WAS IST DAS???

Mom and Dad on a European Tour!

2008-05-10T21:27:00.008+01:00

Actually, mom and dad are gone now already. It was great having them here, and I think they really enjoyed themselves. I think dad will be happy to be home eating rice again though.

We traveled with them through Italy which was fabulous. We drove through the Swiss Alps, saw Venice, Treviso, Tuscany (Florence, Siena, Certaldo and San Gimignano) and Lake Como on the way back to Freiburg. Tuscany is exquisitely picturesque and we definitely would go back there again for a vacation. The food and the wine in Italy were fantastic!

Upcoming Travel

2008-03-24T22:04:00.002+01:00

It is starting to look like a busy spring with a lot of travel - work and play. We are heading to Wengen Switzerland this week for a couple of days where I will be working and Mike will be skiing. Then next weekend we get 3 days in Alicante Spain with Gary and his wife Cheryl. Sun and beach!

Before you know it, mom and dad will arrive in April. I have a work trip to Japan then in May it is China. Mike will come down and join me in Shanghai then we will pop over to South Korea to visit with Akemi for a week. So looking forward to the vacation!

Winter Hike

2008-03-24T21:42:00.006+01:00

Went for a hike today with Matt and Caroline...in knee deep snow! Winter has made a wicked comeback this week. The hike was absolutely beautiful, completely peaceful and serene. It was a perfect end to our Easter weekend - although it looked more like Christmas outside today!

The BALD Peak

2008-02-16T18:12:00.005+01:00

We went hiking last weekend with Matt and Caroline. Got some great views of the Feldberg which still had snow on it and down into the valley of Freiburg. We could even see the Swiss Alps far off in the background. It was chilly, but a sunny, glorious day!

This weekend - Shopping in Strasbourg!

Black Forest Mountain Biking and Route Finding

2008-02-12T11:38:00.000+01:00

The weather has been very mild in Freiburg this winter and we have been able to Mountain bike and road ride the last few weeks (although bundled up!). Our friend Ralf took us on a great MTB ride on the local Freiburg hill 'Rosskopf' a couple of weekends ago. Some of the trails can be hard to find so I have started logging the good ones so we can find them again later. This one was especially good!

Here is a look at the route

Here is a link to the data

Cross Country Skiing in Our Backyard

2008-02-03T20:29:00.000+01:00

It was a beautiful day today...we went skiing with Ralf and Thomas on the Shauinsland. Fantasic trails, scenic views, and superb wipeouts by Mike. You could see all the way to the Swiss Alps today!

Mike's Travels

2008-01-22T21:54:00.001+01:00

Mike was also traveling this past while. He made a trip back to Canada already after only being back in Freiburg for one week. Then he was off to the Netherlands, UK and Ireland. I must say, I was happier with my trip to just one destination - especially one that was hot and sunny! But Mike also enjoys the travel he does for work.

Singapore

2008-01-22T21:32:00.000+01:00

I spent the last work week in Singapore for the International Sales Meeting. It is a very modern urban city and a blend of all Asian cultures...a little Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Malay etc. Sentosa beach was beautiful and the city had some of the most incredible bars and night life. The shopping was insane, and the architecture was very contemporary and modern. Singapore was spotlessly clean!

It was so nice to be in warm weather (almost 30 degrees every day) and around such a mix of cultures. The food was absolutely delicious! Popiah were some of my favourite things to eat...mmmm...so good!

Back on Track!

2008-01-10T23:52:00.000+01:00

OK, so since I am back up to speed, I will now post something that I actually did TODAY!

After work Shannon and I decided to take a walk and get some fresh air. We ended up down in the city centre shopping for cosmetics and stopping at Starbucks for a coffee. There we bumped into our hairstylist Alfino who joined us with his caramel macchiato. The three of us then decided to head out and have some sushi.

It was a fun night, relaxing and good laughs. Nice to have spontaneous fun times! Tomorrow is girls night - Me, Shannon and Caroline - bring on the wine!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-01-10T23:39:00.000+01:00

Hoping you and yours had a most fabulous holiday season and wishing everyone the best for 2008!

Incredible India!!!

2008-01-10T23:09:00.000+01:00

Work sent me to India for a week, visiting Delhi and Bangalore. Then Mike joined me and we spent the next 2 weeks travelling through Rajasthan - Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and also the holy city of Varanasi.

In Rajasthan we took a camel safari into the Thar Desert which took us approximately 75km within the Pakastan border. Here in the middle of nowhere you find army camps who guard an imaginary boundary of a demilitarized zone where no civilians are permitted to go. A safety zone between 2 countries that have been feuding for decades.

The desert towns were dusty and dry crowded with amoeba like swarms of people. There were cows (and cow dung) everywhere! However, they all had massive majestic forts overlooking the quaint towns.

Varanasi is situated on the banks of the Ganges. From dusk till down you can see ceremonies and rights of passage being performed along the 6km of ghats as well as yoga asanas, ritual dips and floating offerings of flowers and candles. Varanasi is so unique and astoundingly colourful.

There is so much to tell about each place we visited and the people we met. It was truly an amazing experience. India is a blend of old tradition with modern times, chaotic and intense, breathtaking yet dirty, colourful and exotic, an incredibly beautiful whirlwind adventure!

Where Did October Go???

2008-01-10T23:01:00.000+01:00

Wow, it is 2008 and I am writing to try to catch up on where the last few months went. This is all due to peer pressure from Mari Evan who emails to tell me to update my blog! But, she is right. And since it is a new year I also decided to give our blog a new look!

So back in October I got to visit the gorgeous Honolulu Hawaii. It is a strange feeling, like a mix between being in the Carribean and the US all at the same time.

Mountain Biking Today

2007-09-02T21:34:00.000+01:00

Phew...that was a lot of entries for one night. So finally am caught up to today.

Mike and I went mountain biking in Todtnau today. It is crazy how at the top of all the climbs there is a restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Had wurstsalat today, oh so good. Finally got my new car, it arrived on Friday....bike rack and all! Came in super handy today. I am sure Mike will be posting a picture of the car on the blog soon.

My Favourites

2007-09-02T21:31:00.000+01:00

So far Copenhagen has been one of my favourite cities in Europe. I was there 2 weeks ago again and it is a really funky city. Fantastic restaurants and fabulous fashion. Also the UK, the people there are great. Only thing is that all these places are soooooo expensive! Oh, and how could I forget Paris...I love France.

Wine Wine and more Wine

2007-09-02T21:25:00.000+01:00

The vines are full of grapes right now. The harvesting is starting and so are the wine festivals!

Believe it or Not...We have Friends!

2007-09-02T21:06:00.000+01:00

It's You, Me and Dupree! OK, not quite, Shannon...we are family!

Matt and Caroline from Ireland.

Round Two!

2007-09-02T20:32:00.000+01:00

More family - Mom and Dad arrived the beginning of August. It was a classic visit to the Black Forest...country restaurants, cuckoo clocks, churches, castles and beer in Bavaria. We even visited the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. It was nice to have a meal cooked by mom again...mmmmm homemade meatballs!

Look Out - Here Comes Family!!!

2007-09-02T19:53:00.000+01:00

Sandi and Ian arrived at the end of July and we all had a ton of fun together. We went to Prague for a few days and I must say that although it was a beautiful city it was like a tourist invasion (including ourselves)! We took a boat tour down the Vltava River and did some shopping for Bohemian crystal. Weather was perfect!

Also went to Stuttgart for a day trip. Ian's turn to do the shopping!

Berlin

2007-09-02T19:45:00.001+01:00

Had the chance to go to Berlin for a congress. Best part was that I had some time to be toured around the city by Dr. Forrest, the best guide ever! We did a lot of walking but got to see a fair amount of a very cool city.

Jewish Memorial (photo courtesy of Dr. Forrest)

C'est la vie!!!

2007-09-02T19:24:00.000+01:00

Karrie came to visit for a week at the beginning of July and we spent the weekend in Paris. Did the whirlwind tour of all the historical sites but also enjoyed the good food, amazing crepes and sipping cappuccino or wine in the afternoons. Paris is a fabulous city!

Sooooo Behind...

2007-09-02T19:22:00.000+01:00

Wow, time has been flying and we have been so busy, I just came online to see our last posting was at the end of June and today is September 1st!!!
Mass blogging....here we go!
T

Die Blumen

2007-06-24T21:09:00.000+01:00

You can go pick your own flowers out in the fields and it all works on the honour system so you leave the appropriate amount in a little cash box. Right now there are rows and rows of lilies, glads and sunflowers. And bees too!
T

Black Forest Ultra Bike Marathon

2007-06-24T20:51:00.000+01:00

Cycling in Europe, and in particular southern Germany, is sport that many people take seriously. Every year in the Black Forest there is a mountain bike race with about 4,500 participants. Teri and I entered the race this year to take in the spectacle. We only raced the short course (43Km) but many people were doing the middle and long distances (77km and 116km). For our race all the competitors took a train from near Freiburg out into the Black Forest to a town called Hinterzarten. From there the competitors started in waves and raced back to the Freiburg area. Teri's bike got a little damaged during transport so she only had a few gears to work with during the race, but other than that it was great time. Oh, by the way we won our race.......just kidding...would have if we were faster than the 2500 people in front of us.

M

Feuerbohnen!!!

2007-06-10T20:26:00.000+01:00

The beans we planted are growing like crazy!!! They are "feuerbohnen" or fire beans and grow beautiful red and white flowers. I think they are going to take over the whole balcony soon.

The Month of May

2007-06-10T20:18:00.000+01:00

Not too sure where all the time went, but May flew by. Can't even recall what we have done! However, one thing I did do was actually bought fabric and sewed curtains for our spare room!!!

Copenhagen

2007-04-29T12:40:00.000+01:00

I had to leave the holiday a little earlier than the others to go to Copenhagen for a meeting for work. The most amazing part was the long hours of daylight. With the sunny fully shining already at 5:00am it makes it very difficult to fall back asleep. I had the chance to take a walk through the city and it is lovely. Some pretty good shopping too! Had the local sandwich which is open face with prawns, asparagus and mayo...pretty tasty. The city is incredibly flat, but makes it great for city biking, and wow, are there ever a plethora of them!
T

Vacation - Mallorca, Spain!!!

2007-04-29T11:39:00.000+01:00

We just spent a week on vacation with Markus and Christine in Mallorca in a villa at a golf and spa resort. Although Mallorca is an island off the coast of Spain it is such a popular vacation spot for Germans that it is considered Germany's 17th province. The weather was perfect, sunny and mid-20's everyday. We spent the week relaxing by the pool, running and biking, hit the driving range, played some tennis, and of course indulged in some relaxation and pampering at the spa. We also ventured into the city of Palma to see the enormous, majestic cathedral and had a delicious seafood dinner at a quaint little restaurant. It was a fabulous holiday!
T&M

Biking Along the Coast and Up Into the Hills of Mallorca

Taking a Stroll Through Town to the Market

Biking in the Black Forest

2007-04-15T18:58:00.000+01:00

The weather here has been very warm this spring and we have been able to road and mountain bike for a couple of months already. I don't think the bikes would have left the garage until May at home. Today we went for a road ride to a little village called Saint Peter about 25km out and 800m up from Freiburg. We have used our road bikes a lot here as the roads through the countryside are very picturesque.

M

Got a Job...Got a Bike

2007-04-03T20:17:00.000+01:00

Well my early retirement is ending soon. I have accepted a job with Stryker here in Freiburg as a Technical Buyer. Once my work Visa is processed I will begin work...most likely the beginning of May. Also, after not owning a motorcycle for many years I have once again taken the plunge. I bought a used Kawasaki ER6-N for getting back and forth to work and to enjoy the twisty roads of the Black Forest.
M

The Schlossberg

2007-03-26T20:15:00.000+01:00

Weather was great this weekend so Mike and I took a walk up the Schlossberg which is one of the big hills in the city, just 15 minutes from our front door. Pretty cool, gives you a great view of Freiburg.

Spring Is Back

2007-03-26T20:05:00.000+01:00

It was a short stint of winter...the flowers are still in full bloom, we bought some to decorate our terrace.

Wacky Weather!

2007-03-26T19:46:00.000+01:00

So the weather here is crazy. The most winter we had was last week and it was snowing like mad. Today was 16 degrees! Took some pics of the snowy rooftops and up in the mountains.

Fasnacht in Basel, Switzerland

2007-02-26T19:56:00.000+01:00

Fasnacht (also called Carnival) is an event that is celebrated throughout Europe to scare away winter. In Basel it is a traditional ceremony that begins with a parade on the Monday after Ash Wednesday at 4:00 AM. It is musical mayhem with over 10,000 people in costumes, drums and piper troops. When the church clock strikes 4 all the lights in the city go out and the masked torch lit parade begins.

So we decided to check it all out and made the trip into the city along with about 100,000 other people. Picked up Zach (Stryker colleague from Nice) at the airport at 11:00 PM, then had some really yummy Lebanese food, stood out in the rain in the dark, finally got to observe the most random and bizarre conglomerate of costumes and chaos first hand from the sidewalks of the Marketplatz.

It was totally cool.
T&M

Paul's Bauernbratwurst...the best in the market.

2007-02-18T22:18:00.000+01:00

Mmmmmmmm....soooooo good!!!
M&T

Slippers Anyone?

2007-02-18T22:13:00.000+01:00

You can buy these at the Munster Market every Saturday! Can't say they're the most comfortable looking things I've seen.

My Birthday Present....well not really but it came on my birthday

2007-02-15T09:34:00.000+01:00

One of the things I was most looking forward to here in Germany was getting a new car....when in Rome...do as the Roman's do....so we have been checking out the German car companies for a new ride. Buying a car here is a completely different experience than in N.A. The Germans are very hands off sales people and this makes the experience much more pleasant when you are in a car dealership (but harder when you are looking to get the bill at a restaurant)...you just wander around, look at cars, and if you have a question the sales person gets an answer for you and that is that...no hounding. They also give you a demo car for a while..no going around the block with the sales person in the back. This is the car the BMW dealership dropped off yesterday for us to drive for the day...After checking out our options I think BMW is the winner. You have to concentrate to drive this car at first...you don't know when to shift because you can't hear the engine or road noise...and it is the smoothest shifting manual I have ever driven...the germans do know how to engineer cars. We should have our new car in a couple months. Our ride won't be as nice as this one though...one sales tactic that is similar here to everywhere...they give you a much nicer demo car than the one you plan to buy.
M

Happy Birthday Mike!

2007-02-14T20:59:00.000+01:00

I got Mike some fancy new wheels for his birthday. It was the best city bike money could buy......at Walmart.
T

Intermarche

2007-02-10T22:11:00.000+01:00

Today we drove into France to do our grocery shopping at the Intermarche. Loved it. Discovered a lot more variety than in the German grocery stores (not all sausage) and also chocolate crepes...mmmm. Found it much easier to communicate in French and to understand food packaging and cooking directions...must take German lessons!
T

A most momentous day! We got closets!

2007-02-10T22:08:00.000+01:00

Bicycles

2007-02-04T20:42:00.000+01:00

By Teri

Strasbourg, France

2007-02-04T19:34:00.000+01:00

We went to Strasbourg France this weekend to do some shopping. Only a 45 min drive from home...going 160km/hr on the autobahn that is. Ironic part, going at 160km/hr we are almost the SLOWEST people on the road! The city was beautiful, a lot like Freiburg, just bigger. It was nice for a change to be able to communicate. It became obvious to me that I am much more proficient in French than in German. T

Konichiwa!

2007-02-03T23:07:00.000+01:00

Traveled to Japan for a week for work. Stayed in Shinagawa, a prefecture of Tokyo. Loved it. Some of the things I noticed - everyone is overly polite, crowded is an understatement, the amazing buzz of the city, the most delicious sushi I've ever had, almost all the women are knock-kneed, and incredible ancient architecture amidst ultra-modern buildings.

It was hilarious when everyone automatically spoke Japanese to me, only to hear me respond in English. To confuse customs even more, they couldn't understand why this Japanese looking, English speaking woman lives in Germany!

Here's just a few photos I took in the little time that I had off. I will definitely go back to visit and enjoy a holiday there one day.
T
http://picasaweb.google.com/Mike.Canadianexpat/Japan

Around the Neighbourhood

2007-02-03T23:00:00.000+01:00

Check out the pics on this link. Went for a walk around the neighbourhood...Freiburg is a beautiful, quaint little city.
T
http://picasaweb.google.com/Mike.Canadianexpat/AroundFreiburg

Krazy Kitty!

2006-12-29T02:36:00.000+01:00

LIVING IN THE WIEHRE

2006-12-29T02:01:00.000+01:00

Moving day: January 15th 2007.

The neighbourhood is lush with lots of big trees, beautiful old buildings, close to the hills of the Black Forest and just a short walk to the old city centre. Can't wait to visit the bakery, butcher and market only a few blocks away.

We are living on the 4th floor with no elevator, no closets, but at least we have a kitchen!