This weekend's adventure

We're going to Paris! In an effort to keep our luggage to a minimum, I'm not bringing my laptop. So check in on Monday, I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to share! We have both been to Paris before, but Josh has to go there to take the LSAT. Am I complaining about the chance to wander around Mont Matre and practice my French? No way!

This is particularly exciting because in order to get cheap plane tickets we had to travel out of Bremmen, Germany. This will be my first time in Germany, though we won't get to do anything there. Hopefully the bus from Groningen to Bremmen will prove to be a painless experience and we'll be able to go to Berlin via Bremmen one of these weekends!

Niagra Falls

My friend Margaret mentioned Niagra Falls the other day and I realized I never posted any pictures from our trip there on the blog. So here are some of my favorites. We were only there for a couple of hours en route to Wisconsin from Maine, but it was well worth the detour!

One more picture of Niagra Falls

Exploring Groningen

Today Josh and I went for a walk (I think I have bronchitis, so I wanted to take it easy but still get some exercise) and discovered a fascinating new place. It's about 3 minutes on foot from our apartment. At first glance it looks like a park/woods with trails, which is very nice since it's right here in the city. Then you walk about 100 yards and what do you see? Hairy cows. That's right, the Highland cows with super long hair that hangs in their faces. They're very cute. We were looking forward to seeing some of them in Scotland, but here they are right by our apartment! Keep on walking down the path and you come to a fenced in area with various sizes and types of goats, and one sheep. I love little goats, so that was exciting. I even got up the courage to pet one! Further down the path there is another fenced in area of LARGE grey and white geese (maybe they were geese...hard to tell). Across from that fenced in area there are tame deer! Beyond the animal area there are more paths, open fields, soccer fields, volleyball courts. Leaving the park we saw people taking a HERD of ponies back to their stables. Wow. We will surely spend a lot of time at this park in the future. Maybe I'll convince someone to let me ride a pony!

Cooking

One of the best things about having an apartment is that I get to cook our meals again. One would think that eating out all the time would be fun, but after a while it gets frustrating. Spending a lot of money is worrisome and, at least some of the time, I found myself thinking "I could make this dish better than the cook here did." So, I'm happy to have a kitchen (no oven or microwave...so I have to be creative) to make the food I want to make, the way I want it. The other night I made us pork chops, sauerkraut, and dumplings. Funny to think my family has been in the US for over 100 years and yet I wouldn't be surprised if the German couple who lives upstairs hasn't eaten a very similar dish. You all know that I love to cook, but you may not have known that I like to take pictures of the food I make.

Apartment Pictures

Just some pictures of our apartment. It's a studio with a kitchenette in the corner. Luckily the bathroom is a separate room. The other people who live in our building (it's only three apartment) have a one bedroom apartment, which is a kitchen/living room in the attic and a bedroom with a closet that has been converted into a shower on our floor. And their bathroom is in the hallway. Josh and I feel our set-up, though smaller, is better. At least we don't have to use a key to lock and unlock doors between our kitchen and our bedroom!

Oh, and yes, that would be our toilet plugged into the wall. Apparently its electric. It makes the loudest, most unsettling noise every time it is flushed.

Doritos, with a twist

In a Subway restaurant, where the sandwiches are better than they make them in the US! Note: I'm so cool, just like these Cool American Doritos!