3/17/2019 0 Comments lebe wie ein touristNow that we are settled in at home and I know my way around the grocery store, I decided it was time to lebe wie ein tourist (live like a tourist) this week. Drew is waiting on his work visa so we are taking advantage of his time off. This week was filled with some new adventures for us and it was quite fun to explore outside of our neighborhood. markt on maybachuferEvery Tuesday and Friday on the bank of the Maybach, there is a popular Turkish Market. There are traditional street vendors, authentic food delicacies, fabrics galore and some of the prettiest displays of fruits and vegetables. Walking through the narrow path of vendors is a delight for your senses. I was fascinated with one booth in particular, the Turkish Mokka tent. Traditionally, a cup of Turkish coffee is brewed using a pan filled with sand, heated over an open flame. The beverage is served in the most interesting little cup and while it didn't taste as delicious as I had hoped, the experience was a treat in itself anyway. tropical islandOh, Tropical Island...Pretty sure you are my most favorite place. A 40-minute train ride takes you out into the country to what was once an Airship hangar that has been turned into Europe’s biggest tropical holiday paradise. It is larger than 9 football fields and holds the largest indoor rain forest in the world surrounded by swimming lagoons, indoor beaches, sauna temples and Buddha statues. I was in heaven. You’re inside but it feels like you’re outside. No SPF for me. For those of you in the Dallas area, it was a cross between King's Spa and Dallas World Aquarium. I mean, really...can you get better than that? Hands down, it was a fantastic way to spend an otherwise wintry day in Berlin. st. patrick's festival: berlinI couldn't let St. Patrick's weekend pass by without some celebration and a chance to wear my green mermaid scale leggings so we found Berlin's St. Patrick's Day party at Birgit & Bier, a dive bar that was reminiscent of Double Wide in Dallas and spent the day drinking beer, eating Irish stew & Guinness cake and mingling with some locals. The weather was rainy and cold and with Drew jokingly speaking with his best Irish accent, there was a truly authentic Ireland vibe. We met a guy in line for beer and ran into him again on our walk home which led to 2 more pints at a local bar. He was an interesting character to say the least and him and his crew were friendly. All in all, it was a lovely way to spend the day in celebration of Irish culture and spirit. Those are the highlights of Week 2. We also spent some time sleeping in, staying up late, cooking and I even tackled the laundry. I guess that should be considered a highlight as well...The drying rack wasn't so bad but it does take 1 hour and 56 minutes to wash one load and then you hang your clothes to dry for a day or two. Not even kidding. So...if you're spending your St. Patty's Day having a lazy Sunday and doing laundry, consider yourself "Lucky" that your clothes will be ready in about an hour! "Möge das Glück der Iren mit Ihnen sein," "May the luck of the Irish be with you," -Stevi
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3/8/2019 2 Comments with love from berlinOne week ago, my ehemann (husband) and I arrived in Berlin, Germany. Some of you may be familiar with the feeling of packing for a trip and it seeming like you are bringing the whole house with you. In our case, we actually were. We had narrowed down our personal possessions to 10 boxes, 2 suitcases and 2 carry-on bags. Thursday morning, we cleaned the old apartment, loaded a truck with our belongings, turned in the keys and headed to the airport. The checking in process of 10 boxes on a international flight went surprisingly well. We had our last Tex-Mex meal (at least for a while) at Pappasito's in DFW and boarded our flight. Upon landing Friday afternoon, we grabbed our boxes from baggage claim as well as our suitcases and made our way (after a somewhat awkward conversation) in a taxi-van to our studio apartment. Drew carried all 10 boxes up a flight of stairs and we settled in. After being awake for 30 hours, we fell asleep and woke up 13 hours later in our new home. We are currently in a neighborhood called Prenzlaur Berg, a popular area of Berlin. Our apartment is located on a quaint brick street with the prominent Wasserturm (water tower) and a nice park just outside. It's a 10 minute walk for Drew to get to work and it's surrounded by shops and restaurants. There is a Ayurveda wellness studio as well as a spa and sauna on either side of our building. It's a dream for me. I haven't found the perfect yoga studio yet but I'm on the hunt. The adjustment to life here feels a bit child-like. Everything is new. Ordinary errands and simple tasks have now turned into opportunities to explore and learn, You're forced to observe, listen and find the connections. This first week has been very domesticated. Sights have been a Saturday morning Bauermarkt (Farmer's Market), a tour of a Lebensmittelmarkt (grocery store), the adventure of trying to get additional apartment Schlussel (keys) made when you don't speak Deutsch and a train trip to IKEA. Our apartment is approximately 375 sq. ft. and I love every tiny inch of it. It may or may not be the size of your living room. Some other obvious differences include: 1. Our fridge is similar to the one you likely had next to your bed in college. 2. We have a washing machine that supposedly takes 1.5 hours per wash cycle and a drying rack that all of your clothes air dry on. I haven't done laundry yet. I'll let you know how that goes. 3. Apartments do not have numbers or letters on them. You and your neighbors all have the same address and the postman simply figures out who's mail is who's based on your last name, and if you're not home, they leave bigger packages with a neighbor. We have already held 2 packages for other tenants, one of which is still in our hallway. Also, today is March 8th. Berlin is the first German city to celebrate International Women's Day with a public holiday. Frauentag (Women's Day) Stores are closed, there is no work and the city enjoys a 3-day weekend. We were recently given a book as a wedding/going away gift, Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.
Vagabonding: A deliberate way of living that makes freedom to travel possible, a privately meaningful manner of travel that emphasizes discovery, self-reliance and the growth of the spirit. Vagabonding is an attitude-a friendly interest in people, places and things that makes a person an explorer in the truest sense of the word. This is us. I hope you will enjoy following along as we embrace this vagabonding life as newlyweds. Learning a new language, new rules, a foreign place and how to live in harmony together in 375 square feet. With Love From Berlin, Stevi |