DKand? Germany dot com

A new blog

2007-10-24T16:00:00.000+02:00

Since DKGermany is no more....we thought it appropriate (after some nudging from friends and family) to continue our musings. Click on the link below to go to...

Poop, Sleep, Repeat

Zu den Krankenhaus!

2007-08-17T09:46:00.000+02:00

One of our movers just split his arm open when he broke a lighting fixture and glass shards fell onto him. Nothing like a little blood and gore on the final day in our home!

The moving company showed up with an ARMADA of dude this morning. I explained in broken German that there are enough guys for a "baseball team". They told me that they had enough for a "football team". You can take the man out of the US but....

Starting to look really strange in here. I'd say about 80% of our things are on the truck already.

General Tso's Thriller

2007-08-16T18:20:00.000+02:00

Chinese prison inmates doing Michael Jackson's thriller.

wow

Verpackung

2007-08-16T13:42:00.000+02:00

Our house in in shreds right now as five guys are here packing all that we have. It should take 6 weeks for everything to get to Detroit. The sadness is setting in. We move into a hotel tomorrow so tonight is our last night in the house. Lots of dinners and meet-ups in the next 6 days.

The weather got cold on us. Only about 65F today.

The last hurrah

2007-08-13T12:05:00.000+02:00

We are back in Germany now from our trip to the D. Over 4 days, Kelli and I looked at about 50 houses (!!!) and came up with two that are pretty darn perfect. We are in the process now of making offers and negotiating so nothing is set yet.

We were able to make it into the city center last night for the winefest that started on Friday. Only 9 more days to enjoy what has really and truly become a place we call home. There is a ton of buttoning up to do with the movers and our jobs so these will be some very busy times. Our lives have been moving quickly from excitement to sadness to exhaustion but we are both taking great care of each other as we turn the page (cue Seger).

D

Worst Price Is Right Contestant EVER

2007-08-13T11:32:00.000+02:00

Is that in pesos Jose?

The Price Is Not Even Close - Watch more free videos

Good bye Germany

2007-08-01T16:25:00.000+02:00

Our adventure is ending.

We're moving back to Detroit later this month. This will not be my opus to all that we have done and learned (that will come later) but we are beginning to get the feelings of separation from what has become our home. Some tears have started to flow in and around Wiesbaden.

Kelli and I are knee deep in everything that's involved with moving everything we own to another country. As you can imagine, it's quite a task. Not surprisingly, moving to the US has a lot more challenges than moving to Germany. There are WAY more regulations about what we can and can not bring back with us. My hopes of bringing cases of wine, beer and the mustard that my sister Renee loves so much have been dashed by the new US food import regulations. Even with all of the help given to us by our relocation people, we have been going non stop for three weeks. We are heading to the D tomorrow on our look see trip with the primary purpose of finding a new home sandwiched in between my family reunion in Alpena and a friend's wedding.

Five days to find a home.

Doesn't sound like much so this should be interesting. We've done all of our homework and looked at hundreds of places on the internet so a week from this Friday, we should have a new pad and the home that our baby will grow up in. Cool stuff.

Last weekend was our 5th wedding anniversary and I surprised Kelli by taking her to the Praia del Rey Resort in Obidos, Portugal. (about an hour drive north of Lisbon) We had five days of nothing to do but sit in the sun and relax. We took one three hour trip to the village of Obidos (unbelievable!) but mostly stayed close to the water. We have had so many cultural and sightseeing trips in the last 30 months that it was a great respite to do NOTHING for once. Portugal is beautiful.

2007-08-01T16:22:00.000+02:00

Main street in Obidos

Looking out over the Portuguese countryside

Looking down over Obidos

Portuguese fruit stand

2007-08-01T16:20:00.000+02:00

St. Mary's church in the center of Obidos

The medievel castle in Obidos

Along the old city wall - not for the faint - hearted

Looking up at the castle

2007-08-01T16:15:00.000+02:00

The best belly photo EVER

Our hotel from the tenth tee

After our anniversary dinner

Kelli outside of our room

2007-08-01T16:12:00.000+02:00

The view from our room

Portuguese sunset

The beach looking north

And South

Brian and Aurea

2007-07-30T17:56:00.001+02:00

Congratulations guys!

Our friends Brian and Aurea got married in Hawaii over the weeekend. Wish we could have been there!

Kelli and I were in Portugal over the weekend relaxing by the pool for our 5th wedding anniversary. I will have pics as well as an update of all of the goings on this week.

All is quiet

2007-07-11T14:14:00.000+02:00

What will probably be our last visitors have departed and our house has become quiet once again. We miss Chris, Chip and the kids a ton already and look forward to more time together in the near(er) future. We spent the long weekend in the area around Wiesbaden and Kelli and I filled their time with the things that we will miss most about our European home. Kelli and I even got to do some things that we had always wanted to in the city but just hadn't gotten around to it.

I picked them up in Cologne last Wednesday after their train ride from Paris and we visited the Cologne Cathedral and ate at Cafe Fruh. The weather was pretty rotten for the whole trip (save one day) and was mostly in the 60's every day. We got to Rudesheim and the castles on the Rhein, ate a LOT of German food, drank our fair share of German wine and beer, visited Frankfurt and rode the Apple Wine Express, visited Heidelberg Castle and the Konigstuhl and spent a bunch of time just in Wiesbaden. Once again, it was great to share what our life here has been with those that are closest to us.

There are a LOT of things going on right now and there will be even MORE news to share very soon. Until then, enjoy the photos

2007-07-11T13:47:00.001+02:00

Kate and Jake in our Oktoberfest gear

The kids with Chip and Kelli on our front porch

Jake and Kate in front of the Wiesbaden Tourist Train

Chip, Mark and I at the Irish Pub

Chip and THE BOOT!

2007-07-11T13:26:00.001+02:00

In front of the Kurhaus in Wiesbaden

Kate and Jake doing there best Tiger impressions on Wilhelmstrasse

Kate and Jake on the Funicular in Heidelberg

Kate Jake and Chip boarding a boat in the Kurpark

Jake and I on the Apple Wine Train in Frankfurt

London

2007-07-02T17:24:00.001+02:00

We are back from our long weekend in London with my brother Chip and his family. They are off to Paris for a few days before I pick them up in Cologne on Thursday around noon. London was great as usual. We dealt with all of the bomb scares like all of the other Londoners and went on with our lives as if nothing happened. It made for some difficulties in getting around the city but we never let it get us down.

We saw every sight you could think of, climbed the steps to the VERY top of St. Paul's, spent some time at Harrod's, rode the London Eye, Chip and I enjoyed a pint at Punch and Judy's, we saw the play "Wicked" on Saturday night (probably the best show I've ever seen!) and just enjoyed spending time with each other. It had been 1 and a half years since Kelli and I have seen them so it was great to reconnect and see how much our little niece and nephew had grown up.

Much more to come as we're spending five days in and around Wiesbaden over next weekend.

Chris, Kelli and Kate on Regent Street

Chip, Jake and I in front of Westminster Abbey

Jake and I at dinner in front of Tower Bridge

Kelli and Kate

....and baby makes three

2007-06-28T18:26:00.000+02:00

Hello world

That's right everyone, Kelli is expecting.

Mommy and baby are both doing very well and we are looking forward to a November 19th arrival date.

The photo at left is from week 15 and Kelli is just getting through her 19th week. She has been great and not TOO demanding. Nor has she had any weird cravings for pickle ice cream or anything like that. Her appetite has definitely increased and she is kicking off a great deal of heat but (knock on wood) nothing too out of the ordinary.

We are both extremely excited and are anxiously awaiting our little present.

Speechless

2007-06-28T12:20:00.000+02:00

"...and Kathy Lee with a groin pull."

It's almost time!

2007-06-24T15:24:00.000+02:00

New Arrival for Jeanette & Pete

2007-06-20T20:27:00.000+02:00

While Mom and Dad were in town, we got the great news that Jeanette and Pete Shelter's little one arrived while we were on holiday. Their son Carson arrived May 29 - this pic is cute because it looks like he is smiling...enjoy!

Chet and Diane Boss and the Griswold family European vacation part two

2007-06-12T16:56:00.000+02:00

Wow!

We have gotten a LOT done since Chet and Diane got here two and a half weeks ago.

Our trip (so far) has been:

Gossmansdorf (Diane's ancestral home)
Munich
Neuschwanstein Castle
Innsbruck
Venice
Lake Como
Southern Spain
Morocco

And THEN, they returned home to the Wilhelmstrassefest in Wiesbaden after getting back from Spain.

We have been home for a couple days and will be in Belgium for a while before they leave on Saturday for home.

Enjoy the pics so far, but there are MORE to come

2007-06-12T16:53:00.000+02:00

Diane enjoying a Paulaner at Wilhelmstrassefest in Wiesbaden

The rain went away and out came the rainbow

Tony and Chet flexing, well, at least Tony is flexing

From left to right: Mike, Amanda, Brendan, Scotty and I

2007-06-12T16:49:00.000+02:00

Kelli dressed in a native Berber outfit

Walking around the Casbah inside the Medina of Tetouan

The royal family of Morocco

Inside our restuarant in the Casbah of Tetouan

2007-06-12T16:45:00.000+02:00

City Center of Tetouan

In front of the Royal Palace

The Royal Palace in Tetouan

Narrow streets of Tetouan

2007-06-12T16:42:00.000+02:00

The Rock of Gibraltar while crossing to Morocco

The farmers market in Ksar Sghir

I'd like to see this guys shopping list on his way to the market

2007-06-12T16:38:00.000+02:00

The New Bridge in Ronda

Kelli and I in Ronda

Another view of the New Bridge

2007-06-12T16:36:00.000+02:00

The bull ring in Ronda, Spain

There were no bullfights that day so Chet and I created our own

From the uppder deck

2007-06-12T16:34:00.000+02:00

Chet and I with a Cork tree at Valderrama

The market at Fuengirola

Kelli and I on the beach at Marbella

2007-06-12T16:31:00.000+02:00

The pool area at our condo in Estepona

Kelli and Diane on the condo grounds

Chet and I on the fairway of the 17th at Valderrama

2007-06-12T16:25:00.000+02:00

Lunch on Lake Como

Bellagio sunset

Leaving Bellagio on the car ferry

2007-06-12T16:22:00.000+02:00

Kelli and I during our gondola ride with the Rialto Bridge behind us

Chet and Diane with our "driver" and the Rialto Bridge

Looking down the Grand Canal

2007-06-12T16:19:00.000+02:00

Kelli Chet and Diane in front of our hotel in Venice

Kelli and I taking a break

Kelli and Diane on the Rialto bridge

2007-06-12T16:15:00.000+02:00

Alps Drive

Innsbruck

Innsbruck Clouds

2007-06-12T16:10:00.000+02:00

Kelli and Diane at the Olymic Park in Munich

A little rain - NOT THE HAIR!

At the Hofbrauhaus

Nick and Traci Calkins

2007-05-25T09:33:00.000+02:00

Nick and Traci have returned to their normal life at home and Kelli and I have been settling in all week trying to get used to not having them around. We had a great time with them here and feel a little empty once again. It is so great to have great friends around and show them what our life is like here. As much fun as we are having, everything is still incomplete with the love of great friends and family.

We spent time in Wiesbaden, Rothenburg, Munich, Salzburg and at castle Neuschwanstein. They also spent a few days in Italy at Lake Como and Milan.

We now are getting ready to host Kelli's parents for three weeks that will see us hit: Munich, Innsbruck, Venice, Lake Como, Southern Spain (Malaga, Seville), Morocco (Yes, THAT Morocco!) and Brugge. As you can see, we should be VERY busy!

Trying a new way to display the photos using a slideshow with every photo we took, not just some selected ones.

Nick and Traci

2007-05-25T09:14:00.001+02:00

Here are the pics from our time in Bavaria and Austria

Nick and Traci Calkins

2007-05-21T09:54:00.000+02:00

Here are a couple of pics from over the weekend. Many more to come

At the Chinesicher Turm in the English Garden in Munich

In Salzburg, Austria

At the Andechs Brewery outside of Munich

Compare and Contrast

2007-05-12T13:03:00.000+02:00

I just glanced to see what Kelli had put up here and just could not avoid noticing the contrast of the last two posts.

Babies and Beer

Please do not allow this RANDOM occurrence to reflect on any perception that you may have on the status of our joyful union.

Off to the airport to pick up Nick and Traci Calkins right now

New Arrivals

2007-05-12T10:13:00.000+02:00

In April two of our friends welcome their second children into the world. Sarah and Adam Rauner had Koby on April 9 - he joins big brother Aiden. Julie and Tom Mavis had Catherine on April 21 - she joins big sister Chloe. Both families are doing well and adapting to the changes of having two little ones!!

Brothers forever - Aiden and Koby

Mavis Family

Sisters forever - Chloe & Catherine

Dublin

2007-05-10T17:28:00.000+02:00

Mark, Tony and I inside The Temple Bar

2007-05-10T17:24:00.000+02:00

Lovely day for a Guinness

The River Liffey

Mark and I livin large at the Shelbourne

2007-05-10T17:22:00.000+02:00

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Jenny, Tony, Me and Mark

Mmmmmm

Dublin

2007-05-10T17:21:00.000+02:00

Christ Church Cathedral

Temple Bar

Dublin

2007-05-09T17:51:00.000+02:00

Had a BLAST in Dublin last weekend (imagine that) and have a bunch of pics to post but have run into a busy work week. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have pics up.

Nick and Traci Calkins get here on Saturday for 10 days. CAN NOT WAIT!

In the meantime, enjoy the link roll on the upper right of the page. It's a constantly updating list of items on the net that catch my (our) eye.

More pics from Detroit

2007-05-09T16:59:00.000+02:00

Jay Boss and I in front of Ernie Harwell

Myself and some of the fam at the Tiger game

Ghent

2007-05-03T16:09:00.000+02:00

Brussels and Brugge

2007-05-03T16:04:00.000+02:00

Tony and Jenny in Brussels

Kelli and I in Brussels

Kelli and I in Brugge

Antwerp

2007-05-03T16:00:00.000+02:00

Surprise, Surprise

2007-05-01T14:33:00.000+02:00

Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.

Since we love Belgium, we decided to head to a couple cities off of the normal European tourbooks. This time, we made the trip with our friends Tony and Jenny and decided on Ghent and Antwerp. We threw Brugge (an old stanby) into the mix since it was nearby but we discovered two fantastic cities with as much beauty and charm as many that we have seen. Both places were filled with views that made us question how much of Europe we have seen. If there are cities like this everywhere that you can't find in Frommer's or AAA guides, how long would it take for us to see every great place in every country? Another year? A decade? I'm starting to think a lifetime.....

Photos to come later this week.

Doing some relaxing today since it's another long holiday weekend in Germany. This one is for German labor day. We've got the short work week and then it's off to Dublin next weekend.

I can NOT wait.

Jetlag is not fun

2007-04-24T17:49:00.000+02:00

It really only gets me when I'm coming back from the US. No problems at all heading there.

Had a great time in the US on the weekends sandwiched around a week of work. Spent the first weekend in downtown Detroit and the following in East Lansing playing in the Delta Sigma Phi Alumni Golf Outing. Good times all around.

Mike Peplowski is a BIG dude

Paris part trois

2007-04-09T20:58:00.000+02:00

I have a confession to make.

I like Paris.

This trip was different. We spent time on absolutely NO schedule and made a point to just enjoy the city. We did get to a museum (The Orsay) and that's about it. The rest of our time was spent walking in no specific direction and with no plans but to enjoy the day and a beautiful city. It changed everything. We saw neighborhoods that we never knew existed.

We basically made an attempt to sink into the city. It worked.

I'll go back.

Opening Day!

2007-04-02T20:41:00.000+02:00

And there are TWO things to celebrate! The Tigers beginning their defense of the American League Pennant and......Jason Boss and Jen Tumey are engaged!

The photos above are from the Detroit Free Press photo gallery for the game!

Congrats Jay and Jen!

Here is the link to the gallery with the photos:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=C4&Dato=20070402&Kategori=SPORTS02&Lopenr=704020807&Ref=PH

Now THAT is a bee!

2007-03-26T16:49:00.000+02:00

Since it's a nice day, I have the windows open and all of a sudden I hear a low roar in the corner. It's this freaking bee! It's the size of a small bird

If it's not Scottish it's crap!

2007-03-26T15:42:00.000+02:00

Kelli and I hopped up to Edinburgh for the weekend as the weather was supposed to be good, and it was. We had visited the train station before when we went to the British Open a couple years ago (just to switch trains) but never got to see the city. We now have hit Glasgow AND Edinburgh and we both agree that Edinburgh is the better city. Much better to look at and more to see.

We spent Saturday and Sunday walking around, seeing Edinburgh Castle, The Royal Mile and shopping. I, of course, found the Scoth Whiskey museum to be one of the highlights. Kelli spent the majority of the time trying to talk me out of buying a kilt. I guess I was letting my Scottish last name make me feel the need to spend a LOT (they are VERY expensive - about $500) of money on something that I might wear once a year. I settled for a scarf. Rankin is ACTUALLY the name of it's own clan I found out. Although it is not very popular as such. The Rankin name is most often associated with the clan MacLean of Duart which is much more prevalent. The Clan Tartan is a very cool red, green and blue mix. Apparently, the Rankins were the pipers of the clan. Maybe I should have bought some bagpipes......

We stayed at probably the best hotel we have stayed at in ALL of Europe and recommend it to anyone that visits Edinburgh, The Scotsman. The service was perfect, the location could NOT be better and the room was perfect. Lots of wood paneling, high ceilings and a great view of the city. Not one negative.

We ate some good food, drank some good beer and scotch and just enjoyed a GREAT city. Not much more to it. I did get Kelli to try Haggis, the traditional food of Scotland. It's basically chopped up organ meat (lungs, liver, kidney etc.) mixed with black pepper and potato (turnip maybe?) and then steamed inside a sheep stomach. Tastes a lot like a spicy corned beef hash. Kelli said she liked it, but wouldn't order it.

No big travel plans for us now until we get a barrage of visitors starting in May. Nick and Traci Calkins, Kelli's parent's, my brother Chip and family and Chris Picciurro and his fiance all will be here within two months ending in July.

I have some work travel coming up and will be in Detroit the weekends of the 13th and 20th with Cleveland in between. I will be at the Tiger game FOR SURE on Friday the 20th if anyone wants to grab a beer!

2007-03-26T15:37:00.000+02:00

Ready, Aim.....

Parade down the Royal Mile on Saturday afternoon

Beautiful Edinburgh

2007-03-26T15:35:00.000+02:00

Walking up the Royal Mile

Edinburgh Castle

Edinburgh through a musket hole in Edinburgh Castle

Poland

2007-03-21T12:29:00.000+01:00

I am giving a training course in Poland for the week and on the third day, I have learned two VERY important things.

1. Pierogis are not Polish, they are Ukranian and Russian. Damn you "Mrs. T's" telling me all this time that I was enjoying a Polish delicacy!

2. In Poland a triangle on the door indicates a men's bathroom whereas the women's has a circle. I guess it makes sense if you think creatively about it.

It's on!

2007-03-15T16:50:00.000+01:00

For anyone that knows me, it is widely understood that I consider today a national holiday. The NCAA basketball tournament starts today for those living underneath a rock (or at least, living in Europe). My beloved Spartans take on Marquette at midnight Wiesbaden time. No one is expecting them to do too much but do NOT underestimate the man on my left, Drew Neitzel. Not to mention the best coach on the planet, Tom Izzo.

I did not let my emotions get the best of me when making my picks though.

My final 4 is Kansas, Georgetown, Florida and Ohio State and I've got Georgetown over Kansas to cut down the nets in early April. Look out for Nevada and George Washington as my dark horses.

GO GREEEN!

Steph and David

2007-03-15T13:14:00.000+01:00

Steph and David have been gone a week now and I am JUST getting to putting some pics up. I blame it on Dave Matthews and Heineken but have no one to blame but myself. We spent an unbelievable weekend in Brugge, Belgium and discovered even MORE delicious Belgian brew (Troll, Satan, Jever etc.) and then stopped in Brussels and Cologne on the way home. Dave and Steph hopped on the train to Salzburg, Austria for a few days before getting back here for the Dave Matthews concert in Frankfurt and a BIG Friday night in Wiesbaden. We went to dinner on Friday noght at the Paulaner and had NO IDEA (wink wink) that they were debuting their seasonal beer that night. (Salvator) (I equate it to the first time you can find Oberon in Detroit in the spring) Madness ensued, David pushed through the flu and we ended up drinking "DAS BOOT" at the Pupalch in the city center. Good Times!

2007-03-15T12:51:00.000+01:00

Brugge

Madonna and Child - Michelangelo

2007-03-15T12:45:00.000+01:00

Brugge

The entrance to the monastery

2007-03-15T12:41:00.000+01:00

The Steaming Party Bunny Parade - We could not find someone to tell us what it was for

David learning that the Party Bunnies enjoy throwing confetti

A Belgian Fun Center

2007-03-15T12:35:00.000+01:00

The Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium

Kelli and I in the Grand Place

Steph and David in front of the Dom in Cologne

2007-03-15T12:30:00.000+01:00

Stephanie and I enjoying our complimentary Salvator

Steph's face displays all Spartan alumni's love for free beer!

I have never seen a man clean out a Schweinaxel (pig knuckle) as great as David did

2007-03-15T12:25:00.000+01:00

a boot, a meter and a beer wench

DAS BOOT! DAS BOOT! DAS BOOT! DAS BOOT!

Steph and Kelli showing us how it's done

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in Cologne

2007-03-15T12:12:00.000+01:00

And finally, my last of three shows that I made it to. Once again, I was in the first row and got some great pics and videos. By far, this has been the most amazing concert experience of my life. Enjoy.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds

2007-03-12T20:14:00.000+01:00

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds playing "Bartender" at the Paradiso in Amsterdam

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in Amsterdam

2007-03-12T15:57:00.000+01:00

Yes, that is MY Heineken on the stage

And that is me

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in Amsterdam

2007-03-12T15:43:00.000+01:00

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Video

2007-03-12T13:23:00.000+01:00

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at the Paradiso in Amsterdam playing the last three minutes of the song "Lie In Our Graves"

Nobody Bothers Me!

2007-03-12T09:23:00.000+01:00

Not quite sure how to introduce this so just look at it....

Tons of photos from the past week going up later today with some great stories and possibly some videos.

Dave Matthews

2007-03-09T10:20:00.000+01:00

Here are a couple of pics from the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds concert in Frankfurt last night. Yes, we were THAT close!

Off to the Amsterdam show in the morning

European Dunk Contest

2007-03-07T07:57:00.000+01:00

Yup, this is about as good as it gets over here

Stephanie and David

2007-03-05T11:52:00.000+01:00

Our friends Steph and David Learman are in Europe right now and we went to Belgium with them over the weekend. I dropped them off at the train station this morning and they are off to Bavaria and Salzburg for a few days. They'll be back Thursday night for the Dave Matthews concert in Frankfurt. Here are a couple of pics from the weekend. Full report after they take off this weekend.

In Brugge

Kelli and Steph on the Grand Place in Brussels

David, Steph, Kelli and I on the Grand Place in Brussels

McNarney's

2007-03-02T13:24:00.000+01:00

This is an ongoing feature on the website of a bar that is opening on the Detroit riverfront called McNarney's. A few weeks ago, I wrote Shannon (the woman in the video) an e-mail talking about how cool it was that she has so much passion about what she's doing. She has now mentioned my note in the Free Press article on the bar last week as well as in this episode of the "Making of McNarney's". It's at about the 5 minute mark.

http://www.mcnarneysdetroit.com/

Off to Belgium!

Dennis Johnson

2007-02-23T11:25:00.000+01:00

For those that hadn't heard, Dennis Johnson died of a heart attack. If you were a Piston fan in the late 80's how could you forget this....

Rest in peace DJ

Berlin

2007-02-22T17:40:00.000+01:00

A little late but I have Karneval to blame. Those pictures will be coming soon.

We went to Berlin with Tony and Jenny and spent two days doing a GREAT deal of walking and seeing virtually every sight you can imagine. We were a little sidetracked by how COLD it was. We saw our first winter weather and I, for one, did not dress the part.

The pictures speak for themselves but Berlin (for me) was fascinating with the amount of history and rebirth that smacks you in the face around every corner.

enjoy and leave some comments

2007-02-22T17:26:00.000+01:00

Kelli, Tony and Jenny at a bar on Oranienstrasse

Mmmmmm....Cubans

2007-02-22T17:24:00.000+01:00

Tony is sad. His wife did not get off the subway fast enough, the door closed and off she went to points unknown.

Jenny returning after her little adventure

2007-02-22T17:22:00.000+01:00

At Checkpoint Charlie

Kelli through the Wall

2007-02-22T17:20:00.000+01:00

Kelli straddling the wall in Potsdamer Platz

Kelli in the Holocaust Memorial

2007-02-22T17:09:00.000+01:00

Brandenburg Gate on the right and The Reichstag (German Capitol Building) on the left

In front of Brandenburg Gate

Jenny and Kelli with a "Berliner" bear

2007-02-22T17:05:00.000+01:00

The Frazoesischer Dom

Here is the window in the Bebelplatz looking down. It's an empty room of bookshelves. This is the spot where the infamous Nazi bookburning took place

In front of the Berliner Dom

2007-02-22T17:00:00.000+01:00

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedaechtnis-Kirche

YES!

2007-02-21T12:49:00.000+01:00

What a game!

Picnic on Belle Isle

2007-02-09T10:50:00.000+01:00

New pictures and a new city (for Kelli)

2007-02-08T11:06:00.000+01:00

Here are the pictures from Vienna (a week too late). I like Vienna a lot. I think it is a better version of Paris. Kelli's love for Paris stops her from agreeing with me but I think we both enjoyed our weekend there.

We spent two days walking all over the city, found some GREAT restaurants and just enjoyed what was really nice weather. It hit 60F (16C) on Saturday which made sightseeing much easier.

This weekend, we are making our way up to Berlin. I've been there once before but this will be the first time for Kel. A TON of history (obviously) and museums are probably on the itinerary. Not really the best time of the year to see a new city but off we go nonetheless.

Pictures from Vienna

2007-02-08T10:54:00.000+01:00

Kelli in front of the Rathaus

The Naschmarkt

This was the Saturday morning Flea Market at the Naschmarkt. See the bottle of Rum on teh table? This Hungarian guy was selling shots of Rum for a Euro. No, I did not buy one, it was only 10 O'Clock.

2007-02-08T10:45:00.000+01:00

Street Shot

Old Hapsburg Palace

This was REALLY cool. Vienna built a bunch of ice paths and rinks all through this city park. Must have taken forever (and a lot of money)

2007-02-08T10:34:00.000+01:00

A Sacher Torte from the Hotel Sacher - It's supposed to be a Vienna delicacy - It was good but I wouldn't fly to Vienna for it

The roof of St. Stephen's Cathedral

Another view of the roof of St. Stephen's

2007-02-08T10:18:00.000+01:00

The Opera House

Strauss

Schonbrunn

Schonnbrun Palace - The Hapsburg Summer Residence

2007-02-05T05:12:00.000+01:00

I can not recommend the band "Snow Patrol" any higher

Hilarious

2007-01-31T02:31:00.000+01:00

If you love the "Sports Guy" or have no idea who the heck he is, click on this link for his Super Bowl Photo Tour of Media day and you'll be hooked.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/mediaday07/part1

Mean but funny..

2007-01-30T11:19:00.000+01:00

The cuteness (de)evolution of Dan Rankin

2007-01-29T21:16:00.000+01:00

9 Months

22 Months

3 Years

For the love of God kid, straighten out your glasses!

Happy with a side of sad

2007-01-28T13:40:00.000+01:00

The sad comes from the fact that the Spartans couldn't quite pull of the upset over the hairless nuts last night. But a comeback from 20 points down at least can be considered a moral victory when you lose by two with a chance to win as time expired. We get them in East Lansing on Saturday night and there will be a crew of people at our place for sure.

On a MUCH better note, ESPN has purchased NASN. I am sure that to most of you this means nothing, but to me, this is an unbelievable late Christmas gift because after two years of feeling incomplete, I am going to be able to watch Sportscenter in Germany. NASN is the North American Sports Network and the channel that is on 70% of the time in our house.

New look

2007-01-18T21:53:00.000+01:00

We needed a change. Everything is the same, just a little different...

Off to Vienna tomorrow. Supposed to be in the 60's there over the weekend.

Lots of time right now on our hands since a HUGE German windstorm has knocked out our satellite dish AGAIN. We actually have had satellite service for one day since we got home from the US for the holidays. Apparently, our neighbors did some work on their home and "relocated" the mast that our dish sits on and now it is loose. Since this is a family program, I will not get into what I would like to "relocate" on our neighbor. Our landlord is being very good about things though and is cracking the German whip to get things fixed.

While we were without our beloved dish for the past few weeks, I was able to find a place on the net where we could watch the Price is Right for free! It was on every night at 7pm with a feed from San Francisco. Apparently some Chinese dude is bootlegging some broadcasts into China but anyone can access them. ESPN was on for a while, but disappeared. Hard to complain in Mandarin.

We are gonna miss Bob Barker when he retires later this year. No one could handle the Plinko stick like Bob. Rumor has it that the guy from the Nickelodeon show Double Dare back in the day (Mark Sommers I think) is going to replace him. Someone also said Ryan Seacrest. I can hear it now...

"And remember to have your pets spayed and neutered......Seacrest........OUT!"

We found a ton of classic Price is Right clips on You Tube that you must check out if you have the time as well.

Auf Wiedersehen

First Trip of the Year...Vienna!

2007-01-18T13:40:00.000+01:00

We are jet setting for our first trip of 2007 this weekend. Looking back at our first trips of the last two years: 2005 - Paris, 2006 - Rome, and 2007 - Vienna! Not too bad considering that in the years to come we will probably have first trips of the year to exotic places like Chicago, Orlando, northern Michigan...but those will be nice, too. We leave tomorrow evening. Dan will stick around for a few days for work and I'll be in Spain next week for work.

We are looking forward to eating wienerschnitzel as it originated in Austria and a special chocolate cake called Sachertorte. It sounds very rich but when in Vienna....

Boots

2007-01-16T10:37:00.000+01:00

That is my buddy Tony and I enjoying some adult beverages on Friday night

Each boot holds 1.5 Liters of fun

Poland & Weekend

2007-01-14T17:24:00.000+01:00

I traveled to Poland on Thursday and Friday for business and this was my first time visiting this country. I was able to eat real pierogies and taste some other very hearty food. Also drank some Polish vodka and brought some home for Dan. Luckily it is very warm around Europe so I did not experience the typically -5C and meters of snow. Probably the most interesting parts of the trip is that I became thankful that women have come so far in the work place in the US. At our working dinner of 22 people, I was the only female. During the entire two days of meetings, again, only woman. And when I entered a warehouse, there in the office, is a calendar of naked women. Welcome to Poland! Also found out that that the city we stayed in - Gliwice - is the city where WWII was started.

Had a good weekend - lots of get togethers with friends. Both Friday and Saturday evenings we had dinner and drinks with friends. Today we had brunch with a group of friends and helped one of them move. It was nice to see all of our American, Swedish, and Italian friends...

Happy birthday today to Grandma!