July 25, 2018

The Berlin Zoo

July 25, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

For two years we lived in Germany. During those two years we saw lots of the country, and Europe in general. We took weekend trips to Cologne and Munich, went Champagne tasting in France, toured a Nazi-era mine, experienced the Arctic cold while mushing our own team of sled dogs, dove in a flooded Alpine Park, and ate pasta while sipping a glass of Chianti in the Eternal City. We definitely lived it up, but, shockingly, one place we never made it to was Berlin. It was one of those trips that was too close for a long weekend (we took advantage of company holidays to travel to farther places), but too far for a spontaneous road trip. When we found ourselves back in Germany for a vacation to see a friend get married last September, we knew we wanted to visit a few places we hadn't made it to while we were expats. Berlin was one of those places.

July 17, 2018

The Longest Surface Interval

July 17, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

685 days. 1 year, 10 months, 16 days. That was the length of my last surface interval. It's embarrassing really, especially when Aaron and I had gone 12 for 12 (at least one dive per month, every month) for nearly three years. However, as I prepared to take my giant stride off the boat into the dark waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the closest land more than a 100 nautical miles away, wearing a wet suit (which still fit, surprisingly, after having two babies) and the rest of the gear necessary to support human life underwater, there was a sense of exhilaration, and also trepidation. Right hand on my mask, my left on the waist band of my harness, my stomach momentarily somersaulted as I stepped off the boat and started falling before plunging into the water in a cloud of bubbles. And with that first jump, my longest surface interval since we were certified in 2012, came to an end.

July 10, 2018

Making My Own Chocolate Bar at the Rittersport Store in Berlin

July 10, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

Our trip to Germany last fall fell, conveniently (or not so conveniently, depending on how you look at it) over my birthday. However, as I was pregnant at the time, my usual indulgence of choice - a good, dry, German Riesling - was off the table (well, mostly, I will admit that I imbibed in one small glass over dinner). So what's a pregnant woman to do on the day she turns 30 when she cannot freely partake in the consumption of wine?! The next best thing of course - eat chocolate!

June 05, 2018

Postcards from Portugal

June 05, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

I know I haven't written much about Portugal and I really should. The country was beautiful, the food is amazing, the wine is cheap AND delicious in a way only Europeans can do, and the week we spent there was perfect. But, since that trip was over a year ago, some of the details have been lost to time. That's another reason I blog about all our trips - so that I can remember small details that may otherwise be forgotten. But alas, this one has slipped away from me. I will try to get a few posts published about the more notable parts of our trip, but Portugal is far too beautiful a country to let these pictures sit on a hard drive somewhere. So my loss is your gain. A post light on words, but full of pretty pictures. Going through these to choose the best ones has made one thing painfully clear to me - I need to go back to Portugal.

May 18, 2018

Pena Palace, a Colorful Day Trip From Lisbon

May 18, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

We maintained a break-neck speed when we were in Portugal. In retrospect, it might have been nice to slow down just a bit, but when there's so much to see in the world and so little time in which to see it, well, slowing down isn't much of an option. We spent the last few days of our trip in Lisbon. And if you google, "things to do in Lisbon," the iconic Pena Palace in the small town of Sintra is bound to pop up. Sure, it's cliched, and expected, for a travel blogger to go there, but, I'll admit that I actually enjoyed it. You don't need a full day to visit the palace, especially if you have your own vehicle and aren't relying on public transportation, which means you have the afternoon to seek out and sample the best Pastel de nata in the city.

April 25, 2018

Miniature Wonderland in Hamburg

April 25, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

Finding things to do when we travel that won't completely bore a toddler, aren't super "kid-centric" and are interesting for parents can be tricky. As our daughter had gotten older, we have to find more and more things that she will enjoy when traveling. Aaron and I would love to just wander sometimes, eating at street-side cafes and stopping for a beer or glass of wine, but, a two year old finds those things boring. When we were in Hamburg, we knew we wanted to visit Miniature Wonderland - it's actually on our European Bucket List - and we were delighted when Evelyn found it just as cool as we did.

April 18, 2018

Port in Porto

April 18, 2018/ Meghan Oaks

One of the great things to do when traveling is to sample the local beverages. In Belgium and the Czech Republic, this is usually beer, in France and Italy it's wine. Turns out Portugal has a pretty fantastic wine culture; the most well-known of these varieties being Port. Aptly named, the city of Porto is the historical trading and export hub for these fortified wines which vary in color from a light amber to a deep purple-red. The wine is typically sweeter and often drank as a digestive or after-dinner drink. Not a big fan of sweet wines to begin with, I wasn't sure I would be a fan of port, but, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong.