Burger?  It's like a hamburger but it's a leaner meat.  What is Leaner?!  A Bison is like a...a cow with a beard!  Thank you Sara, Julia and Erica for that one, hehehehe.

Not to worry, while we tried to wait for our food, we had plenty to do and talk about, naturally, and I had so many gifts to open!!  I wasn't expecting gifts!!  I am just so surprised at the naughty nature of my friends!!!  So many sexy games and sultry outfits and giggly gifts.  Plus glow sticks and a penis straw and a book of erotic poems...ahem!  "Himalayan ballsack, and it's purple!"  That sent us roaring and of course, that is NOT how the poem actually goes!  Emily had little WTF dares for me to complete and first on the list was to get a kiss on the cheek from 2 strange men.  With my girls to back me up, I approached the table next to us...I'm sure they were already impressed by our boisterous festivities so I figured, we couldn't make their meal any MORE awkward, right?!  They obliged me and we got some great pics of the peck.  One terrible pic I will not mention here and it need not be posted on facebook!


So we got our "eat in" orders turned "to go" and hightailed it out of that joint sweetly singing "I feel pretty" at the top of our lungs.  We said goodbye to Karolina, the brave new mommy of 6 week old Alexandia who was alone for the first time that night with daddy, Demetri.  She said farewell as she pulled up beside us in her Porche!!  Sexy Mommy!!


Next it was off to Kitchener.  I was navigator again but this time the destination was only an address...no name of venue so I didn't know what we were up to.  We achieved our destination and met up with the gaggle.  Veronica welcomed us into her POLEDANCING studio!!  We all got changed into our poledancing clothes, mine kindly pilfered from my bedroom, and joined Veronica on the floor...literally. We also learned to lapdance.  We learned the body slide, the body walk, the body wave and so, so much more.  Then we partnered up and demonstrated our newly acquired skills for our partners.  I've never felt so close to these girls!!  Next we learned some pole basics and not so basics.  We were spinning around and working those poles in no time.  We also couldn't resist climbing UP the poles and sliding down like firefighters.  I swear to you, some of my friends must have been pole dancers in their past lives because we were HOT!  Our loud, chatty, happy group went overtime but Veronica (extraordinary dancer btw) was very gracious, I hope she enjoyed herself too.


So we reassembled ourselves and headed out.  But where to on a Wednesday night in Kitchener?!  We thought we'd go back to Guelph to try our luck there but as luck has it, as we were walking towards the cars, we turned a corner and found our spot!  Bobby O'Brien's...I think, with a HUGE outdoor patio complete with beach volleyball setup!  We couldn't resist and we headed over with trepidations because Jo forgot her ID!  Luck was with us again, the bouncer let us in when we told him Jo was a mommy and from Holland ^_^  The vibe was fantastic and after only one whiskey sour I was on the court with some friendly strangers having a bang up time playing beach volleyball.  I was quickly joined by Shayna, Anneke and Sara and we got our game on.  We had so much fun and the game opened the door for me to accomplish another WTF card from Em.  I had to get a guy to buy me a drink and Peter generously did just so.  Then I got some more cheek kisses and yelled as loud as I could (like Xena Warrior Princess) "I'm getting married this Saturday!!" (another WTF dare).  I got lots of cheers.  After finishing my last whiskey sour/rum'n'coke we were thinking about packing it in.  That's when the rain started.  Naturally that sent us screaming down the sidewalks to our cars in the pouring rain, pausing only to run around the street cleaner and hug voraciously in the middle of the street.


The drive home was a spectacular display of lightening and through the miracle of texting, we all were able to sleep soundly knowing everyone got home okay.


I hadn't slept so well in weeks.

Love you my girls xoxoxoxox Erin