February 17, 2016

10 Tips for First Time Travelers to Europe

February 17, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Any trip, whether domestic, international, or even within a few hours from your home, can be exciting, and stressful, if your not prepared. I remember back to my first trip abroad. I was 17 (oh my gosh, that was over 10 years ago, #ifeelold), fresh out of high school, and I was going with a group organised through my school. Best of all, my sister and I were going together and we were going to England! Needless to say, we were excited, but also nervous. Between the flight, the time change, the new currency, and new foods, we weren't exactly sure what to expect.

January 26, 2016

Knutfest: Christmas Tree Throwing

January 26, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

The Christmas tree has a unique tradition in Germany. In fact, it is where the Christmas tree started. Originally, a pine tree was cut from the local forest around Christmas eve, brought inside, lit with real (!) candles, and decorated. Not much has changed in how the Germans utilize a Christmas tree. While some opt for a fake tree, or one with electric lights for slightly less of a fire hazard, many of them still put up their tree on Christmas Eve and decorate it then. It remains decorated until January 6, known to many as the Epiphany, when the three wise men arrived to honor the birth of Jesus. After that, the trees are taken down, and most are discarded by the local refuse collection. However, in one small town in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz, a more interesting and festive way has emerged - Knutfest, a Christmas tree throwing competitions!

January 22, 2016

10 Ridiculous Things My Husband Has Said During My Pregnancy

January 22, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Today, I am exactly 40 weeks pregnant. The biggest lie told to pregnant women is that pregnancy is 9 months. False. It's 10. 10 long, sober, sushi-less, sometimes uncomfortable, months. I cannot wait for this baby to be out so that I can enjoy a glass of red and a giant plate of sushi, but at this point, I think I will be pregnant forever. I'm sure every pregnant woman says that, but after 10 months, it definitely feels that way. However, pregnancy isn't all terrible, it has provided ample fodder for some pretty laughable comments from my beloved husband.

January 19, 2016

Speyer Technikmuseum

January 19, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

The week between Christmas and New Years turned out to be a busy one for us. We went to Switzerland and then we one of my sorority sisters and her husband visit us for a couple of days. They were on a European vacation that started in Turin, Italy and ended in Amsterdam. Quite a trip for only a week! We wanted to show them a little bit of Germany, and we were lucky to find the Christmas market in Speyer was still open. Coming home, they noticed the giant Lufthansa 747 at the Speyer Technikmuseum, and said they had to go (it's good to be friends with like minded people!). Despite living so close, Aaron and I had never been, so plans were made to visit the next day.

January 08, 2016

Ice Palaces, Chocolate, and Pools in Switzerland

January 08, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

The rest of our quick Swiss trip was supposed to be visiting the Ice Palaces in Schwarzsee, about an hour and a half from Adelboden, another interesting experience I found on the My Switzerland tourism website. Again, with our history of building snow statues at Michigan Tech, we thought this would be really cool. And the pictures we saw of them made the whole thing look awesome! We were totally in. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite all it was cracked up to be.

January 05, 2016

Fondue in an Igloo

January 05, 2016/ Meghan Oaks

Before moving to Germany, I wasn't aware that fondue was a Swiss tradition. My experience with it was limited to home made stuff where we had different types of meat that were cooked in hot oil, and the stuff from the Melting Pot restaurants. Traditional Swiss fondue though, is pretty much just a pot of cheese served with bread. When we decided to head to Switzerland for a couple of days after Christmas, we knew we had to try this Swiss specialty. What better way to try it than sitting in an igloo at the top of a mountain in the Swiss Alps?

December 31, 2015

2015 in Review

December 31, 2015/ Meghan Oaks

As the year wraps up, it's only natural to look back and reflect. In our case, 2015 was kind of a big year, it was the first one we spent completely in Germany. We traveled. A lot. It was the Year of the Bucket List. But there are still so many places we want to go to! As we head into 2016, we are in for some even bigger changes and adventures. I won't try to get too nostaligic here, but I always think it's a good exercise to look back, remember what happened, and be thankful for all the good times. Sometimes, I even forget some of the stuff we did. And this is one of the reasons I am glad we blog about it all. Even if no one reads it, at least we have a running journal of the things we did and experienced.