March 10, 2015

How I Plan Our European Adventures

March 10, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Since moving to Germany, it has become my responsibility to book and arrange pretty much all of our travel. Ok, even in Michigan it was my responsibility, but we travel a lot more over here, so I've gotten a LOT more practice recently. Sometimes, one of the hardest parts of planning a trip is deciding where to go! Thankfully, whenever I am having ''trip block'' (kind of like writers block, #firstworldproblems), I take a look at our never ending Bucket List and pick something from there or browse Pinterest for some inspiration.

February 05, 2015

Underwater Cities

February 05, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

On Sunday, we checked off another item on our Bucket List - diving in Sundhäuser See. I can't remember exactly how I found out about this lake, although I think it was this PADI article I read about a year ago. What caught my eye was the underwater city part. And the fact that it was one of the closer ones to us that was listed. We weren't going to be far from the lake so it naturally made sense to pay it a visit.

February 03, 2015

Mine Tours and Snow

February 03, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

We found snow! This weekend, we headed north, instead of south, to the town of Goslar. We left after work on Friday and headed out. On our way, we stopped and stayed in a small hotel in a small outdoor recreation area next to a river. Conveniently, this was their first snowfall of the year, meaning the snow was still clean, and it coated everything. It was absolutely beautiful! Inconveniently, the Germans apparently didn't know how to drive in the snow. About 30 km away from our final destination, traffic

January 16, 2015

Weekend Driving

January 16, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

In between our ''bigger'' trips, we have found we like to stay closer to home and explore. The past two weekends, we spent in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest), which starts just an hour south of where we live. The first weekend, Aaron planned, and didn't tell me where we were going of what we were doing. I always love when he surprises me like that (and secretly hate it too, I never know how to dress for it!).

December 25, 2014

Bucket List Item - Mass at the Dom

December 25, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

Another item on our Bucket List was to attend mass at the Dom in Cologne, which we did this weekend. Before we went, I had checked mass times online and Google translate did work so well. They listed four mass times for Sunday morning, a time, which google translated to Church Office, and then weekday mass services. We opted for the 9 AM mass, which was held in one of the small, side chapels. As we were finishing up though, we realized that the rest of the church was full for the 10AM mass, which is held at the main alter. Oops. Nonetheless, it was still beautiful, especially as the rising sun started to stream through the stained glass windows into the mostly dark church.

December 23, 2014

A Weekend in Cologne

December 23, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

This past weekend, we took a quick overnight jaunt up to Cologne. Five years ago, on our Beer and Cathedral Tour of Germany, it was our first stop. When we found out we were moving to Germany, it was pretty clear to both of us that we would have to visit Cologne again. And what better time to do it than during Christmas time with the Weihnachtsmarkt!? As an added bonus, we got to meet up with a fellow AST, her husband and kids!

We decided to take the train this time instead of driving. Aaron did some savvy computering with a coworker

December 21, 2014

Final Tour of Munich

December 21, 2014/ Meghan Oaks

Sunday morning came early and bearing headaches after a night spent at the Hofbrauhaus. Nonetheless, we needed to move, and head home eventually. But, before we did, we went back to the Munich Altstadt for a couple of hours.

Sundays are brunch days in Germany. Everyone and their brother goes out for brunch and if you want to go, but haven't planned ahead and made a reservation, good luck. I had found a place online that looked promising - The Glockenspiel Cafe. It is on the 5th floor of a building