Gotta love EasyJet, even if it's not the easiest airline to fly. A cheap ticket from Geneva to Berlin and I got to spend two weeks with three really cool friends!!
I arrived on the 14th of July, picked up in a BMW and whisked off to meet friends of friends of friends. We were so fortunate to meet Sabine and her family and be able to learn about life in East Berlin before the wall came down and to see how their lives have changed since. Super nice people and we arranged to meet them again later in the week. Sabine gave us the info on where to buy Birkenstocks and the knock offs. She had a great collection that we were trying on!!
For those of you who own houses, a great way to take a holiday is to do a house exchange. The risk is minimal because both parties have the same to lose. This is how I came to meet up with Donna, Karen and Jeff in Berlin. Donna exchanged her house with a family in Berlin. It was a lovely three story home, just a short tram ride into the city. We had use of theirs bikes, the Vespa and their car.
Berlin wasn't a place I had really thought about to explore but having been here I would definitely recommend it. In the two weeks, I felt that I barely scratched the surface. The city has an incredible energy, a rawness, an edge. Unfortunately we could never stay awake long enough to check out the dance clubs which are supposed to be incredible. I think the thing that impressed me the most was the history which is so recent. It's not like seeing castles or ancient ruins. This history is in my lifetime, there was a real sense of experiencing it first hand, of understanding how it affected the lives we live now. I loved the street art!! Seeing the East Side Gallery, the last bit of the wall that is still standing, left an impression. While in Germany, we did a day trip to Potsdam which has numerous palaces.
We also did a thee day road trip to Dresden and Prague. Two distinct cities in one. The old Dresden which is actually newer than the new Dresden as it was pretty much leveled in the war but brought back to its former glory. The new Dresden across the river is the funky, hip side. Great shopping, restaurants and bars. Prague is a beautful city. We rented a three bedroom apartment through Airbnb. The owners were great. They gave us lots of local knowledge for restaurants and places to see and they gave us a cell phone to use with their numbers for emergencies and the number for the taxi so we wouldn't get ripped off by the street taxis. Really well organized.
As always the two weeks flew by. I really enjoyed spending time with Jeff, Karen and Donna - easy and fun people to travel with. I hope we can do it again some time.
Just before I left for Berlin, I noticed a rash on my lower back. It wasn't itchy and I just assumed it was maybe a spider bite. While in Berlin it got larger and I became a little concerned so I did some checking on the internet. I diagnosed myself with Lyme disease. So I went to the pharmacy and described it to the pharmacist. Just so happened there was a doctors office above so she called up and got me an appointment. I has my IPad with me, with the page I found, and it was a good thing as the doctor didn't speak any English. I showed her the rash and the webpage. She was so excited!! Ya Ya a classic case!!! I had a blood test and it came back a few days later confirming it. Luckily, it looks like with the antibiotics I have nipped it in the bud.
I arrived on the 14th of July, picked up in a BMW and whisked off to meet friends of friends of friends. We were so fortunate to meet Sabine and her family and be able to learn about life in East Berlin before the wall came down and to see how their lives have changed since. Super nice people and we arranged to meet them again later in the week. Sabine gave us the info on where to buy Birkenstocks and the knock offs. She had a great collection that we were trying on!!
For those of you who own houses, a great way to take a holiday is to do a house exchange. The risk is minimal because both parties have the same to lose. This is how I came to meet up with Donna, Karen and Jeff in Berlin. Donna exchanged her house with a family in Berlin. It was a lovely three story home, just a short tram ride into the city. We had use of theirs bikes, the Vespa and their car.
Berlin wasn't a place I had really thought about to explore but having been here I would definitely recommend it. In the two weeks, I felt that I barely scratched the surface. The city has an incredible energy, a rawness, an edge. Unfortunately we could never stay awake long enough to check out the dance clubs which are supposed to be incredible. I think the thing that impressed me the most was the history which is so recent. It's not like seeing castles or ancient ruins. This history is in my lifetime, there was a real sense of experiencing it first hand, of understanding how it affected the lives we live now. I loved the street art!! Seeing the East Side Gallery, the last bit of the wall that is still standing, left an impression. While in Germany, we did a day trip to Potsdam which has numerous palaces.
We also did a thee day road trip to Dresden and Prague. Two distinct cities in one. The old Dresden which is actually newer than the new Dresden as it was pretty much leveled in the war but brought back to its former glory. The new Dresden across the river is the funky, hip side. Great shopping, restaurants and bars. Prague is a beautful city. We rented a three bedroom apartment through Airbnb. The owners were great. They gave us lots of local knowledge for restaurants and places to see and they gave us a cell phone to use with their numbers for emergencies and the number for the taxi so we wouldn't get ripped off by the street taxis. Really well organized.
As always the two weeks flew by. I really enjoyed spending time with Jeff, Karen and Donna - easy and fun people to travel with. I hope we can do it again some time.
Just before I left for Berlin, I noticed a rash on my lower back. It wasn't itchy and I just assumed it was maybe a spider bite. While in Berlin it got larger and I became a little concerned so I did some checking on the internet. I diagnosed myself with Lyme disease. So I went to the pharmacy and described it to the pharmacist. Just so happened there was a doctors office above so she called up and got me an appointment. I has my IPad with me, with the page I found, and it was a good thing as the doctor didn't speak any English. I showed her the rash and the webpage. She was so excited!! Ya Ya a classic case!!! I had a blood test and it came back a few days later confirming it. Luckily, it looks like with the antibiotics I have nipped it in the bud.
On July 24th, I flew back to Lyon and was met by Judy, Janet and Susan. We stayed a couple of days to watch their friend, Scott, compete in the World Disabled Athlete Championships. Scott lost his leg in an accident when he was about 12 but that didn't seem to slow him down. He used to compete in water skiing and was very successful but has now turned his focus to track. At the championships he took home a silver and a gold. I was very fortunate to meet this incredibly inspiring young man.
Spent a couple of days with Jean-Luc's family at the lake to celebrate his mother's birthday and then went back to Montmin with Judy and Serge. We did a three country ,mini, girls road trip. We picked Janet up from work in Geneva, went to the thermal baths in Levy les Bains, Switzerland. The next day we went to Lac Maggiore, then the following day hit the outlet stores near Milan on our way to Courmayer. We had a wonderful dinner in Courmeyer and then back to Montmin the following day. Lots of laughs.
On August 12th I went back to Lyon to house sit for two weeks. I posted a photo on Face Book of the beautiful house that I stayed in. It was an old convent complete it's own chapel and secret tunnel. I had planned on starting the process to extend my visa but after compiling all the information and waiting in line for two hours from 6:30 am, I was told to come back on October 1st. Well that put an end to that idea so I spent time exploring Lyon and enjoying some down time at the house. I experimented with transferring photos onto old slate tiles with limited success. I really like Krista Stovels photos on wood - see www.kristastovel.com. The one negative of travelling all the time is that you don't have a dedicated space as a studio. Good thing I have a car and I can carry around a box of ideas for my photos. I'm looking for a unique way to display them.
Well this takes me up to August 28th when I fly out to Rome - the Cole's Notes version. I have done a separate blog about the holiday with my family!!
Spent a couple of days with Jean-Luc's family at the lake to celebrate his mother's birthday and then went back to Montmin with Judy and Serge. We did a three country ,mini, girls road trip. We picked Janet up from work in Geneva, went to the thermal baths in Levy les Bains, Switzerland. The next day we went to Lac Maggiore, then the following day hit the outlet stores near Milan on our way to Courmayer. We had a wonderful dinner in Courmeyer and then back to Montmin the following day. Lots of laughs.
On August 12th I went back to Lyon to house sit for two weeks. I posted a photo on Face Book of the beautiful house that I stayed in. It was an old convent complete it's own chapel and secret tunnel. I had planned on starting the process to extend my visa but after compiling all the information and waiting in line for two hours from 6:30 am, I was told to come back on October 1st. Well that put an end to that idea so I spent time exploring Lyon and enjoying some down time at the house. I experimented with transferring photos onto old slate tiles with limited success. I really like Krista Stovels photos on wood - see www.kristastovel.com. The one negative of travelling all the time is that you don't have a dedicated space as a studio. Good thing I have a car and I can carry around a box of ideas for my photos. I'm looking for a unique way to display them.
Well this takes me up to August 28th when I fly out to Rome - the Cole's Notes version. I have done a separate blog about the holiday with my family!!