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
Sunday, 20 November 2011
Monday, 7 November 2011
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
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
Thursday, 3 November 2011
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
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
Thursday, 1 September 2011
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!"
Love you my girls xoxoxoxox Erin
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!"
Love you my girls xoxoxoxox Erin
Monday, 22 August 2011
Bachelor Party
Hey guys,
I (Manny) just wanted to send a huge thank you to my friends for putting together an incredible bachelor party on Saturday. With less than 2 weeks before the wedding my friends Andrew, John, Matt, Chris, Pat and of course Steve put together a fantastic day and a crazier night.
I was kidnapped from my apartment Saturday morning and driven to Niagara Falls. While I'm not at liberty to discuss the events of Saturday it was a day filled with fun, even kid-like events with some fantastic meals and an alcohol soaked night. I really appreciate all the effort you gents put into planning and executing everything, even though for some it meant putting other things aside for the day.
Also, a huge thanks to Anneke from Erin for all her help in cleaning and polishing the horse bridle on Saturday.
Peas yo
I (Manny) just wanted to send a huge thank you to my friends for putting together an incredible bachelor party on Saturday. With less than 2 weeks before the wedding my friends Andrew, John, Matt, Chris, Pat and of course Steve put together a fantastic day and a crazier night.
I was kidnapped from my apartment Saturday morning and driven to Niagara Falls. While I'm not at liberty to discuss the events of Saturday it was a day filled with fun, even kid-like events with some fantastic meals and an alcohol soaked night. I really appreciate all the effort you gents put into planning and executing everything, even though for some it meant putting other things aside for the day.
Also, a huge thanks to Anneke from Erin for all her help in cleaning and polishing the horse bridle on Saturday.
Peas yo
Monday, 1 August 2011
Our Registry!
Hey all!
We've finally organized our registry and have the list set up online. As many of you may know Erin and I are planning to do some traveling and living abroad shortly after the wedding. This makes conventional registry items a bit impractical since we will not be able to use them and/or be forced to store them.
Still, we think the idea is solid and decided to make a registry with the Mountain Equipment Coop or MEC. Our list consists of items to help us in our travels and we encourage anyone interested to take a look. I'm including step-by-step instructions below for those who may need assistance with the process.
To find the wish list simply type mec.ca into your internet browser. When you reach the homepage look at the top right corner of the page. You'll see a tab marked "My Account" and to the right of it you'll see "Wish List". Click on the button marked "Wish List". When the page loads look to the centre of the page for a gray box marked "Look up". In the small white rectangle type "Povelofskie/Young" (minus the quotation marks but including the / mark). When you've typed this in click the "Find" button.
You should now see the words "Select your friends from the list below". Click on Immanual/Erin. You will now find the list of items we've put up. From here simply an item to the cart and proceed to follow the instructions. As a final note, if anyone does decide to be generous enough to use our registry, please don't forget to type in the "has" box a 1 and then click "Save changes" if you decide to purchase an item from the list. This is located beneath the picture of each item. I suggest this because it helps prevent several people from gifting the same item.
That leads me to one final point. Under each item it says "Wants" and "1". If someone has purchased this item already it will say "Has" and a "1" will be beside it. If it says "Has" and a "0" is beside it then the item as not been gifted. Hopefully there is no confusion but if there is please feel free to message Manny or Erin via facebook, text or good old fashioned telephone :)
Looking forward to the day! Only a month and two days away!
We've finally organized our registry and have the list set up online. As many of you may know Erin and I are planning to do some traveling and living abroad shortly after the wedding. This makes conventional registry items a bit impractical since we will not be able to use them and/or be forced to store them.
Still, we think the idea is solid and decided to make a registry with the Mountain Equipment Coop or MEC. Our list consists of items to help us in our travels and we encourage anyone interested to take a look. I'm including step-by-step instructions below for those who may need assistance with the process.
To find the wish list simply type mec.ca into your internet browser. When you reach the homepage look at the top right corner of the page. You'll see a tab marked "My Account" and to the right of it you'll see "Wish List". Click on the button marked "Wish List". When the page loads look to the centre of the page for a gray box marked "Look up". In the small white rectangle type "Povelofskie/Young" (minus the quotation marks but including the / mark). When you've typed this in click the "Find" button.
You should now see the words "Select your friends from the list below". Click on Immanual/Erin. You will now find the list of items we've put up. From here simply an item to the cart and proceed to follow the instructions. As a final note, if anyone does decide to be generous enough to use our registry, please don't forget to type in the "has" box a 1 and then click "Save changes" if you decide to purchase an item from the list. This is located beneath the picture of each item. I suggest this because it helps prevent several people from gifting the same item.
That leads me to one final point. Under each item it says "Wants" and "1". If someone has purchased this item already it will say "Has" and a "1" will be beside it. If it says "Has" and a "0" is beside it then the item as not been gifted. Hopefully there is no confusion but if there is please feel free to message Manny or Erin via facebook, text or good old fashioned telephone :)
Looking forward to the day! Only a month and two days away!
Stag and Doe
Hey friends and family!
Our stag and doe has officially come and gone! A busy day of chopping, cooking, counting, and carrying (that's right I'm using only verbs that begin with C) resulted in a most spectacular evening.
Family members were quite helpful in the process so we would like to thank them all if they ever read this.
Janiene and Fatima worked as our official bouncers for the hall and candy counters for the guessing game. Good job ladies! Also congratulations to Fatima who won the mystery cooler.
Joshua sold many tickets to the games we planned making them quite successful. In fact he actually managed to walk away with the giant jar of candy. Knowing Manny's family and their sweet tooth he was probably quite satisfied.
Julia and Erica were our dedicated and hardworking bartenders. Despite the intense heat of the hall they both managed to pull through while providing our guests with drinks to cool off. Thanks so much girls.
Much thanks also to Shayna for organizing music for the evening. The band was spectacular and the crowd had nothing but positive comments for "organized chaos".
Tickets and posters were the result of the diligent efforts of Steve who continues to show how he is one of "the better men". :p
Also a hearty thanks to our many friends, neighbours, and family who supported us simply by showing up and making the evening as marvelous an event as it could be.
Manrin
Our stag and doe has officially come and gone! A busy day of chopping, cooking, counting, and carrying (that's right I'm using only verbs that begin with C) resulted in a most spectacular evening.
Family members were quite helpful in the process so we would like to thank them all if they ever read this.
Janiene and Fatima worked as our official bouncers for the hall and candy counters for the guessing game. Good job ladies! Also congratulations to Fatima who won the mystery cooler.
Joshua sold many tickets to the games we planned making them quite successful. In fact he actually managed to walk away with the giant jar of candy. Knowing Manny's family and their sweet tooth he was probably quite satisfied.
Julia and Erica were our dedicated and hardworking bartenders. Despite the intense heat of the hall they both managed to pull through while providing our guests with drinks to cool off. Thanks so much girls.
Much thanks also to Shayna for organizing music for the evening. The band was spectacular and the crowd had nothing but positive comments for "organized chaos".
Tickets and posters were the result of the diligent efforts of Steve who continues to show how he is one of "the better men". :p
Also a hearty thanks to our many friends, neighbours, and family who supported us simply by showing up and making the evening as marvelous an event as it could be.
Manrin
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