My sister emailed me a list of some things to do in London before we left for our trip. When I took a look at it, I stopped midway through when I read "Brass Rubbing." Brass Rubbing? What the heck was Brass Rubbing? A flash of possibilities went through my mind and I giggled at them all. I finally googled it to end the debates going on in my head.

So what is Brass Rubbing? It's a form of replication of brass portraits in the Medieval times and were usually placed in burial vaults; some of the brass also depict church events. The brass was mounted on granite or marble (tombs). Paper is then stretched over the brass and rubbing on it vigorously using wax cake that feels and looks like crayon. It was an interesting simple art that we all wanted to try so we headed to St Martin-in-the-Fields.

There are no classes offered but was simply a drop in. We just walked in and went through their little hallway full of brass mounted on granite chunks on both sides of the wall. The price range was based on the how big the brass was (from 4.50 GBP). You would find small ones about 5" in width to large ones as long as a table and prompted on the walls. It took us a while to choose what we wanted but we eventually chose our brass. We then chose the paper - either black or white. Seeing some of the examples on the walls, I chose white as it would especially work for the detailed brass that I have chosen. Michelle also did the same while Jenn decided to do it on black.

The first thing that needs to be done was to tape the paper onto the brass. After, the guy helping us used a piece of cloth to rub the paper on the brass so that we can see a bit of the impression and know what we are working on. As he demonstrated to us, the one thing we found out was that when you do brass rubbing on black paper, it gives some room to erase any errors you may have by putting a price of cardboard between that brass and the paper and using an eraser to erase. On the white paper, you pretty much have to live with any mistakes you've made or try to cover them up the best way you can. He provided us with pieces of cardboard to use to pull the paper while rubbing and chose our wax cakes. There were blue, gold, bronze, silver, red, and black waxing cakes to choose from. Then we went at it.

We were taught to use the straight end of the cake to do some light rubbing and then using the tip and rubbing it hard in one direction to bring out the brass artwork onto the paper. Who knew we would be sweating while doing brass rubbing?! Time flew by fast and I admit that it was quite zenful. It was neat to see the results as you work along. Overall, we were all pretty proud of what we did and enjoyed it very much.

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While staying in London for about 2.5 weeks, we decided early on to head on to another country for a few days for a bit of variety. Like Canadians who head down to Las Vegas for a few days to get away with great package deals or cheap flights, Europeans head on to sunny places like Majorca, Spain for some sun and relaxation.

Majorca is an island known also for it's resorts. We didn't fancy the all-inclusives and opted to head out with a cheap flight via EasyJet for about 50 GBP RT instead and book a place. Michelle found a fabulous place (a full flat) in the city of Palma for about 63 GBP a night. It's located within walking distance to all the sights and amenities in town including the port.

The city is just beautiful if you really enjoy old architecture including a few by Gaudi. We didn't even notice those ones if we hadn't looked up and admired some of the buildings around the Cathedral and old town. Many of the sights are in and around old town. The cathedral is massive. You can see it from afar especially around the port and bike path area. There was a beer festival at the time we went and you can hear the many different languages as you walk around. There are many tapa bars and restaurants, pharmacies and shopping. It's really a easy going, laid back kind of city.

Unfortunately, we were there at a time where May 1st was Labour Day and not many places were open. We didn't know what was going on when we saw a bunch of what seems like protesters as we wanted to check out this 9-story shopping centre called El Corte Inglés. Was it a stike? A holiday? We weren't sure until Michelle recognized some words in Spanish on the banners they were carrying. She mentioned it may be Independence Day or something similar. She asked on the police escorts posted on the street we were at and he told her that yes all the stores were closed so no shopping - a typical tourist question! Great, what should we do? We were thinking of taking the train to Sóller the night before but even that seems to be out as we didn't want to get stuck there the day before we left so it was overall a good 3 days of walking, shopping, sitting and relaxing.

The surprise from day 1 was how it was easy to get fresh fruits, vegetables and meats at a nearby indoor market. It's rare to find something like this available daily in Edmonton (except for the Strathcona and Downtown market) and we took advantage of filling ourselves with good food since we had a kitchen to make things. For lettuces, lemons, strawberries, avocado,  mushrooms, etc., it only cost €13! We found out that on the 2nd floor of the building of the indoor market was a supermarket so when we weren't able to make it to the fresh market (I believe it closes at around 14:30), we headed to the supermarket including fresh seafood. We were so happy to find the fresh seafood as we have been just craving for it and ate calamari/squid for the days we were there. The breads like Baguettes were also just as good but not as good as the ones in France (of course).

Majorca is a great place to relax but if you can stay longer and rent a car to go around the rest of the island, it would definitely be more beneficial as it seems like the mountains would be a nice place to check out as well.

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Archery has always fascinated and interested me for as long as I can remember. It's the old movies and stories of heroes like Robin Hood and reading historical accounts of people living in the medieval era. There are so many influences that draws each of us to archery and what better way to learn this beautiful art than in England itself.

I went looking on the internet to see if there are any one day classes or even an archery lane where I can learn even just the basics of archery and perfect it later on down the road. I thought since England and Europe in general has so much history with archery that there must be more options to choose from and I found the perfect class in London called "Have-A-Go At Archery" at the 2020 Archery. It was only £20 (very reasonable) and the class was for an hour and a half (plenty of time to learn the techniques). It was even better that I can book this class in advance online which is highly recommended as they sell out fast and early. The great thing was that my 2 sisters were also up for it despite thinking how geeky I am and can be!

The place was easy to find and the way there was nice as we passed the Tower of London on the way and crossed the London Bridge. The area itself was in construction but the detour gave us an opportunity to check out the other streets we may have never have gone to. When we arrived, we signed in at the front desk and a lovely gal helped guide us up to the rooftop area.

Our instructors John and Dickson were very nice. We shared the archery area with some advanced shooters who pretty looked pro to us with their shiny recurve bows and their accessories. We watched them shoot the targets as we waited for the rest of the class to show up. We were in awe on how great their technique was and hoped we wouldn't make a fool of ourselves when it was our turn to go.

When all us were accounted for, John and Dickson gave us the important safety rules we needed to know and a bit about archery. We then put on our arm guards on and finger tabs for protection. I automatically felt pro just having them on! We were paired up based on our heights as we need  to share the same bows and our arms measured for the height of arrows we would use. They taught us how to put in the arrow, pull and release. We each took a turn and had 3 arrows each though I did wish we had more! It was quite fun and all of us did really well. My sisters and I even had a bulls eye each at one point! But the fun took another turn when the instructors announced that we would have a competition of 3 rounds Dun-dun-DUN!

Jenn, Michelle and I looked at one another - GAME ON! We decided to have a side bet - winner gets a shirt or whatever we find at the Chelsea Sample Sale we were going to the next day. Well one round after another, Michelle and Jenn were doing very well almost to the point where I started to wonder if they have done it before. I did well on the practice rounds but they must have saved their best for the competition. This was when I thought to myself that I would suck at the Olympics if I had to compete! But it was wonderful to see my sisters doing well and actually enjoying it more than  they thought. In the end, Michelle was on top at 2nd overall but really should be first considering the guy at first place has been there a couple of times ;) And Jenn said she would be game to do more shooting once we get back home - Awesome! I can see myself adding archery to my hobby list thanks to John, Dickson and 2020 Archery.

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Well, my one year here in Germany has come and gone so quickly. It is now time to pack my bags and head back to Edmonton. It has been a quite a ride with lots of learning! And you know how much I love learning! Karlsruhe (and Germany) is a great place and I don't regret choosing it for my first ever experience. I have met some awesome wonderful people here that I hope to see again one day soon. I know each one of them have left footprints in my heart in their own special way. I have been blessed with experiencing opportunities that pushed myself out of my comfort zone and made me a better person. All in all, I leave here with love and full of memorable moments. Here's a few thoughts ...

What I learned:

• to leave my ego behind (it only holds you back to all the wonderful things you will learn and gives you some funny stories to tell :)
• to cook french food (yes, I know I'm in Germany but I had some French influences here)
• to eat more rice (my dad will be super happy about that but I still prefer basmati :P )
• to renew my passion as a media designer (would love to work with start up companies as a freelancer)
• to enjoy part time work (it gives you more balance and opportunity to learn other things and travel)
• to make spätzle (I wanted to know how so I can fulfill my cravings later :)
• to be a better drinker (yes I can now handle my beers and wine - I prefer the latter though and the apple ciders are super here - no, I am not an alcoholic :)

What I will miss:

• the awesome friends I've met (I will miss you guys the most!)
• bratwurst (you can never have too many of those! - and with curry ketchup)
• flea markets (I love having those including fresh fruits and veggies)
• my bike (that little yellow sad thing made my life easier here lol)
• the awesome train system (we so need one in Canada - we're so behind)
• the super fast post (I still can't believe how fast my amazon.de ordered arrived and how fast my big box I sent home with stuff arrived)
• the cheap pub food here (you get a decent meal for only 3-5€)
• sitting out in the Schloss Garden and do nothing else but read
• the compost (it is part of the disposal pick up and you can even add meat)

What I was glad to have with me:

• my Doxie scanner (this was the best thing ever. It helped with scanning forms I unexpected have to deal with back home and here. Great for scanning and sending applications. My roommates loved it)
• my Kindle 3G (this I got when I went back to Canada half way and it helps lighten my load and kept me entertained on the trains)
• an umbrella (rains like cats and dogs here in the other seasons than summer)
• a small bottle of Dawn liquid detergent (I use it to clean the oil from my glasses - I know, eww!)
• meds (you can never be too sure. I had quite a bit of my Advils more than I expected)
• my unlocked mobile phone (used Fonic pre-paid and loved it)
• a hot water bottle (it gets cold and it keeps me warm!)

There you have it; some points that floated into my head. I'm sure there's more but I can't think of any more at this moment or make this a longer post as it is with these points. So with that, I leave you with a video of my year in Germany with the wonderful people I've met because they made my stay here worthwhile. Vielen Dank Deutschland und bis später!

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Many people I talk to about France have only visited Paris so my impressions are based on what they say and what I have heard. When I finally had the chance to visit Paris earlier, even for one day, those impressions have changed. Paris, being a bigger and livelier city, has all the workings of the big city life including being in their own world but to tie their behaviour with the rest of France would be a shame. I was happy to take a peek into how people live and act in the south of France when I visited Jenn, Brian and the kids for a week in sweet, beautiful Agde.

"Agde? Where is that?" People would ask. I would be one of those people if it weren't for my friends living there. It's a town located in the inlet of southern france and is right on the Mediterranean sea. The nearest big city is Montpellier but even some do not know where that is so I would resort to saying near Marseille. I took the TGV train from Karlsruhe to Agde with a change in Paris. The round trip cost me about 200€ with the trip back being in first class. I thought why not take first class if it's just 30€ more and to experience what first class travel on a train would be all about. I even decided to reserve the solo seat :)

I left Karlsruhe around 13:30 and arrived in Adge at 22:22. I took a taxi to Jenn's place. I used the best french I possibly could. The funny thing is that I kept thinking in German so when I did open my mouth, I sounded pretty much like an idiot trying to find french words to string together. I asked to go to the address I had written down. He had no clue where it was. I waited patiently as he told me to stand aside while another man stated where he would like to go and of course to take me first. I was thinking to myself, maybe there is another taxi and kept looking out for another one when he finally told me to hop in and typed in the address on his GPS. Before we left, a lady and her child came by telling where they would like to go. He said to give him about 15 minutes before coming back for them. "Was he the only taxi in town?" I wondered. I thought I would ask him and apparently he was the only taxi that night. As we headed off to my destination, we drove by bits and pieces of the town and man was it lovely at night. We drove by the famous River Hérault that Jenn posted pictures of on her blog and I felt this calmness as I was taking in all the sights that wandered by the window.

When I arrived, I was a bit lost. All the houses have gates as the front entrance and I could only guess that the doorbell that I saw in front of me belonged to the huge house behind the green gates. I rang it a few times with no answer. Then I started to wonder if this was the right house when I heard my name being called out in the dark. It was Brian but there was no sign of him. I looked everywhere. It was a few minutes before the owner of the house they lived in, Mike, came by and greeted me. Brian was hoping to avoid me ringing the bell so late at night but Mike was very nice. I met up with Jenn thereafter and we had a chat before heading off to bed. I had no intentions of running around and doing tourist things while here, I just want to be able to soak in what living in southern France was all about including daily routines to give me an idea of the lifestyle here. I love learning about how people live everyday and being with my Canadian comrads gave me more of an insight of how a foreigner would live amongst the locals. I was armed with enthusiasm to learn.

I woke up helping with breakfast and biking the kids to school. It was their last day before taking off for a week and a half because of Toussaint. The kids love being at school here. There was no hesitation when I asked them how they liked school - they LOVED it. They loved how the were able to learn french, have awesome food at the cafeteria for lunch, the 2 hour lunches, learning music, etc. Usually it's the parents or the children who love the new place but this was the exception. The whole family loved living here and didn't even want to return. That's how great this place was. There were extra bikes for guests to use which came in handy. I loved how people would say Bonjour and smiled as we biked by. They are just so relaxed and happy here. I met the kid's teachers and other parents and they too exhibited this quality. I can see why Jenn and family loved living here.

The autumn mornings were crisp but beautiful especially along side the river bank where you would spot fishermen out to catch some fish. We still had to wear touques and gloves as we biked during the week but in the afternoon, the sun would warm up the place that you wouldn't need them anymore. Agde is a quiet place with plenty of things to do. The centre of town is bustling with markets on certain days - Thursdays for the food market and Saturdays for the flea market. You will see people out drinking their cafes outside, people taking a stroll, the smell of fresh baked bakery - bagettes around some corner block. Jenn even bought a fresh one one day and put it in her basket only to have it break a third off the top when she hit a curve on the sidewalk on her bike. She's getting there as there is still so much to learn about the French culture. We had a good laugh about it.

The bike ride and walks by the river is so tranquil. Once in a while you'll see fishermen fixing up their boats which was interesting to watch. Children would wave if you say hi and wave to them. It's very welcoming. We took an afternoon trip to the coast, Le Grau d'Agde, where the lighthouses were. It was a 20 minute bike ride from where we were but the bike paths made it safe for us and the kids to ride there. It was nice to see the sandy beaches and I was surprised to see surfers catching the fantastic waves that were coming in. We saw one surfer paddling out to the ocean with his loyal lab swimming beside him. It was too far for the dog so he came back onto the shore, well, the pathway to the lighthouse. We had ice cream with us and he took one of  Edmond's ice cream, which he was happy to share with the dog. After finishing the ice cream, the dog proceeded to position himself to hump Edmond's head perhaps to say thanks and Jenn had to save him despite our uncontrollable laughter of what was happening. Hopefully Edmond will not be traumatised by this incident but it did make for a funny story to share on Facebook :)

On another occassion, we went to Cap d'Agde. This bike ride was more strenuous for me because I am so out of shape. I would always have to catch up to Jenn as she waited for me here and there along the way. The route to Cap d'Agde had many inclines and at one point, someone wrote Ouf! at the top of one incline which basically meant Phewwww! and that was exactly how I felt. It took about 40 minutes but it was worth it as we arrived at the marinas where all the yachts were parked. For the low season, it seemed quite busy. We admired the yachts before heading towards the centre where we shopped around at the little shops that were still open. There were sales everywhere as they tried to get rid of last season's inventory and to draw tourists such as ourselves to buy. Jenn found me this great France magnet as I collected magnets of countries I have visited - not the tacky kind. And we both bought herb grinders with herbes de Provence in them. Who knew that you could grind the combination of thyme, basil, lavender and the like. I always thought they were reserved for pepper and salt.

I had a fabulous time in Agde with my friends and am so happy they have found a home they can call home away from home. I had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful friends they have met when we had Brian's birthday party, picked up the kids at school, took in a french movie (Un monstre à Paris - which was great) and the play dates the children had over at the house. The day in the life with the Smeenks opened my eyes to how relaxed the French can be in southern France. Merci et à bientôt!

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When people think of Germany, the first city that pops into mind is Berlin. Everyone I met who has been there just loved it. There's a quote that was written on a postcard that Ursel gave me with a quote from Franz von Suppé, "Du bist verrückt mein Kind, du mußt nach Berlin" (You are crazy my child, you must go to Berlin). Well if that's where the crazies go, then I think that's for me!

My visit to Berlin was bitter sweet. The opportunity came because Ivana had applied and been accepted to the TU Berlin - Technische Universität Berlin for the Neuroscience Program. The girl is going to be a superstar in this field! So the visit was also to help my dear friend move her stuff as she will be there for the next 2 years and boy did she have a lot of stuff! We managed to find a big suitcase at the flea market a couple of days before we left and packed the crap out of it. It was so full that it seemed like it was ready to explode. The taxi driver was not too happy when he saw it and carried this heavy load down 4 flights of stairs the morning we left. Ursel asked one guy to help us before the train came to lift it onto the train where he agreed until he saw the luggage and said he had to go to the other end of the platform where his seat was. A nice guy did eventually agree to help us but I caught him doing a test lift as we lined up to get on just to make sure he can do it. It was a funny sight but I totally undertand.

The train from Karlsruhe to Berlin was about 5 hours long. It was not as bad as I thought despite the loud teenagers on the train. We saw many school groups heading to Berlin and all over Berlin once we arrived. I was in awe when I saw the main Berlin train station. There were probably about 4 or 5 levels with shops all over. It felt like a mall than a train station. I even saw Dunkin Donuts! I have yet to try it and made a note to do that while in Berlin as I always seemed to forget to go whenever I saw one. To date, this has to be the best looking train station I have seen yet.

I had 5 days to check out this beautiful city. The odd thing is that within the first few hours, it felt homey and I even thought I could perhaps live here. And no it wasn't because of the hostel we were at. It was just more the way the city lives. It reminded me of London - the vastness of it but more friendlier. I heard more English than I heard German. And I loved that it was so multicultural like Canada. It was a bit of everything that made me feel the way I did. We noticed the friendliness right away on the streets but also at the campus when I went with Ivana for her registration. Every single staff at that campus was so friendly and willing to help out. She had some complicated paper work but the lady we had was doing everything she could to make sure it was doable. I am sure it was a long day, heck even week, with all the students registering themselves but they still had a good mood about them. The registration went by pretty fast and the coolest thing I thought was how they did the photos for their ID cards. It's been a while since I have registered for any schooling but it was cool how they used a passport photobooth for the photo which saves time and money instead of getting a professional photographer and then you just went to the office to get the ready made card. It was as simple as that. And I found out that it was only about 250€ per semester and you even get a Bahn card (public transport card) with it. Everything was included. And the campus was so nice. I loved the way you have the old historical buildings along side the new ones. You see this all over the city.

Berlin has so much history. If you can pick one place to see as much as you can, it would have to be Alexander Platz. That is the main square where you are surrounded by museums, churches, cafe, restaurants and even the river Spree. The main icon that will catch your eye to where the centre is is the Fernsehturm (tv tower). It reminds me of the CN Tower in Toronto. It is about 203 meters and you can go up there to view the city at 360 degrees. There is also a revolving restaurant at the top.

Nearby is something called Museum Island. For most of you who know me, this would be great for museum lovers but I am not. I joked with Ivana that this would be a nightmare, but I do love the architecture of museums as they were quite stunning. I just don't fancy going in :) The island is an UNESCO National Heritage Site and comprises of 5 museums - Altes Museum, Alte Nationalgalerie, Neues Museum, Bodemuseum, Pergamonmuseum. Each one houses art collections from different periods of civilization. The architecture reflects this as well and it's a great idea. I think I would enjoy checking them out if I loved museums. There is one church you will notice on the Museum Island called the Berliner Dom. It is quite noticable with its greenish dome tops and greyish colour. It was severely damaged during the Second World War, but has been restored.

Close by is something called the Humbold Box. It seems a bit out of place within all these historical buildings and I truely thought it was a museum of some kind from the Humbold University. Every day I would pass by but always passing by on the opposite side of the street from where it was. It always intrigued me. And then on the last day as I was wandering around the main centre again, I almost crossed the street away from it. I was like what the heck, I should check it out or I would always wonder what it was (even though I knew full well I could Google it later on). It is a temporary structure for the Humboldt Forum and it encourages exchange of cultures from around the world in regard to the fields of art, science and culture. I feel lucky to have seen it especially if it is only temporary. It is very cool looking.

This city is so huge, you need to have a day pass or something to get around to see as much as you can. I cannot even tell you everything I saw on this blog. There is so much but so little time to see everything. I bought a 5-day pass for about 29€ where I can go on the transport system. The trains and buses are very efficient. I was surprised how efficient the buses were. Most came every 6 minutes on a weekday. And I preferred them to the trains as I can see a bit of the city sitting by the window than taking a U-Bahn underground. But if time is of essence, the S-Bahn and U-Bahn are great since Berlin is like any city where there is construction everywhere that can slow down traffic.

Another part of the city, away from the main centre, to check out is Potsdam. We only had time to go to Potsdamer Platz. It was quite interesting as it has tall buildings that you would find in cities in North America. It has a mall and small art structures all around. We even stumbled upon the Canadian Embassy! It took a bit of time to see what the flag was as it was limp because there was no wind that evening. Ivana, Canan and I would agrue what it was from afar but my Canadian gut says it's our flag and we did not know until we were returning to the station and stopped by. At least I know where it was if I ever needed it! All the other major emabssies such as France and Russian are by the Brandenburg Gate near the former Wall and the Chancellor's Office and Parliment House. You can see bits and pieces where the wall used to be as it is still embedded in the streets and sidewalks.

There is really so much to see and do in Berlin that even if you lived there, you cannot get bored. There are beautiful parks to sit and enjoy the sun. There are museums to learn from. There are restaurants to check out. There are little gems to find. There are areas to do major shopping. There are theatres and live art scene. It really is a lively city. If you come to Germany, you must stop by. You'll love it as much as I did - crazy or not.

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It has been a while since I last saw anyone in person from Edmonton. But I have been counting down the days for Jenn, Brian and the kids to come visit since June as they were wanting to stop by on the way to their new home in St.Laurent de la Salanque, France.

The second day of their arrival, we had them over for dinner. I wanted to meet my awesome roommates and friends that I've been talking about. Because they were only here for about 4 days, I wanted to give them a bit of German experience by making spätzle with goulash and some schwartzwalder schinken. I knew the spätzle from scratch would be time consuming and hard as I was going to make it the traditional way with a cutting board and knife. And thanks to youtube for some techniques, it turned out pretty darn good. Sure, it took an hour and my arms were sore and I was sweating like there's no tomorrow with the combination of the hot weather and standing by a pot of boiling water, but it turned out and I was super happy. So super happy that there was no one at home to tell and I was just wanting to tell someone; hence gmail chat with Faye (who said awesome but what is it?) and a status post on FB. Ivana helped with the flavouring of the goulash (as it was missing something) and it turned out tasty as well. The kids kept wanting more! That was a good sign. We had a wonderful time chatting about our travels, our future travels, and getting to know the new and wonderful people they have just met - Ivana and Arabella and later on Ursel and Larry. After supper, we were planning day trips that we could take. It was amazing to see how this family unit functioned when it comes to decision making as a family. We were all admiring in awe. We had many possible day trips we could take and in the end, the final decisions were made as a family including the kids. They were kind to let me hang with them for the day trip and spend some quality time by staying with them. It was really nice as it felt like home being with these guys.

So the next day we headed for Ludwigsburg to check out not only the castle, but we were wanting to see the fairytale garden :) Funny thing is I think me and Jenn were the most excited on this one because there was a chance to dress up with 18th century clothes and the thought of it made us giggle like school girls. We can't help it, we are kids at heart :) Alas, when we got there, they said it was already full and we had to reserve in advance to do that part :( Boo! But we still went for the castle tour and the garden. The dumb thing is that you had to pay separately so about 6.50€ for an adult for the castle which you cannot go into unless via a tour. I understand as they kept a lot of the original furniture and such in tact. The garden was about 8.50€ for an adult. We were able to check out a bit of the garden before our tour at 1:30 pm and they gave us a stamp when we left so we can enter the garden again after the tour was over.

The tour for the Schloss Ludwignburg is highly recommended. People know that I am not usually into tours or museums and such and I found this one very interesting. I actually listened while taking pics - hmmm .... the tour guide was very informative and entertaining. He gave us little tidbits like how King Ludwig was about 8 feet tall, people in those days slept sitting up, the baroque castles were symmetrical, Rococo style came later which had a whimsical feel and play with the baroque style, the castle had visible and invisible servants, the visible servants area had no decoration, and our fav tidbit ... one of the dukes, Duke Carl Eugen, loved the ladies so much that those who wanted to be devoted to him would wear blue shoes. Now, that's what I call not wasting any time! My favourite part would have to be the theatre. It was amazing to sit on the benches just looking at the stage and imagine all the plays that would play there. At the end, our guide mentioned to us that we may be the lucky ones as the future tours would forbid people to take photos which is a shame as there are so many fabulous things in the castle. During the whole tour, the kids were asking questions and were given some privilages such as checking out the queen's chamber behind the ropes. They were so well behaved, many of the other tourists in our tour mentioned it to Jenn and Brian. By the way, the tour was about 1.5 hours long :)

And the garden, well it is a big garden. You really do need a map but you would have to pay 50 cents for one. Yes, it felt as though we were just being charged left, right and centre here. Anyways, there was much to see. It was neat to see all the old swings and even merry-go-round that children would play on. The garden is really beautiful and has so much flowers of all colours and shapes. There was one section dedicated to all the fairytales that we used to read and listen to as kids. You can stop at one like Little Red Riding Hood and there would be electronically driven puppets reenacting a scene while the german story plays on the stereo system. It was quite neat and you would have to walk about 100-200 m for another story. Mind you, it was uphill and by the end of it, it was very tiring. The last little bit we did was end up at this maze where the kids (and bigger kids) can step on blocks that actived different water spouts to get you wet. It was much needed as it was a very hot day.

After a long day of walking, we got some much needed rest for the big event the next day ... the anticipated Legoland!!! I never knew there was a legoland near Karlsruhe and I am glad that Brian's friend mentioned it to him so we all get to experience it without having to go to Denmark (yet). It was about a 2 hour drive from Karlsruhe to Günzburg but the drive went fast as we were busy talking away and the kids were busy playing with their DSs. We were unable to get family tickets online (a bit cheaper) as it was too late to order online. It is best to order about a week in advance I believe. It cost 37€ for an adult and that gets you admission and rides. There were a couple of rides that you had to pay for but most of the rides were free and the line up waiting time ranged from 10 minutes to 60 minutes depending on how many visitors happen to be there. We picked a busy day so there were a lot of visitors.

So where to begin ... well legoland is just plain AWESOME! Practically everything there is made out of legos. Because the rides shut down at 7 pm (1 hour before the whole thing closes), we decided to hit the rides first and leave the buying last. It was a good idea since there was such a line up for most rides. We began with the Harbour Cruise - go on boat ride. The funniest part was at the end when Jenn/Susan's boat and Peter's boat were stuck on the way back to the dock. There was no way to reverse. You can only gas and go forward on these boats and with their boats stuck, all the others became stuck behind them. Such troublemakers I tell ya! But Brian was the hero ... crazy ... and heroic. Too bad I didn't take a video but I'm sure some others in line did. I just watched Brian get out of his boat and hopped from one to another reaching Peter's boat to pull Jenn/Susan's boat back. Then hopped back to his own boat. I had to tell Edmund to stay because he was going to follow his dad. Hmmm... I think with all the excitement, I may have yelled haha.

After a quick eat, we took a stroll in the lego cities. These were just absolutely amazing! They were cities like Venice and Berlin that were entirely made out of legos and each had some moving parts. Venice had gondolas moving around the city. They even had music and dancers dancing in the square. Netherlands was also amazing with all the windmills. I know after seeing Berlin, we were all looking forward to checking it out one day. And if you really check the details, the people at lego have some hidden funny details like a man checking out the garbage can at one of the tram stops. The details in general were just crazy. They had details of people eating in a restaurant behind the windows. It wa so inspiring that I would love to have a room dedicated to legos and the pure awesomeness that it is including a lego mindstorm robot :) Hmm ... I wonder what happend to simplifying my life eh? I see I still love my toys! Some things just don't change mates. And the Star Wars area was equally amazing. The adults were like kids in a candy store ooooing and ahhhing.

The next stop was the Project X - Lego Test track which was pretty much the rollercoaster. I opted out here as I wasn't too confortable leaving my bag on the side with my camera and stuff in it. So I was hoping to get a pic of any of them coming down the big dip where I stood. I missed them at first and was able to take pics here and there with other areas of the track. I noticed Brian and Edmund were not in the first cart so I thought they would be in the next but they never showed. In the end, Edmund was not tall enough to go on the ride. At each ride, there is a height board where each height equals you cannot go on it, you can go on it with a parent or you can go on it alone. They enjoyed this rollercoaster better than the Fire Dragon one which was the last ride they went on. Yes, I opted out this one and went shopping at the Treasure Chamber with Edmund as he was unable to ride this one as well. But we had fun :)

I can go through all the rides but to cut to the chase, the best ride hands down was Captain Nick's Splash Battle. We never had so much fun waiting in line and being on the ride itself. This ride is very interactive. You don't need to be going on the ride to have fun as there are water guns stationed outside the ride for viewers to participate in. Let's put it this way, bring your swim suit! As you got closer to the beginning of the ride, you can get hit with water from the ships that people are riding on. We ducked and hid so many times, but we still got wet. And boy, we can't wait to get the people back. The boys had a plan. All they wanted was the right hand side when we got the boat because that side is where you can shoot the people lined up. It's pretty much a big water gun fight with you and the other boats and you and those shooting outside. Jenn was so ambitious to even take on 2 water guns. It was hard to keep winding the lever to shoot the water out of the guns - your arms just get very tired. But it was all adrenalin! It was so nice to get drenched as it was about 30C that day. We dried off pretty quick though.

Another highlight was the Lego Factory. It was really cool to see how the legos were made. It didn't show everything but still gave us a glimpse of it. And at the end of it, you got to make your own legos with separate parts. That is rare to be able to do that commercially. Unfortunately, they didn't have everything I would have liked, in particular, the Harry Potter stuff so I can make me a wizard :) But I did make me a ninja with a cross-bow (eh?!) I was also inspired to make lego versions of Ivana and Ursel as their souvenirs. Susan made one of herself and her mom. Mom was cool as she had a bone as a weapon (eh?!). The boys were able to get their lego dudes at the lego store (mini market) and were happy about that. We were pretty pooped from a day's fun and had no problems sleeping and taking the next day to relax. The family was also battling jetlag with all this driving as well. Thanks Brian for being such an awesome driver because there was an idiot on the autobahn that decided to stop and reverse because he missed his exit while a car was zooming past us on the other lane and a big arse truck behind. Sigh. It's not speeding in the autobahn that is the problem, just dumb drivers. Sorry ... ending this blog on such a sour note :P

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I meant to write a reflection in the 6-month mark but I forgot about it and if I did remember, I was lazy to do it. Ah ... some things never change!

The first few month went by pretty quick and it was quite challenging but a great learning experience. I was lucky to have and blessed to have my friend Thorsten help me out all the time. It's not like a vacation where you learn about the transport system, talk to the locals, find a place to stay, eat, etc. Staying here for a year working and a bit of studying meant trying to get into the system which also means you need to know the ins and outs of what to do. So funny, as most of us are trying to get out of the system :)

Because the first few months were really all about learning, it kept me busy. I know the goal was to be able to work. So I know I needed the equivalent of a SIN (in Canada) in Germany which is called a Lohnsteuernummer. I needed to get that from the Finanzamt and in order to get that I needed to register with the Einwohnermeldeamt (I practiced saying this every chance I got so it came out smoothly!). In order to register there, you must find a place first. This is no easy feat as you are competing with students as well. I was lucky to get 5% response of any kind. And once you do, you have to go look at the place and check it out. Knowing German is good and again I got lucky having Thorsten here to come with me each time. I ended up registering my friend's parents place as it was the permanent address. Thank you to them! I am very lucky to have them as well. They have been like my 2nd family here.But usually you need to show a rental contract of some kind. And everytime you move (even next door), you must tell them. I had to do that once I moved to Karlsruhe and goodness knows how I managed to do so with my crappy German but I did! I always had my German dictionary with me though I hardly used it, hoping to get by with what I know and a bit of charades. But the people I have dealt with have been pretty patient and my luck has been pretty darn good whilst I am here.

Then there is the other issue, you need a bank account (konto) to deposit your income to and do wire transfers. I researched here like crazy as most have fees when you are not a student and not under 25. I ended up with volksbank Bühl and have not regretted it. It was difficult for them to understand my situation as they have not come across this before. Normally they deal with students and normally for more than one year.  But again, Thorsten to the rescue! He helped out and I totally recommend anyone to bring someone who is fluent with German. I found most people are awesome with English but are shy at first. And anyways, it's best to have someone translate something like this when you have to sign important papers. I did end up dealing with Norman via email and in person on my own and he has been super about it. Always helpful and even was able to converse in English when it was too difficult for me to talk in German. But I have tried. Even at the 8-month mark, it is still bad!

Oh ... and it is advisable to get a Haftpflichtversicherung (liability insurance) when you are here. It's about 40-60€ a year but well worth the coverage if something does happen. Mine was through Glyn Brookman at Chambervelt, Rooselain & Cie. He is friendly and answered all my questions promptly. And they deal with ex-pats all the time.

And work ... some of you knew I was pretty much hitting the hotels with my CV and even sprained my ankle doing it. Also sending CVs to possible positions in IT via email. But in the end, I got a job via contact. And it seems like the norm in any country you are in, contacts are important. So use them! All my interviews were in German (with some English). Again, looking back, I seriously don't know how I managed to do it. But you get used to it each time and you really have to leave your ego at the door because you can't kid yourself and pretend to hide behind a language you are still learning about. I know most of you knew I wanted to try something new here instead of IT but the reality is that here, you work where your experience and education lies. And you are in that field until you get another degree of some sort. It's totally different from Canada where you can get in via training, hard working attitude and trust really. But I was pretty fortunate to get my job and work with wonderful good people. I think doing the taxes in Decemeber is going to be interesting ;)

People have asked me if every day was an exciting day to be here. Well the truth it's like anywhere else really. I work, go to German and French class, do homework, eat, sleep, do errands, spend time with friends ... the only difference is that you are in a different country and environment. The cool thing is I get to explore this city and elsewhere as I find always something to discover. I love that you can go to other cities and countries close by. I love riding my bike around although I miss driving and having a car. But there are some things that you miss. And that is when it hit me - the 5-month mark - homesickness! I never thought I would be the one to have it but I did and it's not a great feeling. You start missing having that support group from back home that knows you for you and knows you forever. You miss the foods and the culture. And I am so grateful for having Ivana here with me as she has been my rock during those times and more. She's like my sista from another motha :) Then the opportunity came to go back to Canada for a 2-week visit - heck ya! Using my income tax return was worth it.

It was wonderful to be home. When I woke up the first morning back, I felt it was all a dream. Everything was the same so it felt like Germany was a dream. And yes... I even opened the windows automatically! I guess I have gained some habits being here ;) The other thing was it took me a week or so to get adjusted. I felt like I was in no man's land as home didn't feel like home anymore - ah culture shock! Another thing I didn't count on. But I was super happy to be back and would do this again next year at the 6-month mark. I find it worth the trip and money to keep yourself sane and to keep yourself grounded with all this stimulation.
The photos you see are all food I ate to my heart's content. I promised Ivana to take pics of the foods we always talk about :)

So here I am again. With a few more months left before my visa runs out on me. And you know, I came back more motivated than ever to do things and to really enjoy the last few months here. The visit back home was what I needed to continue to live here. But no matter what the challenges are, don't be afraid to take the risk and do what makes you happy. In the end, the rewards far outweigh the risks. And the risks are based on assumptions usually. When we are faced with comfort and familiar in one hand and the other a whole new unknown dream where it may push you out of your comfort zone, I hope that some of you will choose the risk. Don't be afraid to be happy, to love, to dream big and to LIVE!!!! One life, no regrets right?

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So I met this guy ... well you think that how it should be with a title like that. But alas, my life is no romantic movie. Instead, I met my beautiful and wonderful friends (Jenn, Brian and the kids) in Paris. They have been travelling around the world since late October 2010. And we promised each other that we would meet up before they returned to Edmonton for a break in May. I was not able to make it to Turkey, although I would have loved to. And with the days and months passing by, Paris was their last stop and only a 3 hour TGV train ride from Karlsruhe. Perfect!

So the crazy person that I am, I decided to book tickets just to meet them on the weekend - really just one day with them - Saturday. I booked a late train 19:32 on Friday (after work) to go there and to come back on a 7:00 train on Sunday. The cost was about 129€. If I booked earlier than the 2 weeks, it would have been around 99€. The earlier you book, the cheaper it is. It doesn't matter if it's high season or low season like the airlines.

The train ride was pretty fast. I got there around 22:35 at Gare de l'Est and made my way through the signs. I read up on some blogs and talked to Ursel a bit so I can make my way efficiently through the train system and catch the trains at the times I wanted. It was pretty easy as they labelled everything pretty well. Jenn and Brian was renting a place near EuroDisney so I knew I had to get to Marne-la-Vallée station from Gare de l'Est. I wrote down which trains I needed to take which saved me loads of time. I first had to take the M4 (metro-line 4) to Les Halles. Something to remember, the metro stops only for a very short time. You would have to get on and off as quickly as possible. No stress there! Then I made my way through to the RER A to Marne-la-Vallée.  Note that you have to buy the metro and RER tickets separately. Ursel gave me her old metro tickets (purple ones) and they worked. I wanted to save time figuring out the ticket machines and the stress of having to buy tickets with coins only (as I read). Worked like a charm. First thing you'll notice, the stations are dirty and a bit dodgy at times. But if you take the usual precautions, it's pretty much harmless. There are so many people taking the trains during every hour of the day, it seems like you're never alone. When I arrived to take the RER, I wanted to take the 23:03 one but I JUST missed it ... so I thought ... I was pretty lucky it was a bit late or else it would be another 30 minute wait and I was exhausted. So on I went, I told Jenn and Brian I would text them once I was on the train and that would give them 40 minutes to meet me at the station. But stupid me forgot that I was underground, so I had to wait for it to stop so I can get my mobile signal to send the text. They got it and off I went. The train took what seemed forever but then it stopped at Val D'Europe which was the second last top to Marne-la-Vallée. It waited there forever! Then Brian texted me, "Are you still on the train?" (see my response and Brian's below).
He asked the driver if the train came from Paris and wondered where the heck I was! Stupid me. I assumed it was the last stop at the Eurodisney. Trust me, I will never forget this stop. It made me chuckle every time I saw it.

When I arrived at their place, we talked for a bit and then went off to bed to start the next day full of things to see and do. The children woke me up with big smiles and hugs. It was so nice to see their lovely faces! We made breakfast together and then went out merry way to the city. First stop was the info booth in Eurodisney since Brian had to drop off the rental car there. We bought the Paris Visite (day) passes. You can get the passes for 1, 3 or 5 days and can use it in the suburbs as well. One day cost me about 20€ but but it was well worth it. The city is just huge you had to take the metro to get to places.

The kids were awesome in terms of staying with us. They hardly slowed us down; they were quite the bundle of energy. They were ok taking the metro and RER and were full of curiosity. Many people smiled as we made our way through the city. We started with the Arc de Triomphe (by accident) and walked our way to the Grand Palais via the Avenue des champs. You will find many shops along the avenue. Amazingly, we only stopped by the grocery store to get our lunches. We went on the Alexander III bridge where we saw the love locks again (like the ones I have seen in Köln). I found out from the kids that the keys are thrown into the river and that is why the locks are always on the bridge and near a river. The things you learn from kids :) And smart ones at that. So it was all over Europe as they say. On our way to the palace, we saw the guards with very unique looking hats. I wanted to take a photo with them and they were nice to do so even though they were clearly on duty! Well Brian had to nudge me a bit. Why not? We are in Paris! lol.

With Brian leading the way, we headed to the Eiffel Tower. There were sooooo many people sitting having a picnic, chatting, suntanning, and even doing Capoeira! The line ups to go up the tower was even longer with almost 3-4 hours wait and the top being closed due to congestion. Crazy indeed! But I just wanted to see the tower at night :) There were lots of people selling stuff so be prepared for that. But otherwise, they are harmless. We ended up taking the metro to the Louvre and the the Champs-Elysees because it's way to far from where we were. The Champs-Elysees was smaller than expected and we did wish the dirt was paved as we our shoes and pants got dirty really quick. There were even sun chairs where you can sit, have coffee and enjoy the sun and people. Right next door was the Louvre ... the famous Louvre. Again, many people but we were happy to just be there and sit and take in the environment for a bit before heading home. We were very very tired. We only went home for a bit, mostly to refresh and have dinner. Brian and the kids had a shower and stayed to relax while Jenn and I headed out to see the Eiffel Tower at night and oh what a sight to behold. A must see for sure.

It was a fabulous day with Jenn, Brian and the kids and I cannot wait to see them again when I get back to Edmonton for a short visit. But until then, we'll always have Paris.

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With about 4 days of Easter and businesses closed for 3 days of it, we wondered where we can go to explore. It would be nice to get out of the city and check out another where we've never visited. I was super happy that my sister, Michelle from London, was able to grab Ryan Air and fly down for a visit for Easter. Mind you, her coming on Good Friday and leaving on Easter Monday was no easy feat as transportation is limited on those days. A note to those coming into Karlsruhe, you will have to know someone, wait, or get a shuttle or taxi if you arrive/depart very early or late from Baden-Baden Airport on a major holiday here.

Ivana and I have visited most of the major cities such as Stuttgart and Frankfurt and wanted to try somewhere else. In comes Köln, also known as Cologne. It is a city of about a million and is famous for it's cologne water, eau de cologne as we know it now. Instead of taking the train there, as it was pretty expensive, we decided to use the Mitfahrgelegenheit site. This is a site that is essentially a car pooling site where people post where they are heading to and how many seats are available for a price. It's a great way to travel within the country without having to take the trains. It is also safe and cheap. Of course, people should always take the usual precautions. We were lucky to find 3 seats the night before and even luckier to have the same driver coming back :) He was super nice.

The drive down took about 3 hours. We busied ourselves by chatting and a few small naps in between. Our driver stayed awake with coffee after coffee. He was used to long driving as he is a truck driver by profession. We asked to be dropped off at the Köln hbf which was right beside the grand cathedral - Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom). It was the most beautiful cathedral in Europe in my opinion. Sure it's a gothic church and probably an in thing but there is this wonderous charm about it and it has such a presence wherever you go in the city. Whenever we weren't sure where we were, we looked for the church. Mind you, our hostel (Station)was just around the corner from it (hence our look out for the Dome) and it one that I would recommend for it's location and ok service. We were lucky to have passed by the church in the middle of midnight Easter mass and were blessed to be able to attend it. It was a nice mass. The Cathedral inside was just as grand as the outside and reflected the architecture of it's time. The acoustics were super as well.

Because of the holiday, we knew that shops and groceries would be closed. And only Saturday was the day to shop and do what you needed to do. And the other days, you have to look for what else you can do. Since Köln is such a big city with bus loads of tourists coming in every day (it seems), there were more things to do and some shops (mostly souvenir shops) were open. We walked around during the day and night and had the opportunity to even take the U-Bahn. Everything was pretty easy to use.

During the day, we took in the sights and sounds around the river. The people were relaxed and there were street artists everywhere. We went to the chocolate museum (my second so far) called the Schokoladen Museum. Here, you learnt about the history of chocolate and even got to see the process of it being made. It is great for those wanting to know more about how chocolates such as Lindt were made. And yes, you even got samples! There is also a store on the main floor that you can go to even if you didn't go and pay an admission fee. It also opened on Easter Sunday! Rare indeed!

Just when we thought there may be nothing to do on not only a Sunday but on Easter Sunday, we spent hours wandering about through the Antik-Markt (Antique Flea Market). I swear we could have spent hours as  the tents seem to go on forever. But we were only there for about an hour and did as much as we could. Michelle bought this cool old film projector with film rolls of children's stories from the Brother's Grimm like Hansel and Gretel. Of course, they were all in German but that was way cool! It was a good find. The seller said he got it from Eastern Germany. We found out later that it does indeed work but it was missing the glass lens! Doh! I am sure it will be easy to find. There is also lots of normal shop shopping for the shopoholics around Hohe Strasse and Schildergasse :) We also checked out a small amusement park. We didn't buy or do anything but have an ice cream. Most of the stuff was so expensive. A ferris wheel ride would have been 4.50€. Eek!

For dinner, we had a sushi craving! So we headed out to a sushi place that the hostel reception suggested but it wasn't open. There was another one nearby called Fisch-Hof and was run by this nice couple. The food was fresh and very good - highly recommend it. They even had shelves full of products that you could buy asian stuff like a mini-grocery store. So we got some snacks for the road home.

The city is just beautiful at night with all it's lights. We met a nice French man who gave us a quick tour on the other side of the river (where you look towards the inner city and the Dome). He told us to check out the Hohenzollern Bridge. That is the bridge where the trains run. There you will find the love padlocks. There are thousands and thousands of padlocks and every kind of locks that people put there when they get married or to show their love for another person. It's really a nice and cute gesture. Apparently, most of Europe does this but it was a first for me. But very cool.

Photos from Köln - album section

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With Germany neighbouring France, you would think we would take a 3 hour train ride to Paris. Instead, we opted to check out Strasbourg since it's just a hop, skip and a jump from Karlsruhe.

This is my second trip to Strasbourg. Ironically, the last time I was here was around the same time last year with Thorsten. The weather was about the same too - rainy and cloudy - so really crap weather. The only difference was that Ivana, Igor and I wanted to spend a day here while last year it was only a 30 minute stop.

To get to Strasbourg from Karlsruhe, we first bought tickets at the machine from Bühl to Strasbourg as Ivana and I had our monthly pass that covers the KVV netz. The tickets cost about 19,20€ (less if you are a student - about 10,20€). The ticket from Karlsruhe to Strasbourg cost about 32€. We needed to only do one train change in Appenweier, which was not too bad. We just had to entertain ourselves for the 20 minute wait in between. And what did we do? Well, we took out our cameras and just went crazy taking pics like a typical tourist. It was then that we decided to play this role all the way. We took quick shots of the OSB train we were getting on as it looked pretty cool. And when we finally got on the train, we felt as though every single pair of eyes were on us - probably thinking, "Great! We have 3 crazy tourists on board the train!!!"

As we drew closer to the city, we noticed how un-French the buildings were. It wasn't even German. It was very boxed and probably build in the 70s or 80s and it reminded us more of eastern europe than western europe. Once we arrived, we looked around for some kind of Information/Tourist booth at the main station. Alas, we found one and bought a small central map for 1€. But before we figured out what we wanted to see, our stomachs called out to us to get some food! Since we were here for a day, we thought of trying some French cuisine and headed towards downtown. As we left the "gare," Ivana told us to look back. And I was glad she did because I did not know how it looked like. In the inside of the station, they kept the old reminence of the infrastructure. But they also put this round, flat shaped glass dome around it on the outside. It kind of reminded me of a bubble to protect it but was more spaceship-ish. "You always have to look back because you never know what you will find and how things look like," Ivana said. I found it weird as society usually tells us to never to look back ;)

So here we are in search of a cheap but yummy French restaurant or a cafe to get some fuel for more walking later. We checked out every interesting place we can find. We found many restaurants displaying not only French menus but German ones as well. We passed by most as it was so pricey. The costs were between 12-20€ and we thought if we kept on looking, we would find a gem somewhere. We walked across the river, down small streets, heading towards to The Cathedral.

We noticed The Cathedral right away, as it dwarfed the buildings around it. The Cathedral dates back from the middle ages and is about 466 ft. It is the highest cathedral in Western Europe. We ended up taking photos just outside the Cathedral. I saw a tourist information near there and wanted to waive down Ivana and Igor to tell them I was going to go inside and just ask them the best place to eat. Funny enough (perhaps I have played my role as a tourist so well) a gal approached me to ask me to participate in their video for a school project on why I was here in Strasbourg. Her classmates joined her to explain more and I managed to get Ivana's and Igor's attention to join me. We ended up making a deal with them. We participate in their video if they can tell us where is the best to eat! I love it when things happen for a reason :)

So out we went again in search of food, but this time we had a destination in mind. The guy told us that most of the food is about the range we were seeing and it is rare to find anything lower (if only we knew!!). We found the restaurant called "La Boucherie." Again, funny thing is that it was one of the early restaurants we thought we should have went into to! Doh! We went in and managed to order food with a bit of French, German and English. The food was good. Ivana and I had steak which was so satisfying as it feels like forever since I had steak - oh Alberta beef how I miss thou! The portions were smaller than what I am used to but it is France and it was actually perfect.

The day was going by fast and by the time we left the restaurant, we had about 2 hours before catching the trains back to Karlsruhe. Since we already swung by The Cathedral, we went in search of La Petite France. It lies in the heart of the city and used to be quarters for millers, fishermen, and tanners. The architecture of the buildings were what we expected to see - small and quaint quarters with traditional sloping roofs and internal gardens. We even passed by a school that just ended and believe it or not ... we saw daddies picking up their children. Still, like their counterparts in the west - Spain - children are dressed well at a very early age.

Before we left, we stopped by a pâtisserie/chocolatier shop called "Christian." Ivana was eyeing this shop earlier and it had the best display of goods to satisfy our sweet tooth later. With our lack of French, Ivana decided to try to ask one of the ladies if she spoke German. To her delight, she did! And we were able to figure out what to buy. We bought some fruit jelly bonbons (which we sooooo very good) and 3 chocolates shaped and created like hazelnuts with a layer of marzipan and praline inside (so good, but oh so rich). We were pretty happy campers leaving the shop and city. We wanted to get souvenirs from Lafayette store. Lafayette is a big and expensive chain like Harrods and they did have some sales for the hair accessories we were looking at. But alas, too expensive pour nos!!! So we headed home hoping one day to come back and just shop :)

Photos from Strasbourg - album section

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When I first came to Germany to visit last year, many of my friends and family asked if there were any minorities living in Germany. There are many minorities living here as there are many universities and many international students from all over the world studying here. The next question that followed was if there were any asians in Germany specifically where I was. At the time of my 5 day visit, I saw a couple but not much. But now that I live here, I see quite a bit - those from India and China mainly. I have also met some of the students (in particular ones from the Bed and Breakfast Karlsruhe hostel). And the next question that followed? Are there any asian stores, restaurants, etc.... heck even a Chinatown or little India?

I'm sure you would find many in the bigger cities like Berlin or Frankfurt, but I can only speak about Karlsruhe and the nearby cities. Working in Bühl, I see a Chinese restaurant all the time at the Bühl-Baden station. I haven't tried it but a friend did and said it was ok. I tried to look for asian grocery stores there but none to my knowledge. Alas, I found a couple via Google in Karlsruhe since it is a bigger city. There are 2 that I have been to (there are a few more elsewhere). Both are near the University (KIT). One is called The Asia Store located at Markgrafenstraße 27 where you can find ingredients mostly for Indian, Thai, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese cuisines. Just a few minutes away is another store called Kim's Laden located at Zähringerstraße 49. Here you will find mostly Japanese ingredients that you may not find in The Asia Store. They also have Chinese ingredients. Both store owners are super nice and helpful so don't hesitate to ask!

As for restaurants? Well, all I can say is I am glad to have met and live with Ivana. She loves to eat and she loves to try new things. And I was super happy that she asked me one day to go to a Japanese restaurant she has been meaning to try out since she got here. Without hesitation, I got dressed and ready to go! Sashimi here I come! I have been craving Japanese food for weeks! The place we went to was called Sushi Circle. It's a sushi bar with a conveyor belt of moving delectables. I have never been to one and come to think of it, I don't think there is on in Edmonton so I was very excited about giving this a go.

Here, they had 5 different coloured dishes. Each colour represented how much each dish that you choose off the belt would cost. They also had a menu as a table mat to see what would be made. We did notice that not all of the items were there so it was an adventure trying to guess what it may be and if we should try it out. We took many that ended up being really good. There was one dish that stood out. It kept coming around and around and each time we would ask each other, "What the heck is that?" and "Do you think we should try it?" It was a salad of some sort. The only thing that we weren't sure about was what the orange thing was. Eventually, we did try it and I thought it may be tofu but it ended up being octopus ... and pretty spicy at that :) It ended up being a good place to go to. Hopefully next time, we would have some of the dishes that didn't make it on to the belt from the menu.

I have also tried a couple of chinese noodle places in particular the one near KIT and the one in the Karlsruhe hbf. Both were similar and fast food. I did notice that the noodles were different from what I was used to in Edmonton and wasn't as salty. I noticed that the locals love to drench them with chili sauce like it were ketchup. And I might add, the chili sauce is hot. Then again, I am a weakling when it comes to hotness. Sorry ma, I didn't get the Malaysian gene for that ;)

And another thing we tried out? Thai Massage! Yeseree Bob ... we tried out the a Thai Massage and no ... it is not an "erotic" thai massage. The spa experience didn't push me that far ;) It even said "Kein Erotisch" (I think ... darn my German) at the front door of the Schook Dii Thai Massage. I know what you may be thinking, ""Why don't I try thai massage in Thailand instead of Germany?" The answer ... cause I can! If I didn't meet and live with Ursel, I wouldn't have had the spa and thai massage experience. She has been awesome (along with Ivana) for broadening my German experience here.

Ivana and I didn't know what to expect from our first experience but we were excited to finally have some time for taking care of ourselves. We took a 30 minute back massage. Firstly, the everyone there is so nice. Secondly, the décor is very welcoming and beautiful. We confirmed our appointment at the office and then they took us next door up the stairs where you were hit by the aroma of what some of us know as White Flower oil. In the waiting room there was goodies on the table and coffee and tea on the side table (yes I had to resist the twix mini chocolates). We were called as rooms became available. Once in the rooms, you undressed (except left the underwear on) and lied down (stomach down) on the beds. The massage was amazing and so relaxing. My masseuse even massaged my arms and a bit of the face and head. I was told that every masseuse would be different and some may just do the back only. But I was happy with mine. Close to the end, she used the elbows around my shoulders. It was a bit painful but oh ... it was a good pain. Then she asked me to sit up. At this point I thought it might be done but then I was asked to put my arms up to my head and then she twisted me - crack .crack. Again, it was good pain lol. The stretching at the end was nice and at the end of it, you feel rejuvenated yet relaxed. There was also tea after and yes, I did dig into the twix after all. The best part of all this was when I was paying. One of the owner's sons said,"Oh! You are Asian!" Yes, I am. Yes, I am. I guess they don't get many asians coming in for massage? I will have to ask next time :)

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