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3 Perfect Days in Berlin

Berlin. What a cool city. It's like my favorite parts of SF (so many places with free wifi. So many cool cafes. Startups everywhere!), DC (pretty, well-organized government town with lots of green space), and Germany (Clean and amazingly connected public transit that works! Super bike and family friendly!) all mashed up. Granted, I don't know what winter there feels like, but our trip in late October was pretty perfect. We flew from Frankfurt Main to Berlin-Tegel, and learned that it's way more efficient (even with a stroller) to take escalators - we had to take a total of 4 elevators to go up 5 floors thanks to the silly design of Fraport. Ugh, Fraport... Anyway, once in Berlin, we took the 128 bus to the U2 stop (there are no elevators or escalators - important if you have a lot of luggage), and it was a straight ride to the  Hotel i31 in the Mitte. It's a bit of a walk to central Mitte, but well connected by public transit and the price was right around 82 euros

4 Perfect Days in Venice

We just returned from a lovely 6 day holiday in Venice - I've written this for four days since we moved a lot more slowly with an infant. Though it seems there is never an "off-season" in Venice, September seemed incredibly crowded, especially the hot spots like San Marcos Square. Still, the weather was perfect nearly every day, allowing for lots of wandering through alleys, boat rides, and general relaxation. Here's what we did: Day 1: Arrived late to the  Residenza Valier , an apartment near the San Silvestro vaporetto stop. The next morning, I wandered to a Coop grocery store for some coffee and other provisions. I stopped by the  Pasticcieria Rizzardini  for a few mini pastries and cookies which went perfectly with coffee and well... everything else. We headed out to explore the  Rialto Bridge , get lost among the alleys and canals, and have a delicious pizza at  Rosa Rossa . We wandered by the  Rialto Mercato  and some of the touristy shops along the walk, but

Frankfurt Airport, it's Time for a Do-Over

I'll start this post with a rant. I really hate Frankfurt Airport. Now, I've slept overnight at more airports than is normal - SFO, ORD, YYZ. So many, and I still remember the airport codes - this makes me somewhat of an expert. In Frankfurt, well, the putrid gray colors...the parking garages that are cold and endless... the smoking rooms you can smell from too far away... the lack of water fountains... the lack of helpful staff... I could go on. The absolute worst part though, is the process to reclaim your VAT. It's convoluted during normal working hours, and even more convoluted outside those times. Since neither Frankfurt's airport, nor inside signage, nor information desk, can be bothered to clearly explain how it works, here is your guide. After 4 failed attempts at off-hours VAT reclamation by 3 different family members.... we shall fail no more! DURING WORKING HOURS (7 am - 6 pm): Customs window is open. Find the window ("Zoll") in your terminal

2 Perfect Days in Lausanne

Three months later, we ventured outside Germany to explore southern Switzerland, fondly referred to by the towns there as the "Swiss Riviera". Though we stayed in Lausanne, renting a car allowed us to drive along Lake Geneva and visit Montreux and Vevey, passing through other towns too. We arrived by train via Basel and the ride could not have been more scenic. Green fields, sunflowers, mountains, lakes, hills of vineyards... and lots of sun. Upon arrival, we headed to our apartment, close to the city center. However, we didn't realize the massive hills made walking around a somewhat complicated adventure. I wish I'd learned early on that there are elevators to take you up and down the hills, making it a lot more fun to explore Lausanne on foot! Once we figured that out (after lugging ourselves straight up for about 1000 meters), we found an outpost of Holy Cow for a dinner of local burgers and fries, then dropped by the Coop grocery store for provisions for the

On Farmers' Markets

Living in Germany, I've come to appreciate the farmers' market experience in an entirely different way from ones I've been to in California, Texas, and the DC metro area. When I've shopped at in the US, the markets only run from the spring to the fall, and the emphasis is on locally-grown goods. Sometimes, though you usually have to ask, products come from as far away as the other coast. Generally, though, they are from the state you're in. The prices are generally much higher than you'd pay at a grocery store, the logic being that you're paying the farmer, a much smaller scale producer, directly, and a more fair price for the food. The options available may be more exotic and rare, too - vegetables you wouldn't see at the grocery store, or have never heard of (ramps were new to me until visiting the Dupont Circle market in DC). When I moved to Mainz, Germany, a city by German standards (population: 200,000 - a far cry from the city of Washington, DC

Working Mothers

Since this is my newest favorite "rant" topic, it seemed appropriate to blog on it. Since moving to Germany, I've observed a dearth of working mothers around me - and see a fairly high population of mothers choosing to stay home. Thanks to a combination of extremely family friendly employment policies (women can take up to 3 years, 2 without pay, away from work to raise children and still have their job guaranteed upon return) and unfriendly government policies towards a two-income household (school usually ends by 1:30 pm; daycare spots are extremely hard to come by for the under-3 set, shopping hours are limited for errand-running on evenings and weekends, and don't get me started on the *costs* to have a working spouse - higher tax class, no "mother pay", separate health insurance payments... I could go on... ), moms who want to work in Germany are faced with tough and often expensive choices. The las t phrase is not so different from the US, but when y

2 Perfect Days in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is packed with so much to do, it's hard to choose how to best plan 2-days there. We went in the early fall, and got lucky with one sunny day (normally, the weather is notoriously gray and rainy). So, we revised our museum / indoor plans and stayed outside as much as possible! Where to stay: Hotel Eden Manor is in the east end, a bit removed from the city center, but a lot more "neighborhoody" and has a boutique, intimate feel. We had a cozy top floor / attic room. The internet was spotty though - and largely unreliable. Luckily, a McDonald's isn't too far from the hotel, and they have free and solid wifi if you're desperate like I was. Day 1: If you get lucky with the weather, too, pick an outdoor market to start. If you're staying at the Eden, there's a small market around the corner but it doesn't compare to the big, famous Albert Cuypmarket . Pick up some oddities, some funky jewelry, and a coffee and pastry to prepare for the day

2 Perfect Days in Dublin

In my last trip for a while, S and I spent a weekend in Dublin after my weeklong work trip in the city. The weekend was pretty near perfect - a bit of city and a bit of the stunning countryside, with some tasty bites in between. During the week, I stayed at the cozy Cliff Townhouse at St Stephen's Green. The guestrooms have a lot of character and the staff was extremely friendly. My rate (EUR 115/night) included a large breakfast in the dining room overlooking the Green. The only downside was there were a lot of stairs to climb - the elevators only go to half-floors. The location is superb - three blocks to Grafton Street , easy access to taxis and the Luas Green Line . For the weekend, we moved into the Conrad Hilton , just a few blocks off the Green, on the other side. I combined Hilton points with euros for a manageable EUR 66/night, and walked into the gorgeous lobby and well-designed guestroom. With my Diamond status came a room with a view of the concert hall across the

2 Perfect Days in Sète, France

Ah, the South of France at the beginning of springtime. A clear sky and bright sun bouncing off the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Fresh fish, oh so fresh, along with seafood of all varieties. And of course, pastries made only the way the French can (lots of butter?)... if only every weekend was like this. I get pretty homesick pretty frequently, but weekends like the one I took to Sète are a good reminder of how living in Europe isn't so bad. Ryanair flies into Montpellier and Beziers, both about 30 mins by car to Sète, and I managed to score a crazy-cheap Friday night to Sunday night fare of EUR 25 for the roundtrip flight. With airbnb, a weekend getaway can get even cheaper: we found a 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment for only EUR 50/night, in the heart of town. Finally, free parking is available along the east end, along Quai d'Alger. You don't need a car to wander Sète once you've made it to town; it's small and easily walkable. Many of the places we vis

Why I'm Never Flying Ryanair Again...

This weekend, I had a lovely getaway with a very old friend to a small coastal town called Sete, France, after flying on an exceedingly cheap (EUR 25, roundtrip) ticket via Ryanair from Frankfurt Hahn to Montpellier. It will be my last Ryanair flight. Not because of the flights (both arrived 30 minutes early!), or the staff, or the very friendly service, but because of my fellow passengers. The worst of what I saw included:  A large group of middle-aged tourists, pointing and laughing at a woman struggling to put her suitcase in the cabin storage.  A twenty-something cutting in front of lines at McDonald's, who expressed no shame when I questioned him about why his time was so much more important than mine.  People blatantly cutting in the seating line as and whenever possible. Shoving (!) to get farther down the aisle as people were attempting to board, store luggage, and take their seat. Heaven forbid you don't get the perfect seat for the ONE HOUR flight. Granted,

2 Perfect Days in Paris

Ah, Paris. Though 2 days isn't nearly enough to experience it, I was amazed at what you can fit into 2 days there. DAY 1: We arrived by ICE into Paris Est, where we caught the bus 32 to the 16th Arrondissement, our home for the weekend. From there, it was a short 20-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower. After taking loads of photos -- up close, far away, artistic -- it was time to move on to the Seine riverboat ride. For EUR 13 per person, we piled into a flat-bottom boat (after waiting about 30 minutes - apparently this is a popular activity!), and sailed off towards the Notre Dame. The commentary was quite good, but it was difficult to get a good view of many of the buildings - unlike similar cruises in Amsterdam, where everything is at eye level. Still, this was a nice way to get a lay of the land, and would be perfect o n a sunnier day. After the boat cruise, we headed by foot to the  Champs-Élysées  and the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc was gorgeous lit up at night - I've tr

A Perfect Afternoon in Brussels

Brussels is a short 3 hours by ICE from Frankfurt, and a nice change of scenery from the big city. Although bustling in its own right, Brussels was peaceful at 9:30 am, when my train arrived. Most shops were closed, but luckily Dandoy's breakfast stand was open - perfect, to warm up and eat a waffle. Although I didn't taste their delicious-looking, but extremely pricey "handmade" biscuits, my waffle and fruit sauce hit the spot! The Grand Place in Brussels, which appeared to be the centerpoint for tourists like myself, is simply stunning. Even on a dreary gray day, the gold-leafed buildings seemed to glimmer a little more brightly and were a nice change from the dark stone buildings in the Marktplatz of many German towns we've seen. I walked around the square to take it all in, snapped a few pictures, and headed up to see the Manneken Pis and his costume of the day. Definitely a tourist trap, but also only a 10 minute walk from the Grand Place, so why not?

A Perfect Afternoon in Strasbourg

Strasbourg, France, is the largest city along the border between France and Germany. During WWII, the Reich worked to make it a "showcase" city, which meant building beautiful government buildings, parks, and plazas. Many of the buildings now house various organizations in line with Strasbourg's role as the seat of the Council of Europe. The German architecture, plus the destruction of much of the older parts of the city during WWII, lends a strong German influence to Strasbourg - in terms of architecture, culture, and even language. We drove down from Frankfurt for a day trip, and enjoyed wandering about - though it was surprising how little business activity there was even on a Saturday afternoon (most shops are also closed all day Sunday). The drive took about 2 hours in no traffic, and pleasantly required paying no tolls. We just needed passports at the border crossing. Parking was tricky, but we found space at the Opera-Broglie parking garage , and at EUR1,70/hr, a

2 Perfect Days in Franconia: Nuremberg & Rothenberg

We just returned from a post-Christmas, pre-New Year's getaway to Franconia, just two states over from Rhineland-Pfalz, where we live. Though Nuremberg is famous for their Christmas Markets, hotel prices drop dramatically after the markets close, and the weather is still lovely enough for long walks around the town. And really, you can drink gluhwein anywhere in Germany during the Advent days, right? We hopped on an ICE from Mainz for the 2.5 hour ride to Nuremberg, and went straight to our hotel, the quaint Garni Probst . The very friendly staff and great breakfast the next morning made us feel right at home, though I had some trouble sleeping thanks to street noise and lights. Darker curtains would have helped... and a note for those with kids, there are some unsavory businesses across the street. Using my Lonely Planet Germany as our guide, we headed out for a 2.5 km meander around town, starting with a giant bowl of soup at Souptopia (a bit bland, but hearty soups in a co