Out of the Frying Pan

We left Portland almost a month ago and we've only made it to Idaho. We started off by heading up to central Washington and then over to Seattle to meet Matthias' parents. We spent just over a week with them around the Puget Sound, Olympic Peninsula and back to Portland. Some stressful moments but a good visit overall. Now we're on our own with about two months to get to Florida.

Family Photo in Olympic NP

Matthias and his dad in Anacortes

 We took a bit of a detour, opting not to go to Glacier National Park because of the fires. We probably could have made it, but when I called one of the campsites where we wanted to stay and asked about the fires, the response was “well, there's smoke and high winds today – try calling again tomorrow. But don't worry about finding a place, there's plenty.” That, plus a town in Montana near one of the other campsites I wanted to stop at was being evacuated. Not sure we made the right decision, but here we are.

Instead, we headed toward the Wallowa mountains, stopping at a nice site outside La Grande where we caught our first glimpse of wildlife (Elk!) and took care of laundry, propane, etc. Our next stop was Wallawa Lake, which was nice and then along the Wallowa Scenic Loop to a national forest campsite recommended by the welcome center guy in Joseph, Oregon. Next day, our second wildlife encounter and huge highlight on the Indian Crossing trail – spawning salmon at blue hole! The hike was great, too, and we were the only ones on the trail, even though it was the Friday before Labor Day. Even the ranger we met afterward at the trailhead was surprised. I said maybe people didn't want to camp if they couldn't have a fire (campfires were banned so we didn't get to have one yet) but she replied that as of the night before, fires were permitted in established campsites. Of course, we raced back to our campsite, gathered wood and started a fire. And then, as if on cue, it started to rain. Well, I sat by the fire and cooked my spud in it anyway, dammit!

By the Blue Hole in the Wallowa Mtns - think this will be my new FB photo!

Next day, we set off for Idaho, and even though it was Labor Day weekend, we hoped the campsites would be available there as well. We checked a couple up in the mountains in the Boise National Forest but they were full. Fortunately, the host of one of them told us about a nearby airstrip where we could camp for free (toilet and drinking water, but no campfire allowed). We were the only ones there!

On our morning hike at Warm Springs, Idaho

“We flew up to do some fishing”

The next morning, after a lovely hike, we came back to the airstrip to see that a small plane had landed. A woman and small child were sitting by the plane – her partner had gone down to the river to fish. In the afternoon, we walked down to the nearby campsite and hot spring, where I took a dip (along with lots of others – it being the holiday weekend) and then back to the campsite in time to watch the plane take off. Fab!

Take-off

We spent Labor Day (and our anniversary) at a riverside campsite in the Sawtooth Mountain recreation area where we could have a fire, and relaxed a bit before crossing the rest of Idaho, which we are doing now. Another night in Idaho and then on to Jackson, Wyoming!

Link to next post - Lost in America

Here we go again!

I can't believe it, but in just about a week we'll be leaving Portland on another adventure. It's even harder to believe we've been here for almost four and a half years. Portland has been nothing short of fantastic. I feel like we've been let in on the secret the great Pacific Northwest – though it may not be such a well-kept secret anymore. At least we're following the unwritten rule: come and enjoy Portland, but don't forget to leave!

Looking back on our stay, I think we became more Portland-y than we could have imagined. Bike commuting, composting, craft beer, camping, light rail, and even a pick-up truck became part of our lives. While I cycled over all ten city bridges, Matthias baked bread, made his own sausage and cheese, smoked fish and ribs and grew roses. Although we resisted getting tattoos and Matthias hasn't grown a beard, we are leaving with a sizable amount of fleece, Columbia sportswear and a few pairs of Keens. Most importantly, we met amazing people and made friends for life living and working here. I can't say enough about how terrific it's been working at Virginia Garcia – the people and the wonderful work they do. I will miss them, A LOT!

So it's time to dust off the blog and start chronicling our next adventure. We're going to start by touring the USA, something we've wanted to do since we got a taste of it driving out here in 2011. We'll meet up with Matthias' parents in Seattle and travel with them for about a week and then set off across the country, ending in Florida for my mom's 75^th birthday bash. After that, we're off on a quick trip to Germany and then Southeast Asia for the winter. We're planning another US tour for next summer, but anyone who knows us knows that it's all subject to change. Stay tuned and hope to see you on the road!

Old-fashioned Reflection

Just got back from our latest sojourn - to Nicaragua - and decided it's time to do a blog post.  We've been back for almost two days, and news of the trip is already too old to be a subject for my first Tweet or Instagram post.  And while I did ponder posting a few pictures to Facebook during the trip, the thought of responding to comments and likes (or dwelling on the lack thereof) wasn't all that appealing to me at the time.  So it's the old fashioned blog - where I get to reflect on the trip as a whole.  

This time, for our annual vacation we sought out sunshine, warmth and new experiences in Central America.  Or, more accurately, I dragged my reluctant husband to a hot and humid climate where he knew he wasn't going to like the food.  True enough, but  like all of our travels, it was a great experience - interesting and fun, while at times also challenging and troubling. The trip was loosely planned, starting and ending in Costa Rica, with most time spent in Nicaragua.  Actually, it began with a night stopover in Houston and an early evening outing to Stetson's Nightlife, where we got to sip Lone Star beer, listen to live country music and watch couples spin around the dance floor.  The next day we landed in Liberia, Costa Rica and the day after that made our way up to San Juan Del Sur on Nicaragua's Pacific Coast.  We spent three days in SJDS, walking the beach, renting a scooter to check out the nearby scenery, and watching sunsets.  We also did a zip line canopy tour, something I've been wanting to try for a long time.  Fun!

San Juan Del Sur at sunset

Matthias on the Zipline

While we generally enjoyed relaxing and sipping ice-cold beer (way too cold for Matthias, but fine by me) on the beach, I was generally disappointed, and Matthias' low expectations were realized, by the food. SJDS is a tourist town, and the beachfront restaurants did have a lot of delicious ceviche  and fresh seafood on offer.  But beyond the ceviche, most fish dishes were fried or seafood was mixed with rice in a sauce that wasn't quite right.  Matthias is also no great fan of rice and beans (pico de gallo) and even I had to admit that the versions served were pretty tasteless. "Can't they at least add some pork or spices?" complained Matthias.  And our hotel, perched on a hill with a lovely view, did not have air conditioning or hot water, something Matthias made me promise to rectify at our next stop - Granada.

Granada

Granada was also quite touristy, but the "local flavor" started to improve.  Granada had a real market, where we found some beef stew that was pretty tasty as well as a traditional dish - Vigarón - with a variation (Choncha con Yuca) that we liked.  It consisted of yucca covered with a tart cabbage salad, topped with chicharones (Vigarón) or pieces of pork (Choncha).  Even though we're not big fans of Chicharón (fried pork skin), and the Choncha (pork pieces) were also deep-fried, we found the cabbage salad and yucca combo to be delish.  Aside from the food, we enjoyed a boat tour on Lake Nicaragua around Las Isletas - more than 300 small volcanic islands, most of which are privately owned.  We were psyched to see some monkeys up close, but then somewhat disappointed that they were brought to one of the islands and fed by tour boat operators for tourists' benefit.  Still, the tour was nice, Granada was quite beautiful and fun, and the next day's excursion to Laguna de Apoyo, Nicaragua's smaller, less dramatic version of Crater Lake (where we saw some monkeys actually living in the trees) was fun and relaxing.

Monkey (marooned) on la Isleta

At Laguna de Apoyo

Our next stop was Leon, which I liked even more than Granada.  It was less touristy and seemed more sophisticated.  We even had a tasty meal at the market for lunch.  But it was HOT and sticky, and Matthias was starting to feel under the weather. So, instead of making the trip to Las Peñitas, a beachfront community that was highly recommended, we decided to head up to the mountains where it would be cooler.  And it was.  We visited Estelí, Jinotega and Matagalpa - all of which I really loved.  The problem here was that Matthias got sick - a fever followed by intestinal problems - that limited his ability to be very far from the hotel rooms.  He was all but out of commission for about five days (fortunately, though, he was able to make it out for beer and dinner each evening).

Cathedral in Leon

Cemetery in Jinotega - a town surrounded by mountains

View of Matagalpa from our hotel

A quick note about traveling through the country.  A real highlight for me was riding the buses.  Most really were old US school buses which were fine with me (my feet reached the floor!).  They were often packed, but that didn't stop hoards of people from jumping on at major stops to sell food and drinks and even hawk the latest miracle cremes and elixirs.  All this, and loud music, too.  Quite festive!  Unfortunately, the beautiful scenery was often marred by the garbage lining the side of the road.  We cringed as most people on the bus simply threw their trash (mostly wrappers and bottles from the meals they just purchased) right out the window.  

Our bus to Jinotega

Our final stop in Nicaragua was the Rio San Juan at the southwest corner of Lake Nicaragua.  The town of San Carlos was once again hot and steamy, but also quite beautiful with a cool breeze in the evening.  We took a trip up the historic and beautiful Rio San Juan to El Castillo, a village only accessible by boat, where a fortress was strategically placed to thwart the advance of pirates and other invaders on Lake Nicaragua.  Matthias actually had his best meal (a whole fish, not fried!) at our little hotel restaurant overlooking the river rapids.  

One of the views of Lake Nicaragua in San Carlos

View of El Castillo and the Rio San Juan

Sunset over Lake Nicaragua

We spent the final days of the trip making our way back to Costa Rica, which involved another boat ride down the Rio Frio (misleading name, for sure) as part of the border crossing.   Emerging in Costa Rica, we were struck by how much more developed and modern it seemed.  The food was better (yes, they seemed to put pork and seasonings in their pico de gallo!), the markets were cleaner (with refrigeration!) and the bus rides were smoother.  The ride down from the border to Alajuela, where we spent the last two nights was stunning. 

And that's the trip in a nutshell.  The full photo album is here, with pictures and comments.   

I'll admit, it's kind of a pain to write the blog after (or during) a trip, but I do love being able to go back and read some from the past, as I did today (namely, Breaking Away (2009), Potti Mouth (2008) and Chinese Red Light (2007).  Hopefully, that keeps me motivated to keep going!

And Back Again

Just a quick post to wrap up the trip and share pictures. Chiang Saen was the last stop on our motorbike tour, and after two nights there we headed back to Chiang Rai for a few days to enjoy the weekend "walking street" markets and plan our journey home.  One day, we rented bikes (ones we actually had to pedal - Matthias wasn't all too thrilled with that) and rode along the Mae Kok river.  The next day, we got motorbikes again and went to see the popular and strange White Temple and then went back down the riverside road a bit further than we could make it under our own pedal power.

White Temple outside of Chiang Rai

With just a few days left to our trip, we had originally planned to make our way to Chiang Mai and then Bangkok on the overnight train, where we would spend the last two days before catching our red-eye flight out.  That would have been nice, and certainly would have made our journey home a lot more pleasant.  Unfortunately, though, we changed our plans based on recommendations to avoid Bangkok and the anti-government protesters' efforts to shut down the city.  So, we booked a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok airport on our departure date to avoid the city.  This gave us a few more days up north, where it was business as usual.  On our way to Chiang Mai we decided to stop in a lakeside town called Phayao - a place popular with Thai tourists (but few Western ones) so it didn't feel all that touristy to us.  In Phayao, we rented motorbikes and rode around the lake, through a preserved wetland and fish farming area - and of course enjoyed some tasty fresh fish.

Our last two days in Chiang Mai were spent walking around looking at temples and markets and getting our fill of Kao Soi - a northern Thai chicken noodle soup made with curry and coconut milk - our favorite!  We had been to/through Chiang Mai a few times before, so we basically traced our old footsteps while lamenting that we wouldn't be able to get to Bangkok via the night train, which we remembered as being really fun. 

Kao Soi at the Chiang Mai Market

So, our journey home consisted of a quick flight to BKK airport, a seven hour layover at the airport, a five hour red-eye flight to Beijing with a nine hour layover, an 11-hour flight to Seattle, bus to Tacoma and three-hour Amtrak ride back to Portland.  There were some highlights though:  We were able to get the airport express train to downtown Beijing (they have a 72-hour visa-free visit policy), walk around a hutong (old neighborhood) and eat hand-pulled noodles - probably Matthias' absolute favorite (non-pork) food item. We also got to fly on the new Boeing Dreamliner plane from Beijing to Seattle and the scenery out of the (larger) windows was spectacular as we flew over Eastern Russia and Alaska.  The Amtrak ride along the Puget Sound and watching the sun set over the Columbia river at sunset made for a great finish - but I was done taking pictures at that point.

Enjoying freshly made hand-pulled noodles in Beijing

That's it.  Nothing else to say except it was a fabulous trip and the full set of pictures are online:

Click Here:  Laos and Thailand Photos

Tasty Thailand!

We've been in Thailand for about a week and it didn't take nearly that long to remember how much we love it here.  The food is fantastic (probably reason #1), people are friendly, it's relatively easy to get around and it's beautiful and interesting.  And the weather is perfect.  What's not to love?

Mountain Scenery!

We arrived at the Thai border on January 10 - entering via the new "Friendship Bridge" between Laos and Thailand that was opened just three weeks earlier.  We got a nice hotel in Chiang Khong, the border town where we had stayed a few years earlier on our way to (and from) China.  We weren't all that excited about it, but it was better than we remembered, and we enjoyed a nice dinner with Chris - a New Yorker we met on the boat from Luang Prabang.

The next morning, we took the public bus to Chiang Rai and checked in to our fabulous hotel (also recently opened).  We immediately took our clothes to be laundered and got some kao soi  (curry noodle soup with chicken). Delicious!  Luckily it was Saturday, and we were able to visit the market on the "Walking Street" which was packed with crafts, souveniers and general schlock (tons of tacky iphone covers and handbags) but the real draw was the food stalls - rows and rows of delicious (and sometimes weird) offerings, including satay, grilled meat and fish, salads, stews, dumplings and more!  Of course, Matthias was in heaven with his favorite: chicken butts on a stick.  I'm not kidding.

Matthias and his chicken butts

The next day we rented motorbikes and tried them out riding out to the nearby elephant camps.  This was really just pratice for our upcoming tour of the golden triangle, but we loved seeing the elephants and enjoyed getting to know our motor bikes before setting out on a longer journey.  And fortunately, that night there was another night market!

Matthias at the elephant camp outside Chiang Rai

First day on the motorbike

On 1/13, we checked out of our Chiang Rai hotel, leaving some of our stuff with our kind hotel host, and set out toward Mae Salong, a mountaintop village settled by Kuomintang Chinese and surrounded by hill tribe villages.  The ride was nice, and the scenery was breathtaking.  We were in heaven!

Rest stop after Mae Salong

The next day we rode through the mountains past the royal villa at Doi Tung and back down to Mae Sai, the northernmost city in Thailand and one gateway to Myanmar.  It was a typical bordertown, with lots of tacky shops, but did have some interesting food stalls serving all sorts of treats, including some we hadn't seen before (we didn't ask, but we think we ate a burmese soup - it was delicious so we didn't care). Our "hotel" was a bamboo cabin on the edge of town, on the river facing Myanmar.  Cute and quiet, but we were surprised the next morning when we awoke early to try and find some coffee and found our motorbikes locked together and the gate padlocked shut.  We were prisoners!  But it didn't much matter since when we did finally break out (someone woke up), we didn't find anything open anyway - except for 7-11 where we were able to get some nescafe.

By our cabin in Mae Sai

Burmese Breakfast
After the nescafe and shower, we headed across the border to visit Myanmar.   Granted, we only had a couple of hours to visit (just another) border town, so we didn't expect much.  However, we were struck by how diferent, and ethnically diverse the people were, and we enjoyed a hot breakfast at a burmese tea house, and then more mouthfuls, including a rich delicious noodle soup, from some street vendors.  Couldn't  bring myself to purchase any tacky souveniers, so we returned to Thailand with full bellies but not much else to show for it, but a few pictures.

Our Entry permits into Myanmar

Entering Myanmar

After that, we took a short ride to Chiang Saen, a lovely riverside town just past the "golden triange" (point where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet).  That's where I'm writing this now.  We're planning to stay another night here before returning to Chiang Rai and figuring our next steps.  We were planning to head to Bangkok and spend our last days there, but with the protests and all, we think it might be better to hang out here and just fly in (and out) of the airport.  By the way, if it weren't for the news reports, we wouldn't even know about any turmoil.  People around here just don't seem interested.  Anyway, I don't want to think about it because it means the end of this fantastic journey and I prefer to just live in the moment now....

I've got hundreds of photos to share,and although I'm working on it, I'm finding it's a pain to try and label them with a tablet (have I mentioned this already?) so the album will probably have to wait until after we get home   So, that's all for now!

Part III - Back Again (Click Here)

Blog-worthy Weekend and the Americanization of Matthias

I can't believe it's been more than two years since I've updated this thing.  I suppose it makes sense, since we're no longer on the road.  But now I've got a nice set of photos from a great three-night trip to Ollalie Lake in the Mt. Hood National Forest.  A blog-worthy weekend.

We packed up the Tacoma and left late Thursday afternoon (7/3) for the two-hour drive to Ollalie.  The drive entails just five minutes on the highway (or "freeway" as they say around here) and then along quiet and beautiful country roads, with the last 15 miles on an unpaved gravel/dirt road.  This is why Matthias says he wanted pick-up truck. Yes, a pick-up truck. (note: we do NOT own a gun, but you should see Matthias' knife....)

Our campsite at Ollalie Lake

We were lucky to find a great campsite overlooking the lake.    We immediately went down to to the lake to check out the scenery.  Stunning!  It was so lovely, Matthias actually stayed up until sunset.  

The next morning, we went for a hike on the Pacific Coast Trail.  I think I had heard of this trail (which runs from the Mexican to Canadian borders) but we both wondered why it's not as world-famous as the Appalachian Trail.  Yet another well-kept secret of the west, we supposed.  The small portion of the trail we walked was well-maintained, quite easy and the views were simply spectacular.  We didn't plan on hiking all day, and we didn't bring lots of water or any food, so we had to cut it short.  That left some time for Matthias to go fishing in the afternoon and get a huge fire going for the evening.  

Fishing on Ollalie Lake

The following morning we found ourselves in the clouds (at 5000 ft above sea level, I can't really call these low clouds), with the sun working to burn its way through.  Drank our coffee as we watched the mist roll over the lake and the eagles searching for breakfast.  With plenty of water, food, bug repellent and a bathing suit, we started off on another trail (the Red Lake Trail) to see more beautiful mountain lakes and ponds.  The water was so inviting, but it wasn't hot enough for a swim until we came back down in the afternoon.  We saw a few back-country campers and I considered how beautiful that must be, and whether it's worth giving up luxury accommodations at the drive-up site (chairs, sleeping pads, thick blankets, variety of beverages, etc.)  Maybe some other time....I am (was) more of a city girl after all....

That's our July 4th weekend in a nutshell. Here's a link to the photo album.   We had to come back on Saturday because Matthias works on Sundays, which gave me time to write this and do some blog repair (all the photo links were dead-ends!)  So now I can do a quick update on the last two years.  As anyone who reads this (anyone, anyone?) would know, it was a tough time for the family.  We lost my dad to cancer in May.  We learned he had advanced-stage renal cancer in January 2012, just before the sinking of the Costa Concordia.  Why that seemingly unrelated fact?  Because canceled the family trip we had planned for February on that very ship the day before it sank.  It was a tough year, but we were fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with my parents.  We were in Florida for three weeks following the diagnosis.  My parents came to Portland for two glorious weeks last summer.  And, we were able to spend three months with them in Florida when my dad was put on hospice care.  I miss him terribly - we all do - but I am really, really grateful for all the time (years and years) we had together. 

A visit to the Oregon wine region,  (Photos: Roses in Rose City)

And now my mom has a trip to Portland planned for later this month.  She's coming at the same time as her brother and sister-in-law.   Actually (Uncle) Lou and Laurene are coming back to PDX for a third time (second since we've been here) and we've had a flurry of other visitors as well.  Andrew, Charlene, Stu, and Sue all came to stay with us, and we got to meet up with Jennifer and Brenda when they were in town.  Plus,  I got to meet up with Linda, Cassidy and Dylan in Seattle.   Super-fun!!

In Astoria with Stu  (more photos)

Our ability to travel long-distance has been limited due to my father's illness, and also because Matthias' job at the golf course doesn't allow for time off during the summer.   So we've tried to make the most of short jaunts around here.  Fortunately, the area has a lot to offer. One of our favorites (besides camping in the Mt. Hood National Forest) is Astoria, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific.  We were also wowed by a visit to Crater Lake, and had fun with a last minute trip to Vancouver, Canada over Christmas.  And, I just got to spend a couple days back east at Aaron's wedding followed by a very short stay in NYC.  We're working on planning something exotic and fabulous for three weeks this winter. Can't wait!

Crater Lake - July 2011 (Photo Album)

Not much else to report.  On a far less interesting note, we've submitted paperwork for Matthias to get US citizenship (actually, dual German/US) but we're not sure how successful it will be because all the travel we did (and had to list on the form) makes it a bit complicated.  If they only knew that Matthias now owns a pick-up truck, wears baseball caps, drinks PBR, has a huge BBQ grill and smoker, and is even starting to drive in the left lane (a little) - he'd be a shoe-in!  A real "Ami", as they say in Germany.  Who knew?

Matthias in one of my father's cowboy hats

That's all for this post.  Maybe someday I'll join the masses and start posting to Facebook.  Until then, I remain the occasional blogger.

Keeping Portland Weird

How do I know it's time to write another blog entry? Because while I'm riding my bike to work, I'm thinking of things to write in the blog. Did I say work? Yes! I am once again a productive member of society! And yes, I can ride my bike (at least part of the way) to work. But I'll get to that later.

Portland has been good to us, and we really like it here. We spent our first month in a motel - the Value Inn Suites, where we had a basic, yet clean two-room suite; a nice view (snow-capped mountains and planes taking off and landing at the nearby airport); and enjoyed free coffee, breakfast, underground parking, HBO and Internet! All for $850 per month! Plus, the frequent police visits and sometimes busts (or at least people leaving in handcuffs) added another level of entertainment. While it wasn't a real home, and the location could have been better, it provided a great base from which to explore the city, find an apartment, and look for work. And we did all that.

The view from our "Suite"

Within a month, we found an apartment in Southeast Portland, in an area called Woodstock. Our neighborhood is pretty charming, has everything we need, and is also convenient to other areas and downtown. As funky as Portland is, Woodstock isn't what one might expect. Most of the pierced and tattooed folks stay closer to the Hawthorne District, which is an easy bike ride - a mile or two away. We've got a two-bedroom unit in a two-unit house, and our neighbors (lovely, quiet ladies) travel a lot; they're currently in England and won't be back until July. Oh, and there's a fireplace and some outdoor space. The only thing that bugs Matthias about it is the wall to wall carpet, but he's happy enough with the kitchen, so it evens out. The question now is who's going to be the first to visit and take advantage of our extra bedroom? Stu? Jen and Brenda? Andrew? Or mom and dad.....?

Matthias at the BBQ and smoker!

And then, the day before we moved to our new apartment, I got a job! I'm working as a grant writer for the Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation, which is the fundraising arm of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, and it couldn't be better! When I saw the job on Craigslist, I said to Matthias: "They've got to hire me - it's a perfect fit." Internally, I was saying to myself....if they're not interested, no one will be! Soon enough....on April fools day, no less, I got called for an interview (which I thought for a moment might be a joke) and got hired soon after. It's been absolutely fantastic so far (and I'm not just saying that because my new coworkers are friends on Facebook and therefore have a link to the blog!) Seriously, I'm working with four terrific fundraising professionals who are hardworking but also lots of fun (it reminds me a lot of the development department at PPNYC.) And the organization is awesome - it's a safety net health care provider, with a focus on serving migrant farmworkers. I'm not going to write about that here (since I do that for a living now) but you can find out more on the website and on Facebook (become a fan of Virginia Garcia!! there's my pitch.) Many thanks to Stu, who provided a reference and tips on how to get "Linked in", as well as Keith and Jennifer for the (obviously) solid references! You get first dibs on the second bedroom!

What a warm welcome!

I've already mentioned how awesome the people I work with are - and that goes for most of the people we've come in contact with here. Everyone seems friendly, laid-back, and pretty much happy to be here. Of course, everyone complains about the rain, but they seem to do so with as much pride as resignation (like New Yorkers talk about rude service staff, or Greeks talk about corruption - where would we be without it??) And Portland is adorably quirky - one of our favorite slogans (I'm not sure of the origin) that keeps cropping up on signs and bumpers is: "Keep Portland Weird." I assume it's calling for resistance to the takeover of the town by shopping malls and chain restaurants, which, at least in our area, seems to be working. It was certainly my favorite bumper sticker until I saw: "Keep Portland Beered", which promptly took over first place in my eyes.

And then there's the biking! It's a totally bike-able city, with small, light traffic streets as well as bike lanes on major routes. I do have quite a bit of a commute to work (since we found the apartment before I found the job, and they happen to be on opposite ends of the city), but I can ride my bike downtown and hop on the light rail/street car (called MAX) from there. It's quite pleasant, and it makes me feel like a real Portlander. And, it's giving me some insight into the biking culture here. I did mention that Portlanders are laid-back, right? Well, not when (most of them) ride their bikes! Not only do they have the latest and greatest bikes, accessories, and reflective clothing ("Keep Portland Geared?"), but they all ride to work as if they're trying to beat their time from the day before! Now, when I rode in Berlin, I had one of the better bikes on the road (the one that I brought here) and I basically kept up with people and even passed a few. But here, they make me feel like a granny on my bike - whizzing by me as they make their way to wherever they're going (like a finish line!) But I'm resisting the temptation to try and keep up, instead enjoying my ride through the tree-lined streets, soaking in the atmosphere (and the occasional smell of pot) along the way. It's fun!

These aren't the typical seriously-outfitted bikers, but they did all pass me by!

But it's too far (and too hilly) to ride all the way to work. So, I lock my bike downtown in a parking garage (out of the rain) and take the MAX train for about 40 minutes. That's where I get to catch up on my reading (and proof-reading for work....but only in the mornings!) I joined the local library (right down the street from our place) and started in on all the bestsellers I missed while I was away. I already devoured Eat, Pray, Love (of course, she had me at Eat!) and I'm getting started on the Swedish series with the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. So, please send me your recommendations for good reads!

And finally, I can report that Matthias may have also found a job! He starts working maintenance at a golf course on Tuesday (a trial - but we can't imagine why it wouldn't work out.) He says it's his dream job, and we both agree he'll enjoy the outdoor aspect of it (plus the fact that he won't have to work nights.) Keep your fingers crossed for him, and I'll be back with an update in....oh....another few months!

Where in the world?

A long overdue post - maybe the final one (is anyone still blogging or has the convenience of Facebook taken over? Seems I've missed a lot being on the road.) And I've got some explaining to do. For those who don't know, we're not in Berlin anymore. We're not even in Germany anymore! For a variety of reasons which I won't get into here (Matthias' green card status among them) we decided to come back to the States again. We are currently in.......drum roll, please.......Portland, Oregon!

Lots of rain makes for pretty waterfalls

Long story short (just the fun stuff here), we took some time to visit with the family in Florida and then packed up the van (thanks for the use of the van, mom and dad!) and drove out west. So, before I get into what we might or might not be doing here in Portland, I get to describe another escapade!

Matthias on the beach in Biloxi, MS

The experience driving across the U.S. actually turned out to be right up there with our other adventures. We took the southernmost route to try to avoid some of the nasty winter storms, and ended up going through (and stopping in) Biloxi MS; New Orleans, LA; Austin, TX, San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Davis, CA; and up the Northern California and Oregon Coast.

Austin, TX

We took about three weeks to make the journey, staying in cheap motels and campsites (when it wasn't too cold) along the way. Throughout the trip, the scenery - even from the car - was fantastic. New Orleans (of course) was a highlight, although it was below freezing when we were there. And we were absolutely WOWed by Austin, Texas, where we had a fun night out on the town listening to live music. Naturally our tour of Texas also included a stop in the BBQ capital of Texas (and therefore the world, some would say) where we feasted on simply awesome BBQ. As a matter of fact, we really enjoyed just about everywhere we went in Texas - Matthias being a huge fan of the wild west culture, I often caught him in a dreamy-eyed look, and I knew he was imagining himself riding through the countryside on horseback, meeting up with Judge Roy Bean on the Pecos River or Davy Crocket at the Alamo....

Judy and a real "Texas Toothpick" (and I thought food was big in Bavaria!)

Matthias feeling right at home west of the Pecos

After quite a bit of time in Texas, we stopped in Phoenix to see our good friend Patrick and had a fantastic visit (thanks, Patrick, for taking us around!) Then it was on to Vegas, which was...well....Vegas, and then California. We missed seeing Sue in Davis, but got to visit with Lisa, Noah, Eli and Michael, which was great (but I forgot to take pictures, dammit!)

Matthias, Keith and Patrick next to a typical Saguaro cactus


View of Sedona from the car

After Davis, we drove up the breathtaking Northern California coastline, through the Redwood forest and along the Oregon Coast. At long last we arrived in Portland and have found a temporary place to stay until we can settle in. And Portland hasn't disappointed either! It's everything we expected: it's an extremely bike-friendly city, it's laid-back but still interesting, they love their beer, and yes, it rains all the time. Just like Germany!

California Coast


Oregon Coast

So now we would like to stay here but I guess you never know with us. Our first step is to find work...not an easy task in this day and age. And that's one major reason I've come out of the dark and let people know where we are - I'm going to be bugging my work contacts soon for references and the like. Yes, Stu is helping me out with the latest job search/networking technology like pointing me toward LinkedIn. Being out of the workforce for so long, I guess I missed that one - so look me up if you don't hear from me first!

And for the full online trip photo album:

X-America Trip

Hello Stranger

Not sure if this is the longest stretch without a blog post, but as I read the last one, I realized we've come a long way (though not in distance) since then. We are now in Berlin. I can't yet say for sure whether our world travels are officially over, but it looks like we're about to settle down here. If we can survive the winter, that is.

Concert at the Brandenburg Gate

After the bike tour, we went to Matthias' home town of Gommern to take care of Oma (his grandmother) while Matthias' parents went on a trip to America. I hope I don't sound too glib when I say that we failed miserably, as Oma died after a week on our watch. It was indeed a difficult time, but I have to say, I think Oma was ready to go (for the last year, actually) as she was 95 years old and not able to do what she wanted anymore (as compared to just two years ago, when she cooked, baked, entertained, etc.!) And, she died in the comfort of her own home (in bed) without any pain or suffering, with her (favorite) grandson at her side. Almost kind of beautiful. Of course, I feel bad for Matthias' parents, who felt guilty about going on vacation (after 20+ years of taking care of Oma), and then had to hear about her passing so far away. But we were able to schedule the funeral, which was lovely, for their return, and I think all went smoothly. Oma will be missed!

Two special people we lost this year: Oma and Harry (at our wedding!!)

So that was our September - small town Germany and family. But Matthias (and I) did have some excitement finding mushrooms during what turned out to be an "excellent year for mushrooms" in Germany. For the most part, Matthias did the mushroom hunting (and all of the cooking.) But I was thrilled to find so many Steinpilz ("stone mushrooms"), the best-tasting, cutest looking shrooms on the planet! They actually look like tiny little elf houses! And I can now totally understand how Hansel and Gretel got lost in the forest - they must have been looking for mushrooms. So, September was also the month of Steinpilz soup, steak with Steinpilz sauce, sauteed Steinpilz, Steinpilz omelets, etc., etc.! And now I'm on a serious diet!

Steinpilz!!

But before the diet could begin, we had one more adventure. We met my parents in Budapest for a fantastic eating, drinking, thermal-bathing, and sometimes-sightseeing bonanza! It was great to see the parents, as always, and (also as always) great to be in Budapest! We had a blast! And then it was time to get down to business.

In Budapest!

Before we left for Budapest, we rented an apartment for four months in Berlin, so that we could try our luck here and (hopefully) find a longer-term place to live. Fortunately, the apartment and neighborhood turned out to be pretty fabulous. That's important, of course, as the weather is starting to turn nasty, and so are we, as looking for work is no fun! And not fun to write about either, so I'll stop here....