November 17, 2015

Steiff Museum Visit

November 17, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

On an unusually warm November day, with some friends of ours, we set out to visit the Steiff Museum in Giengen, roughly an hour and a half east of Stuttgart. Steiff is a pretty much the inventor of the stuffed animal and the Teddy Bear, even though the name sake for the bears was Teddy Roosevelt. With a baby on the way, I thought it would be a sweet idea to get a Steiff teddy bear to take monthly pictures with as the acorn grows up, and as an ode to the fact that he/she will be born in Germany.

November 13, 2015

Krakow - A Photo Diary

November 13, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Over the course of our long weekend, we were able to explore a lot of Krakow, especially the old town. Our hotel gave us some really good recommendations of places to eat, and where to get the best Pierogi. And on our last morning there, we decided to do one of the free walking tours that are offered. We chose this company since they offer a lot of different tours, and at really convenient times. We also checked out a local flea market and many of the local shops. So, instead of writing a bunch of words about what we did, where we ate, and what we saw, I'm just going to post a bunch of pictures. Think of it as travel porn - cause Krakow is absolutely beautiful and one place I would definitely recommend visiting!

November 11, 2015

10 Christmas Markets to Visit in Germany This Year

November 11, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Christmas market season in Germany is upon us. It's one of my favorite German traditions and one that I am so so glad I get to experience for a second time. I love the smells of the German street food, the warmth of the Glühwein as it seeps through the small ceramic mug it's served in, warming you from the inside out, the sounds of people shopping at the stalls for ornaments, gifts, or smoking men, and the refreshing, crisp, winter air, even better if it's dotted with snow! Last year, I made a list of markets I wanted to visit, and fell woefully short of seeing them all. This year, being older and wiser, I have made a revised list of Christmas markets that I would like to visit.

November 04, 2015

8 Things to do in Krakow

November 04, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Krakow is amazing. Like, I want to go back now, amazing. The food is delicious, the beer is tasty (or so I'm told), the people are some of the friendliest we've met, and the town is positively oozing with old world charm. After a long weekend there, we realized that there is a lot more to this city than we expected, and really, you could spend a week with Krakow as your base exploring stuff nearby. Thanks to the abundance of tour companies operating there, you can do it all with minimal planning on your part, unless you enjoying figuring out the local systems (which, in reality, aren't all that hard). So, here is a list of 8 things to do in (and near) Krakow!

October 30, 2015

Home Stretch, Baby!

October 30, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

I honestly cannot believe that as of today, I am 28 weeks pregnant, which means I have entered into the third trimester. Wait...what? Third trimester? Seriously, where did the time go?! I feel like it was just a few days ago that I found out I was pregnant, and then that we were sharing the news with everyone. But, since I'm closing in on the final stretch, I figured it was time to give you all an update.

October 28, 2015

Wieliczka Salt Mine in Krakow

October 28, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Have you ever seen an entire church carved out of salt? What about larger than life statues of saints and famous Europeans? Or how about a chandelier made out of salt? No? Well, neither had we, until we visited Krakow and the nearby Wieliczka Salt Mine. On Sunday, the weather in Krakow was beautiful - sunny, a slight breeze, and cold in the morning. We were headed to Wieliczka Salt Mine, a half hour train ride outside of the city. There are lots of tour companies than organize tours for visitors, but we went solo and did it ourselves (we did use a tour company for Auschwitz since it was much further outside of town). It wasn't all that hard either, and it ended up being a lot cheaper than using a tour company (although, compared to London, everything in Krakow was super cheap).

October 23, 2015

Auschwitz and Birkenau

October 23, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

Death camp.

The words flowed easily, as if the guide had said them many times before. And indeed he had, and would continue to do so throughout the day. Despite the manner in which they were said, and how many times they were said, the emotion behind them never left. For it was here that hundreds of thousands came to die. At first it was Polish political prisoners, those who disagreed with and resisted Nazi ideals, or simply were found to be listening to foreign radio, reading illegal pamphlets. Then, came those unlucky enough to have been born into the wrong racial or ethnic groups - the Jewish, the Slavic, the Romani and others.