BERLIN BABY!!!

Whats the coolest place to go to in Germany for New year's eve??? any guesses?? Oh that's right......BERLIN BABY!!!

I am so happy that Alexa, Sarah, and I decided to spend our new years together and in one of the coolest cities I have ever been to. It has such an amazing vibe and the people there are so different than in Bavaria. One of my favorite parts of Berlin is the Graffiti and the very artistic vibe it gives off. 

I was very lucky to have such an amazing host family that set Alexa and I up with a free place to stay during our stay. Not only was it in the perfect location but the family we stayed with was so sweet and helpful. I loved them. I wish I could have spent more time getting to know them. 

The first day we were there we all walked around the city just taking in the views. Berlin is such a beautiful city and there is an endless amount of things to see. Sarah was staying in her own hostel in Berlin, so after our walk through the city we went back to her hostel to hangout. That night we called it an early night but we made plans to go out the next night. 

The next day we slept in and Alexa and I walked around the area in which we were staying and looked at all the graffiti. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. We then met up with Sarah and walked to a portion of the Berlin wall. To be in the presence of such a historical landmark was amazing. 

After the wall we went back to get ready for the night. We wanted to see what the Berlin night life was all about. We ended up going to a club just down the street from our place. It was insane! We got to the club at like midnight and had to wait in line for about three hours. We then spent about two hours in he club. It was a fun club but I have decided that clubbing in Germany is just not what it's cracked up to be. 

The next morning we slept in again after our long night of waiting in line. When we did get up and get going Alexa and I had to go to our hotel room and check in. Because we got the room last minute we were a ways out of the city. After checking in to our room we both were still tired from the night before so we took a long nap and forgot to set an alarm. Oops! When we finely got up at about we got ready for the time square celebration. It was crazy how many people where there to celebrate. It was fun but the music and entertainment left much to be desired. It is still Germany so you can only expect that. When it turned midnight they had a really awesome firework show and we left half way through it to avoid the crowds. I had no idea that it was legal in Germany to fire off your own fireworks. After leaving the time square we walked basically into a battle field. There were fireworks going off everywhere. I almost got hit in the head a million times and it was very scary. All I wanted to do was be inside away from all the craziness! 

Alexa and I went back to our hotel and called it a night. Sleep was not easy due to all the fireworks going off all night but it was a fun night all in all. The next day we had to go back home and it was sad to leave Berlin. I would really like to go back someday and explore it a little more. It was an amazing start to the year and I loved being with two of my favorite people. xxxxx

Jingle bells

Christmas in Germany is a very magical time with the Christmas markets and all the glühwein. The city comes alive and little wooden stalls are being built and put up in every possible corner. They all sell such wonderful things and each and every one of them has something different and special to offer. Alexa and I went to Christmas markets every chance we got and still didn't get to see all that was offered. It was a month of bundling up and sipping glühwein and looking at all the special products available. The first part of December was very cold and there was a lot of snow but then just before Christmas all the snow melted and the sun appeared. On the 24th (which is the day people in Germany celebrate Christmas) the sun was shinning and it was so warm outside it wasn't necessary to wear a jacket. I almost felt like I was back in California. I do wish that I would have experienced a white Christmas but it was nice to have some element of home with me. Christmas was a wonderful experience for me but definitely different than Christmas in the States.

Lex and I enjoying a hot glühwein in the snow at a Christmas market

All the wonderful snow before it melted

I went with my host family to pick out a tree and this was a week before Christmas. In Germany they don't put up the tree until the 24th of December which is the day they Celebrate Christmas. The tree just sits outside naked until the 24th. So on that day we brought the tree inside and set it up and decorated it. My host family doesn't put christmas lights on the tree but real candles. I have never in my life heard of such a thing but I have to say that it really brings a special look to the tree. The children went with their grandma to a church service while my host parents and I set out everyone's presents and lit all the candles on the tree. When the Children came home they were told that Christkind (baby Jesus) brought them all the gifts while they were away. Then they sang German Christmas songs while sitting around the tree. It isn't until after the singing that the children are allowed to open their gifts. Then we all sat down and had a big Christmas dinner.

Jurian and the winning tree 

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree

How lovely are your candles

What my host parents got me for Christmas....yes they got me U.S. dollars.

That was just day one of the Christmas festivities. On actual Christmas day I went with my host family to the Opa's (grandpa's) house to have lunch. It was another 4 course meal and it was so delicious. After lunch we went on a walk where we had a wonderful view of the alps and we watched the sunset over the alps. It was so absolutely gorgeous. If I had known that we were doing that I would have taken my camera but all I had was my phone so this is the best picture I could get.

On the 26th I went with the family to the Oma's (grandma's) house and we had ANOTHER four course meal. I don't think I have eaten so much in such a short period of time before in my life. It was very delicious food but I think I'm good for the entire month of January. My Christmas experience in Germany will forever be such a special one. I am so lucky to have spent it with such a wonderful loving host family.

LOVE is a four letter word

I got the wonderful opportunity to see Jason Mraz in Munich with my friend Sarah. I was so excited to hear that she was a fan of his music as well and that she wanted to go to the concert. I have only seen him once before at Outside Lands and I have always wanted to see him again. His voice is so amazing. His show was really great and I was really excited to see his band in action. Mona Tavakoli is so talented. She plays all different types of odd instruments and sings. At one point in the show she was playing Jason's guitar with a pair of drumsticks. I was blown away. Sarah and I were front row and in the center and It was so awesome because we could see everything and they were so close to us. I will always be a fan of his music.

German Thanksgiving

I don't think I could go a year without celebrating one of my favorite holidays and I knew my friends would feel the same. We decided that we would have a Thanksgiving dinner together and we were lucky that Tiffany's host family offered to let us host it at their house. It helps that her host moms boyfriend is American. They even offered to buy the turkey and cook it. It was one of the most delicious turkeys I have ever had. We all brought a dish to contribute and I brought pumpkin pies (one I made from scratch and one I made from the canned pumpkin), mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese. There was so much food and it was all very yummy. It was nice to eat food we haven't eaten in a very long time but it made me a bit sick to my stomach. I think is was a combination of not eating those types of foods in almost a year and the fact that I ate to much. I was not the only one who felt that way...we all did. We took a walk around the block to try and digest a bit of the food and then we came back to the house and played charades. It was so much fun. Because of the turkey making us go into a Thanksgiving coma we all called it an early night. It was a great night and I am lucky to have such wonderful friends here. I did miss being home though and I went through a very hard homesickness period around Thanksgiving. It helped having a great support system here.

I am thankful for my family, my friends, and the love of the lord that is always with me. I am a very lucky girl to have so many around me that love me and that I can always count on. If you are reading this then I am thankful for you. :)

The girls waiting for the turkey!

Tiffany's host parents

The delicious turkey 

all of our yummy food

Wildlife park

I have been spending a lot more time with the kids lately because my host mom started a new job that is much more time consuming than the last one. A couple weeks ago the kindergarten was closed so I was with the kids the entire day. From when they woke up to half hour before they went to bed. It was a very very long day so I wanted to take them somewhere so they weren't in the house the entire day. My host mom suggested we go to a wildlife park nearby. It was an awesome park. I think it was better than the zoo. When you first walk in there are deer walking freely and some even follow you around. They had really awesome animals like wildcats, owls, and little pigs that were adorable. Unfortunately, it was a very very cold day and Amelie(the 3 year old) was freezing and not having a good time. So I had to take the kids home without seeing the entire park. I was really looking forward to seeing the wild bears but hopefully I'll get to go back before I go home. Here are some pictures from the park.

Cheers

I was so excited to go to Scotland for more than one reason. I fell in love with the UK when I went in 2006 with my high school. I always wanted to go back and of course because I'm a Wallace I feel a strong connection with the Scots. I also was excited because for the last 10 months I have been in a world of German. I was so excited to speak the common language and be around happy cheerful people. I was so lucky to have made a great friend who's boyfriend lives in Scotland. Alexa was so kind to invite me to stay with her and Niels at his flat in Aberdeen and spend Halloween night with them. Lets be serious no one wants to spend the most fun party holiday in a country that doesn't celebrate it and is filled with people who don't have fun or party. I was one lucky girl.

Of course I have a travel curse on me and in order to keep the universe aligned I would have to have something go wrong in my journey. Without fail it always happens. The day I traveled to Aberdeen every SINGLE means of transportation I was using was late. This Includes the S-bahn in Germany which is like clockwork and is NEVER late. Let me break it down for you:
-The bus to the s-bahn LATE
-The s-bahn to the airport LATE
-The flight from Munich to my layover in Amsterdam DELAYED (in turn missed my connecting flight)
-my new connecting flight DELAYED ( which in turn made me miss my train from Edinburgh to Aberdeen)
-had to purchase a new train ticket for five times more than the original price
-that new train LATE

I was suppose to arrive in Aberdeen 5pm and didn't end up arriving until 10pm. I left my house that morning at 6am. I did the calculations and In that time I could have flown all the way home from Munich to California. In the end it was worth all the fuss.

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Aberdeen and Alexa showed me all the wonderful things to see. We did a lot of walking and I ate some of the best food I have had in a while. The best thing I ate was a macaroni pie. OMG delicious!!! Whoever thought of putting yummy macaroni in a flakey pie crust is a genius and should receive a noble prize for it.

The Great thing about the UK is that for an American it's the perfect combination of Europe and The States. There are a lot of the same stores and Alexa and I spent a good 3 hours shopping in TK Maxx (no that is not a typing error it's TK Maxx instead of TJ Maxx in Europe and the UK). I felt like I was home for those three hours of looking at every single thing TK Maxx had to offer. Alexa also took me to the coast to see the North Sea. It was cold and raining so we didn't spend much time there but it was very beautiful. We then went to the arcade and played some lame but awesome arcade games winning ourselves 3 lollipops and 2 ugly bracelets.

The last night of my stay in Aberdeen was Halloween night. Alexa and I both brought our dirndls with us and went as beer maids. We had a very nice pre-party at Niels neighbors house and then walked to a club called Gavarillo. The building used to be a school but they turned it into a club. Fun fact: many churches in Aberdeen have also been turned into clubs. Not sure how happy God is about that. The great thing about Scotland and the people who live there is they LOVE to party. I did a little to much of it myself that night and ended up staying up all night long. It was totally worth it and I met some of the coolest people but I paid my dues the next day.

We had a 9am train ride back to Edinburgh the next day and I didn't sleep a wink before that train ride. My body was very upset with me and my choices and had no mercy on me. Lets just say I spent a lot of my train ride not in my seat. when I finely got to Edinburgh Alexa, Neils, and I went our separate ways. I took a taxi to my hotel and was going to take a little nap and explore the city but it turned into a 13 hour sleep fest. I slept right through my alarm and many text messages. I didn't see much of the city that day due to this.

The next day I was very well rested and ready to start my day. I was staying in Edinburgh by myself in a very nice bed and breakfast. It was right on the coast of the North Sea. It was a very cute little place. So I went downstairs to claim my breakfast and it was very good. The owner of the place made my meal and we had a little chat. After breakfast I went into the city to explore. My first stop was the Edinburgh castle and it was just as beautiful as I remembered. I walked around the castle for a while. I did a little shopping and went back to my hotel to drop off the things I bought. I then went to a restaurant that my travel book suggested. I couldn't go to Scotland and not eat haggis. It wasn't bad but it wasn't something I'd like to eat a lot.

Beautiful Edinburgh

Edinburgh castle

William Wallace statue 

The Castle again

Haggis....yummy!

After dinner I wanted to go to a pub and do karaoke. It was a bit harder than I thought to find a place offering karaoke on a Friday night. I went to a pub that was suggested to me by the waitress at dinner. It was a pub filled with a bunch of old Scottish men and was not offering karaoke. I sat down and had a drink anyway. Everyone was so friendly and sweet to me but I could only understand half of what they were saying. I felt like I was back in Germany. They bought me another drink and then I went on with my pursuit to find a karaoke bar. I ended up finding a place and I am not kidding when I say I was the only girl in the entire pub.
I sang a couple songs and met some really nice people and didn't get back to my hotel until 1:30am.

The next morning I had to get up pretty early to meet Alexa at the airport. We ended up purchasing the same flight back to Munich with a 7 hour layover in Amsterdam. When we arrived in Amsterdam that day it was really nice weather and the train ride from the airport to the city was so fast. Alexa and I spent 5 hours wondering the city and taking in the culture. Everyone knows about Amsterdam and the legalization of drugs it is a completely different story when you see it for yourself. Alexa and I had a blast walking around and exploring the city and its beautiful canals. I'm very happy to have spent so much of my trip with her. She was and is a great travel partner. It was sad to be on a plane back to Munich but my trip to Scotland was by far the best trip yet.

Just a small portions of the many bikes in Amsterdam

Alexa < 3

The beautiful canal

Alexa and I 

Jack-O-Latern

So the kids and I carved a pumpkin the other day. It was their first time they have ever done it because they don't celebrate Halloween in Germany. They had a really fun time taking out all the seeds and picking out a pattern to cut out. They were in such aww watching me carve the pattern out. They were so excited with the finished project they waited down in the dark basement with the pumpkin until their dad got home. It was so cute. :)