You can take the girl out of the South...

...But you can't take the South out of the girl.

Yes, despite my "I Love Berlin" posts I do get homesick sometimes.

These pictures probably won't mean much to many of you, but they mean the world to me.

Best Of: Amsterdam Edition

So, I got back from Amsterdam late Sunday night. I had some time on the train (6 hours, give or take) so I jotted down a framework for this post while it was still fresh in my mind.  Also, I'm playing around with picture placement. I thought it might be a nice change from having the same size (large) and position (center). What do you think? Which do you prefer? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Amsterdam is an absolutely beautiful city. It has picturesque streets, canals lined with small boats, and warm little cafes on every corner.  The level of English is amazing. You can literally speak English with just about anyone, and they have a perfect grasp of grammar and barely any accent. Which is a really good thing, because the native Dutch language definitely has to be one of the strangest languages I've heard. Is it German? English? Are they sick and hacking up some mucus mid-sentence? If you aren't a fan of the French "r", you are in for a treat:


So, with that to set the tone.. This is the "Best Of" from my recent trip to Amsterdam.  I actually really like this, so I will try to make it a tradition for every city I visit in the future.  Without further ado..



The "Best of" Amsterdam January 2014

Best Neighborhood: Jordaan

Wiki says:

The Jordaan is a district of the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Originally a working-class neighbourhood, the Jordaan has become one of the most expensive, upscale locations in the Netherlands. It is home to many art galleries, particularly for modern art, and is also dotted with speciality shops and restaurants. Markets are held regularly at Noordermarkt, the Westerstraat (the Lapjesmarkt textile market) and Lindengracht.
Rembrandt spent the last years of his life in the Jordaan, on the Rozengracht canal. He was buried in the Westerkerk church, at the corner of Rozengracht and Prinsengracht, just beyond the Jordaan. The Anne Frank House, where Anne Frank went into hiding during World War II, is located on the edge of the Jordaan, on the Prinsengracht canal.

Personally, I love Jordaan because it's so picturesque and tiny and pristine. Tiny streets and canals,  tiny (beautiful) buildings, and tiny cafes with amazing coffee, beers, and desserts. It's more residential and much less touristy, which means the streets are quiet and calm -- but it's just a short walk away from the busy center. There are far fewer cyclists, so you can walk without fear of hearing the dreaded bike bell two seconds before they run you over.  It reminds me of Sacramento St in Pac Heights/Laurel Heights in San Francisco.

Best Beer: la Chouffe

la Chouffe, actually a Belgian beer. But I tried it for the first time on this trip, so it's going on the blog.  La Chouffe is a blond Belgian beer, and at 8% it's a pretty strong one. It's got a 94% rating on beeradvocate.com, so I'm not the only fan. A review that sums it up much better than I could:

"The beer pours a cloudy apricot color, plenty of sediment floating around the glass with a big, billowy white head, soft and fluffy that has very nice retention and leaves an incredible amount of soapy lace behind. The aroma is inviting, lots of fruity yeast, sweet pale malt, lemongrass and some crisp spice character from both the hops and the coriander. The flavors follow really well, nice fruity yeast flavors, a touch of funkiness, berry and lemon pop nicely, pale grain that is smooth and soft, sweet but not too rustic, but with a earthy assertiveness. A bit of spiciness leads to a crisp finish that has just a faint hint of alcohol. The mouthfeel is superb, super lively carbonation, dances across the tongue while still coating the mouth nicely and gently and finishes easily with just a touch of carbonated zip.

Verdict: A benchmark for the style and a really wonderful beer to drink. It's not overly complex or inventive, but refined and executed impeccably. It's quite refreshing for the ABV and one of the more quaffable Belgian Pale Strong Ale's one can find."

I say: delish.

Best local food: broodje haring

I got my broodje haring (herring sandwich) from a street vendor near the Anne Frank house. From what I can gather from the internets, the raw fish is brined and then slapped on a soft bun with some pickles and raw onions. It looks disgustingly unappetizing. The raw fish is (unsurprisingly) grayish white and pink/red towards the center.  The skin is only partly removed, so patches of it are still clinging to the fish. Bones abound, and sometimes the tail is still on.  If you can get past its less than tasty looks, however, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

The sandwich is served cold, which is good because otherwise the smell would probably be REALLY strong.  The fish tastes pretty mild but pairs well with the sweet pickles and sharp onions.  It was definitely a change from my normal street food in Berlin (doener) but a good one. I even bought some to make a sandwich to eat on the train ride home--in the compartment between cars, of course. There is always "that guy" who brings the smelliest food onto the train, turning the car into a huge Dutch oven for everyone else. No way was I gonna be that guy. 

Best Restaurant: Bazar

with my Italian friend whom I met in
San Fran but who is living in Ams now
Confusing? Yes. But cool.

Tucked down a street far from the hustle and bustle of the Red Light District and all its tourists, Bazar is a Middle Eastern restaurant that is perpetually busy. The restaurant is inside a former synogague, so it's huge. The second story is open to the first floor below, and everywhere you look is a riot of color -- from the large colored lamps to the mosaic walls to the dining section with colored Christmas lights, it's definitely not visually boring.  It might even be a bit much for a dining experience, but hey it's not my restaurant.

The service is actually horrendous.  I've been there twice and each time was really bad, even for European service. We called ahead for 7:45pm. They agreed that 7:30 would work -- and then wrote us down for 8:30. Innocent mistake or excuse to get us to have a drink by the bar? You be the judge. We found a spot at the bar, and despite having 3 bartenders working, it took us 15 minutes to even get someone to take our order. We stopped a waiter to order drinks during dinner. "Ok sure," he said, and walked away. Ten minutes later we stopped another server and asked about it. "Oh, he probably didn't even put it in the order," she said nonchalantly.  She brought our order -- a Coke, a bottled beer, and a red wine. Except somehow, "Coke" got transformed into "large beer."  She zoomed away before we could inform her of the mistake.

So, why did we eat there? The food is amazing.  The huge portions are cooked and spiced to perfection.  I ordered the Yogurtlu Adana (grilled minced beef and lamb kebab with lawash, yoghurt sauce with moesir, rice, grilled tomato, haydari and salad).

my dinner, plus an appetizer of dips (hummus, etc), dolmas, and bread that didn't last long enough for pictures

Christian posing but trying not to

Best Coffeeshop: The Doors

There are just some things that you HAVE to do in certain cities -- see Golden Gate in SF, have a beignet in New Orleans, Times Square in NYC..and a coffeeshop in Amsterdam.  When visiting a new place I am always terrified of picking a shitty (restaurant, hotel, museum, etc etc) so I had a list of researched, tried and true coffeeshops to visit. Knowing that Christian (my travel buddy for this particular trip) is a Captain Wing It, these were strategically chosen all around the city so that whenever when we needed a break from museums or the cold, we could pop into the nearest shop for a smoke. However, in additon to being Captain Wing It, Christian has a built-in "Plan Fucker-upper" and instinctively got the coffeeshop urge literally nowhere near any of my picks.

There were two shops within sight. At the risk of being too kitschy, I picked The Doors -- least we could probably hear some good music, I reasoned.  It was actually an awesome choice.

A barman stood behind a bar on the far wall. People were sitting at a bar along the left wall, but instead of drinking, they were smoking.  A barman was hanging out, serving them and smoking a cigarette.  A long bench ran along the length of the right wall with low tables, and booths were tucked in front of the two windows along the front of the shop.  Pictures of Jim Morrison lined the walls.  The customers were a mix of Dutch and English speakers, but they didn't seem like tourists.  It was almost cozy.

We snagged a table and ordered some prerolled joints. "Don't smoke all of it at once," the barman (or would it be weed man? ahaaa) cautioned us newbies.  "It's better to be kind of high than totally stoned."

It was really cool to chill, talk, smoke, and listen to 70s rock.  How funny that I was doing the same thing that my mom used to do -- just 40 years and 4000 miles away!

Afterwards we went for a walk.  Christian immediately ran into a parked bicycle just steps outside the door.  "Oh yeah, I get really dizzy. And I mix up my languages. And I say shit [stupid things]," he said.  "But the kickstand on the bike was down. That's why I tripped." Suuuuuure....

Best Bar: Bar Italia
Bar Italia is a spacious bar/restaurant combo. You enter one side and it's a packed bar/lounge.  Cross over the dance floor, go up a flight of stairs, and you are in a classy and quiet restaurant.

 It was absolutely packed when we got there after dinner at Bazar. We definitely did not manage to snag a table, but we did enjoy the DJ spinning popular dance/pop music while having a drink. The sad part was that no one was really dancing. I don't know if it was the crowd or just that it's Europe. I know that in France a lot of lounge/club/bar combos play dance music, but everyone who is there is too cool for school and just kind of bob around and talk to each other instead of shaking their booties on the dance floor.  Perhaps Bar Italia is the same.

Looking around I was struck by how good looking the Dutch are.  After so much time in Berlin with its scruffy unkempt look so in vogue, it was almost strange to see so many people who actually put effort into their appearance. Guys had longer hair, parted on the side and coiffed into place. Slim fitting jeans were paired with equally slim-fitting dress shirts and buttoned V neck cardicans. Girls were beautiful with long flowing hair and tasteful, classy yet casual dresses. Definitely not booty shaking, mini-wearing club girls. Some examples:

     

I pulled out my camera and tried to discreetly take a couple of pictures, but I was spotted. Not too hard to imagine considering it is an SLR and not very discreet at all. Can you see him? Hint: Look for the "peace" sign. 

What I imagine he was thinking: Oh look at that girl all in black with that fancy camera, she must be a professional party photographer! I'm gonna be in some sweet travel magazine or at the very least on an awesome party website!
What he was probably thinking: PICTUUUUURRRRRRE

Best Encounter: the Crazy Australians

Christian and I went separate ways on the last night we were there.  I was standing outside waiting to meet up with him again when a pair of guys walked by. One of them asked if I had a light. I lit his cigarette for him and we started chatting -- "Where are you from," etc etc, normal small talk. "We're from Australia," they said. 

"I LOVE AUSTRALIANS!" I all but yelled. I mean, who doesn't? With their quirky accents and fun, beach-infused attitudes, I have yet to meet an Australian I don't like.

One of them was definitely tipsy, and the other was the voice of reason.  "Oh my Gawd, you look like an Eskimo, can I just -- your fur looks so warm -- I just want to --" Tipsy started rubbing his head on the fur trim of my hood. "Oh my Gawd leave her alone, Jesus Christ," Reason said, rolling his eyes and pulling Tipsy away. "You freak."

"Look, you are so nice, can we put you in a cab or something?" they asked after talking for a few minutes.  "It's getting late, you should be back in your hotel room instead of out here in the cold."

A ton of empty cabs had driven by, looking hopefully for an easy fare from a (relatively) sober tourist. I didn't need the help but let Tipsy try to hail me a cab anyway. "I've got a great cab dance, just watch. I'll hail you one, no problem," he promised. He then ran into the street -- yes, into the middle of the street -- and started wildly flailing his arms, jumping around, doing kicks that would make the Rockettes proud, and gyrating his hips.  While hilarious, it was definitely having the opposite effect. Cabs were actually changing lanes to avoid this maniac in the middle of the street having a strange seizure.

After a couple of missed cabs, I looked at Reason. "Dude, your friend is scaring them away," I laughed. He shook his head. "Come on, man, let me do it," he said, pulling his friend onto the curb.  With only a reasonably raised hand and two seconds of time, a cab pulled up to the curb as if he'd summoned it, which I guess he had. 

"Take this lady where she needs to go. No funny business. We're watching you," Tipsy said. He gave the cabbie the evil eye.  "I mean it."  They started walking away.  I waved as the cab passed. Reason waved back, and Tipsy gave Cabbie the "I'm watching you" hand gesture a la Robert de Niro in Meet the Fockers:

While the whole encounter sounds kind of creepy (meeting two random men at night on the street, rubbing his face on my hood, etc etc), it was everything but.  It was actually quite hilarious. I'll never forget that crazy cab dance or how genuinely concerned for my safety they were. 

Definitely winners in the Best Encounter category.

The start of Winter might be here

Current weather, according to Google:
Temperature: 26F (-3C).
Precipitation: Light freezing drizzle.
Wind: 7mph (11km/h).

Current weather, according to Casey:
Temperature: -10F (-23C).
Precipitation: Light shower of frozen needles.
Wind: enough to permanently attach your hands inside your pockets

I can hear some people now..."But Casey, this is nothing. I lived at the North Pole for 10 years and had to walk to school in snow that was ABOVE my head, uphill, without shoes, fighting polar bears and falling through ice--"  Yeah yeah I know, you were a foster child raised by a pack of wolves in Alaska.

I, however, grew up in South Carolina, which has a humid subtropical climate. If the word "tropical" does not clue you in, it's common to wear shorts for at least week or two in midwinter.  If it even approached the freezing point, school was delayed. And if there was actually snow -- SNOW DAY! NO SCHOOL! LET'S GO MAKE SNOWMEN GUYS! And we'd run outside and make the smallest, muddiest, crappiest snowmen ever with the 2 inches of snow that melted by noon.

SC snowmen. I'm actually astounded that they got snow at the beach at all

 Wiki says:

 In the summer, South Carolina is hot and humid with temperatures during the day averaging near 90 °F (32 °C) across most of the state with overnight lows near 70 °F (21 °C). Winter temperatures are much less uniform. Coastal areas of the state have very mild winters with high temperatures averaging about 60 °F (16 °C) and overnight lows close to 38 °F (3 °C). Further inland in the Piedmont, temperatures average between 50 °F (10 °C) during the day and 32 °F (0 °C) at night.

 What Wiki does not mention is that summer lasts from late April/early May until October. Six months. SIX. Versus Berlin, which apparently has six months of winter.

Imagine my confusion when I get a text from Mir this morning: "Be careful when you're leaving. I have seen 4 people falling on the street."  Falling on the street? Are they drunk? Berlin has its share of daytime drunks but they are harmless, always much more wrapped up in what's left in their beer bottles than in the people around them. And if by chance they suddenly become aware of their surroundings, a few seconds of speed-walking past them puts you out of harm's way.  They move at a pace slightly faster than a sloth and about as straight as a sine function.

His words suddenly took on a new, much more sinister meaning as I was leaving for work. I step outside my door and my foot slid suddenly in the opposite direction. The entire sidewalk was covered with a thin sheet of ice, broken only by a narrow pathway of grit and salt, which continued.. THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CITY. The entire population now has a 2 foot wide walkway that is relatively safe to walk on, bordered on both sides by dangerous badlands. It was like the adult population was playing some kind of reverse "don't touch the lava" game that you played as children.

Woman playing the lava game and about to lose, courtesy of thelocal.de

Unfortunately this is Berlin and people are not always so polite or thoughtful. This means that you are often forced off the little patch of safety into the no-man's-land as couples/groups refuse to give up their bit of sidewalk. Which, in turn, means that you instantly become a geisha (as B put it) and take the tiniest steps possible, head bent and downcast eyes, searching for the path that offers the best friction.

Berlin's sidewalks are wide, with a concrete strip in the middle and extremely rough, tiny square cobblestones on either side. You might think that the smooth concrete would be more dangerous compared to the rough, bumpy surface of the stones. WRONG.  In a twisted joke (from nature, or the city planners -- I don't know, and don't know which I'd prefer), the rough surface of the stones is actually much more slick than the concrete. To all those foolish enough to tread upon them, they become little stalagmites of danger and pain and, worst of all, public embarrassment. After a near slip, I quickly learned that the concrete was the better option.

I managed to arrive at my apartment building with my dignity and backside intact.  And then.. I realized that my entire apartment courtyard is paved with these little square bastards.  What was once a quaint European courtyard has been transformed into a test of balance, determination, and sobriety.  Luckily I was returning directly from work so I had at least two of these. Carrying precious cargo -- a bottle of wine -- formed the third side of the triangle (and promises to destroy another side later, but that's irrelevant).

And it's only going to get worse. I wonder at what point is it acceptable to go into hibernation, preferably with a good stock of red wine and Belgian beer.

Tomorrow's forecast, according to Google:
Temperature: 34F high / 24F low (1C/-4C)
Precipitation: Snow showers
Wind: 9mph (14km/h)

Tomorrow's forecast, according to Casey:
Temperature: blood-freezing. Note to self: drink more than normal to keep blood at optimal flowing point and prevent clotting
Precipitation: freezing cold stars thrown from cloud ninjas
Wind: too much

Note from a cafe in Amsterdam

I'm so lucky. I am in Amsterdam right now, looking out over a canal and watching the nighttime lights reflect off the black water. I'm visiting an amazing friend and having another join us in just over an hour.

It just goes to show you that you can be the master of your own destiny.  I dreamt about moving to Europe for years, ever since I first visited in 2004, but I always dismissed it without seriously considering it.  I assumed automatically that it would be too hard, too many road blocks, too expensive.. In short, too impossible.

And then over the summer, I thought I'd finally have my chance to start living my dream. But as you know from previous posts, that plan didn't work. The problem? I had to depend on another person to realize the dream, to make it into a reality.  Your happiness should never be someone else's responsibility. It's up to you to make things happen. And the very moment I took things into my own hands and started to set the pieces in motion by myself, things started changing.

For everyone who has ever had a dream but who has been afraid of chasing it -- STOP. Stop right now. Take one step today towards achieving that special hidden desire you've always harbored and cherished, but haven't acted on.  What is the worst that can happen?  That you fail?  So what!  At least you tried and made some good memories, and probably a great story or two to tell.  I'll take a lifetime of failures and lessons learned over a lifetime of regrets and missed opportunities.

What is the lesser evil for you: to have tried and failed, or to never have tried at all?

For me, it's the latter. And I'm never looking back or letting my fear get in the way ever again.  What is stopping you?

Tribute to B.. No, not Queen B

I've written before about my roommate, and Mir the loverboy, some coworkers, my love for the city herself..but I've neglected to mention a very special VIP.

My girl B (no, not Beyonce, the other B) is my partner in crime.  Before I got to know her better, I remember stalking looking at her fb and thinking, "Wow, this is some interesting stuff here!" (Side note: for all of you living under a rock, Rule #1 of getting to know someone: check their fb. It's not stalking if everyone does it).

We have the same taste in music.  Rock. Good rock, with a twinge of darkness. Like.. Deftones, NIN, APC, Tool.. You name it, she's been to one of their shows. Met their wives. Has autographed pictures. Whatever. I know I can always count on her to "like" my Sound of the day on fb when I am in a rock mood.

It wasn't until an outing together with a couple friends that I realized how freaking awesome she is. B is kind of like a mullet: business in the front, party in the back.

Not going to lie.. Was staring at mullet pics for 10 mn before deciding on these. Because MacGyver. And short shorts.

And yes, while this analogy makes perfect sense in my head, I realize how strange that sounds, so let me explain.

Business in the Front
At work, she has her shit together. This girl is an expert in sales. She's got the friendly "I'm-actually-just-a-friend-calling-to-give-you-a-suggestion-about-this-great-thing-I-heard-about-and-am-totally-not-selling-you-anything" tone perfected. Side note: she's speaking in Portuguese but she's so awesome that even with the language barrier I know she's rocking it.

B can move a deal (opportunity for you Salesforce users out there) from cold to pending in one call. And organization? The girl's got a freaking elaborate excel spreadsheet to keep track of all the cycles she's got going on.  It's impressive, to say the least. The CEO would trust her with his life, I think, and it's well deserved.

Party in the Back
Oh God.. I will have to censor most of this part for both of our sakes.  B and I probably need a chaperone when we go out, but only in a good way.  For my family who is reading this: we are safe! With friends always! We stay away from dark alleys, questionable situations, and say no to drugs!

With that said.. you never know where the night will lead when we decide to go out -- attempted
(and clothed) pole dancing at Cookies, anyone?  Even when we decide to stay in it's an awesome time. I got a text one night around 1 am from her.. "I'm on the way home from Wohnzimmer but actually I don't want to go home.." My apartment is on her way, so of course the only logical explanation is to hang out in my kitchen with beers until the wee hours of the morning. Rock music, beer, and talking about any- and everything? Yes please. Before we knew it, the clock was chiming 5am. On a Tuesday.

She is kind, she is adventurous, she is confident. She's got her own opinions and she's not afraid to share them. She'd make Ke$ha proud -- "Be yourself. Unapologetically." She is tough and independent. She left her life back home for Germany, and she is painting Berlin red and making it HER fucking city. Amazing, unpredictable, intelligent, fun, and crazy? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. My confidant, the one I spill my trashy dirty secrets to? Yes and yes. A role model in all the best ways? Yes.

                    

Rules about questions about moving to Berlin

I've also had a lot of people ask me questions about moving to Berlin. I guess they have been following me on FB and on my blog and I piqued their interest.

Some rules must be laid down, however. Only two.

1. I am totally open to answering questions. I will answer until the cows freaking come home. But don't try to get me to talk you into moving here, and then have a rebuttal ready for everything I say. Either you are genuinely interested and really want to know how it is, or you don't ask me. I am not here to convince you, and I am not here to listen to your whiny excuses.  "I live in my parents' basement and have a shitty job in customer service, and I hate my life, but Berlin is far away. I heard it's cold. I don't speak German. It's far away."  No shit, Sherlock. It's far away.  Yes, there is a language that is not English. It's freaking in EUROPE and you are in AMERICA. It's not going to be the same and you shouldn't expect it to be.  Either you deal with it, or you stay in your comfy little security blanket and be happy with the same old thing.

2. On the other hand.. If it's something you really want to do but are afraid, I will talk to you about that. It can be hard to give up everything and move to a new country, but I think it's a very challenging, rewarding, must-do life experience.  Be open, be honest with me, but also be receptive to what I say.

Just two rules. Can you handle that? If not, don't ask me anything, because you will just annoy me and probably make me think less of you.

"Dear Casey: How do you travel?" Part 1

I often get questions from friends back in the States along the lines of

• "How do you pay for your travels?"
• "How do you stop being a tourist and actually move there for good?"
• "Wasn't it hard to leave the States and everything you know, to move to Germany all by yourself?

I can write on and on about each question, so I'm going to break my answers up into a few parts. This is actually kind of fun.   I feel like Dear Abby! I should start a Reader Mailbag or something. Anyhoo, a friend wrote:

"Your blog is thoroughly engrossing. I love reading your descriptions of places and people. Your experiences inspire and excite! Thank you for sharing your life and experiences with me. You've been to places most people have only dreamt about. One burning question I've been meaning to ask... And feel free to choose not to answer. So much travel and relocation had to be expensive. Did your work pay relocation expenses or did you just have the funds to go? I tend to get so freaked out that I won't be able to afford to travel due to the cost and just wondering how you've done it."

First -- thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so happy that you like to read about my adventures, which in turn pushes me to experience more so that I can write more... And also, I'm happy that my writing is not total crap and you actually like to read it!

Second -- the money. Yessss indeed, the financial aspect of traveling is probably one of the biggest roadblocks.  Even with all the new ways to cut corners and save money (Airbnb, Couchsurfer, etc -- I will talk about these later) let's face it -- traveling can be freaking expensive.

When we are students, we are rich in time but lack the money needed to do any serious traveling. And once we become professionals, we STILL don't have the money because we are paying for our college years for the next 200 years (or, at least I am...that diploma is the most expensive piece of paper I've bought in my life) and doing responsible things like buying houses and paying bills and all that crap that goes along with being an adult.  And some of you crazy people are actually doing things like getting married and having babies, which adds on a whole different level of "financial not-have." But I'm assuming that if you are having babies, you are not interested in traveling around the world, so this post is not for you.  But thanks for reading anyway.

SO.. back on topic. How did I personally enable myself to travel? To be honest, a lot of my really awesome trips (Vegas in Jan 2011, Cancun, Phuket) were funded by the company I worked for.  Normally I would never be able to afford helicopter rides in the Grand Canyon, catered beach parties with Mexican fire dancers, or private boat tours of tropical Pacific islands.  Just to make everyone jealous, here are some pictures.

Crew of Helicopter #5 literally in the middle of the desert at a random helicopter refueling station

FIRE!! and a Brazilian drum line on the beach of Cancun

part of the fleet of ships that the company rode around on during the day

So, awesome company trips aside...The other trips I financed on my own left me with amazing memories as well, and were just as fun.

Anyone can travel, really. You just have to open your eyes to reality, and to other possibilities.  Think outside the box, and don't be content with just doing the normal tourist thing.

1. Decide where you want to go. This kind of goes hand in hand with #2. You shouldn't limit yourself, but be realistic too.  If you are earning minimum wage you probably shouldn't be planning a 5-star trip to Dubai....but you also shouldn't limit yourself to a weekend in Myrtle Beach if you live in Florence (just 1 hr by car, for those of you not familiar with South Carolina geography). I think a good rule of thumb is one major trip per year, where major means you have to fly there. Exceptions are road trips that take more than 2 days.
2. Decide how much you can spend on your trip. I like to have this one second, because you can visit some amazing places and still do it cheaply.  Have a dream for your destination first, then work to make it happen.
   Financial 101: How much money do you make? How much goes to essentials (rent/mortgage, car, insurance, food, etc)? How much is left over?  And how much of that leftover are you willing to save?  I lived on a very tight budget for the first few months I was in San Francisco until I had achieved certain financial goals I set for myself. After that, I finally allowed myself some "play money." At the end of the month, whatever was leftover from the Play Money went into a savings account. It was tough to save so much when really all I wanted to do was go crazy spending the salary I was earning (my first real salary after college), but seeing the savings account grow each month and keeping my ultimate goal in mind was great motivation.
3. Plan out the logistics. Based on your budget, this is usually the hardest part. Travel to/from the destinations will probably be the most expensive part if you're going to be city-hopping. Lodging will be the second, and activities will be the third. Food is fourth. You can always just eat bread or something if you need to. Not recommended, since food is one of my favorite parts of a vacation..but it's an option.  

So, with this in mind..My brief story of how I got to live in Berlin. I had intended on moving in with my boyfriend in France and getting a student visa, then eventually translating that into an internship and long-term job.  However, that didn't work out so well -- we broke up just before I returned to the US to get my visa. I was planning on finding a job near Charlotte, NC, when I decided to take one last trip in the EU. I still had some savings, so I used that to fund the trip.

I kind of, sort of, maybe just a little bit... cheated. I planned my destinations so that I could stay with friends and save hella money on hotel rooms.  It was kind of like Couchsurfing, except with people you already know.  I am so lucky to have friends scattered all around Europe in awesome cities like Munich, Hamburg, Paris, Rennes, Prague, Amsterdam....etc etc etc.  But I was prepared to spend EVERYTHING I had, down to the last cent, to have a really great time. I didn't want to worry about money.  I wanted to be able to say YES to everything.

And I did, and it was amazing.  And you can too.  Or don't, and have your budget and have a lot of fun and not spend your last cent.  Remember Step #2?

Next post is about how to do it financially, and also maybe mentally. Because a lot of people have also written that they are afraid of jumping on a plane and just going.

The rewards of saying "Yes" and making it happen..Totally worth it

6 Things I miss about France

I know I am living in Germany, and the name of this blog is directly related to Germany.. But I have to go back to the topic of France, just for a bit.  I just got off of the phone with a French friend. We met in SF and dated briefly, and then his time studying in SF was over and he returned to Strasbourg. Now he's the cofounder of a startup that's been recognized multiple times and has won awards (Synovo, but everything will be in French if you google it and find the correct Synovo). It's really cool, and I am so proud of what he's doing!

Most of our conversations have always been in French and this one was no different.. It's so nice to be able to dive back into my second language and really speak fluidly and have a real conversation, not just say some nice sentences for my friends. It normally goes like this:
Friend: "You speak French? Say something!"
Me: (struggling to find something to say on the spot) "Bonjour, je m'appelle Casey.. Je parle français..Je porte un manteau?"
Friend: "Awesome! What did you say??"
Me: "My name is Casey. I speak French. I'm wearing a coat."
Friend: (obviously disappointed) "Oh."

So, in honor of our reconnecting (it's actually the first time we've spoken in a LONG time)..Here's a list of things I love and miss about France. Also, while I'm thinking about it.. Here is my now-defunct blog from this summer.. I actually wrote a post mentioning how much I love Berlin. So ironic that I am now living here a few months later.. Definitely did not see that one coming.

France, you are so close and yet you might as well be part of China...Je t'ai quitté pour l'Allemagne, mais je t'aime encore, ma belle!

1. la langue, la langue, la langue. Speaking French will always be, as the Frenchman in The Matrix says, "Like wiping your ass with silk."  I'll never have a perfect accent but it's getting better all the time (so I've heard..I will forever be skeptical of comments like that).. And anyway, despite stereotypes, the French have always loved my American accent.  Especially when I curse. "C'est mignon," ("It's cute") is the common response to my "Putain!" I also get a lot of requests to say "Va te faire enculer!" ("Go fuck yourself") just for the accent cuteness. The response "Awww! So cute!" is not necessarily what you want to hear when you are angry enough to use a gros mot, but I guess that's a small price to pay for the freedom and ability to speak in a different language.

2. le fromage.  There are over 300 types of cheese in France, and one of my greatest pleasures was the bi-weekly cheese adventure -- going to the supermarket, wandering up and down the 2 huge aisles of cheeses, and picking a couple of random ones to take home.  I never knew what I was going to get -- Reblochon? Saint-Félicien? Comté, Camembert, Coulommiers....Be it hard or soft,  aged or fresh, each one was a little adventure into Tasty Town.

3. the pastries - German bakers try their best at recreating the French croissant, the pain au chocolat... They look very appealing, sitting there in the bakery case in all their flaky pastry glory.  You remember the sweet buttery taste of your breakfasts in France and order one...and then are utterly disappointed when you bite into something dry and tasteless. A+ for appearance, but I don't want to eat something that tastes like a week-old, dried out piece of imitation croissant from the mass-production bakeries of the discount chain Dia.

4. My ability to speak the native language. Since moving to Germany I have found this as being highly underrated during my time in France. When I was in France, I thought I hardly spoke French. Sure I could have a conversation with people but my grasp of higher grammatical concepts was lacking. Plus-que-what??  Put me in a loud room with music and young people using slang with an accent and I would be lost.  That is literally making me smile as I type it, because... Fast forward to Berlin, where I have to deal with words like Kartoffelpuffer (hash browns), Friedrichstrasse (the name of a major street here..seems innocuous enough but the "ich" plus "str" sounds together get me every time), Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung (the word for speed limit??? wtf??), and Knoblauch (unfortunately, this is my favorite doener sauce, which means I have to use it fairly often) are literally alien to me. Like, you might as well just say "adingadurdongdang" to me. At least in France I can freaking understand when you ask me if I have a pen.

5. l'apéro. This is the pre-dinner snack/drinking course when you have friends over. This is amazing on a summer evening when it's still sweltering hot but cool enough to sit on the balcony with friends. Le pate en croute, des cornichons (baby pickles), le saucisson sec, des olives, et meme les chips (in American..chips)-- and don't forget le pastis (a licorice-flavored shot you mix with water and ice), le kir (white wine + a flavored liqueur)...It's the perfect amount of finger foods plus drinking plus talking, until the sun finally sets and you can head out to a boite.

6. the fashion. The French are well-known for both their fashion sense and their slender bodies which only accentuate their style.  Yes, they do wear black a lot.. But it is universally flattering and looks great when paired with a form-fitting dress shirt and a tie (on guys..or girls, if that's your thing) or a cocktail dress. Hair is perfectly coiffed. Guys tousle it just the right amount, and girls always have a cut that suits them perfectly. Heels or shiny dress shoes are a requirement, regardless of what you're doing -- going to the market, pushing your baby in a stroller, apero hour, going to a classy event... Wear. Your. Heels.

Compare this to Berlin, where you are forbidden from going into most clubs unless you are sufficiently DRESSED DOWN. Bed head, tshirts, hoodies, dirty Chucks/sneakers...This is the dress code for Berlin. Totally different world. But I refuse to give in. I am waiting to go back to the US.. I'm taking an empty suitcase just for my shoes.

French clubbing attire, guys. T-shirts? I don't think so.

Annnd this is Berlin.

At the end of the day, however, no matter how much I complain -- I'm happy to be here in Berlin.

Sundays are the best

Saturday night I was feeling a bit nostalgic and was looking through a lot of pictures from my time on the West Coast. Sometimes I really miss my time there.. But on Sunday morning I woke up to the sound of those church bells next door, and realized how much I love hearing them.  It's the sound of being warm in my cozy bed, of sipping espresso in the morning, of sharing a bottle of wine with friends in the evening... It's the sound of being home.

Sunday was a perfect day, and I didn't even leave Wedding, the district of Berlin that I call mine.  Or am I hers?

The day started with a coffee and church bells.  Then, at noon, German brunch with Mir.  Fruit, four different kinds of cheese, three kinds of cold cuts/salami, bread, scrambled eggs with chives, and butter. So much heartier than the French breakfasts I had all summer (a piece of baguette with butter and honey, or a croissant.. Tasty but I was hungry an hour later), or the Italian breakfast I have now (espresso).  And the coffees came with pieces of homemade chocolate cake. Dee-lishhhh.

After eating and talking..and talking and eating.. And then having another coffee...Mir took me on a tour of Wedding. As a native Berliner and Weddinger, I had asked him about good places to go in the 'hood. Instead of just telling me the names of the places, he actually showed me where to go with a running commentary about why it was a good place and what I should order/drink/do.  Gas here is not cheap -- it's actually really freaking expensive, like $7/gallon -- but the weather was cold and rainy so he drove me everywhere.  I was trying my best to remember the places but he kept showing me more and more, so finally I started making a list on my phone.  And the places I couldn't remember, I managed to find again on my run this morning.. Yay me for finding them again, and yay Mir for being so awesomely amazing enough to show me all of them.

After my intense introduction to Wedding, we had one more stop to make -- Volkspark.  It's a huge park near the airport Tegel. It was cold and drizzling and I was wearing wedges but it was perfect anyway as we walked and talked and drank Mate. And then, as we were getting ready to go back to the car.. The rain stopped and the clouds shifted just enough to clear the horizon. Where there had been only gray just minutes before, the sky was on fire with pink and purple and blue.  Bare trees were highlighted in stark contrast against the vivid sky and I couldn't stop staring at it.  Nature is so breathtakingly beautiful and moments like that are really precious to me... Perfect.

10 Things I learned about winter holidays in Germany

1. Vacation time. Lots of it. I was off from work from the 23rd until the 2nd. That's EIGHT days..12 if you count the weekends (which I do). The last time I had so much obligatory vacation, I was in college. Or unemployed.
2. Drink. Drink drink drink. Mulled wine (Glühwein) at Christmas markets is a wonderful way to warm the hands and the stomach as you huddle with friends in the cold. Add in a shot of rum or amaretto for 50 more cents, and it'll really warm you up. Plus it's a great bargain, for those of you who are cost-considerate. Grog, basically hot water mixed with rum, is definitely not as recommended as Glühwein, but will get the job done. Eierlikör is the German version of egg nog.  And then, if you want something really special.. Feuerzangenbowle is a special rum drink made with FIRE.  Drink with caution. And of course, beer. Because when is beer NOT acceptable in Germany? Answer: never.
   

   

   Glühwein FTW

3. Food. I don't know how many variations Germany has of meat and dumplings, but they are all delicious. Check out this for a recipe. I haven't tried it but the picture looks good..At the very least it'll give you a reference point for my ever-expanding cheeks in FB pictures.

   

   Variations of meat and dumplings at a local restaurant. Soooo delish.

4. Dark. Turn on the lights at 3:30pm because the sun says "Auf Wiedersehen" at 4pm. No wonder they drink so much here. It's freaking depressing.
5. Cold. Temperatures hover around freezing during the day, but the record low is -15. And if there is wind.. forget about it. Just stay inside. Better yet, don't even leave your bed. Because the sun will set soon enough, so you might as well be a proactive sleeper, right? Or, option 2: just drink more Glühwein and you won't feel a thing.
   

   

   Ready to go out now! Maybe.

6. Gray. The vast majority of days are overcast, which means it gets dark even EARLIER than it should. Take full advantage of sunny days, regardless of the temperature outside.
   

   

   Bustin' out the stunna shades, took a picture to commemorate it

7. Christmas markets (Weihnachtsmärkte). If the prevalence of Weihnachtsmärkte is any indication, Germans freaking LOVE Christmas. Around November 20th these little mini villages of Yuletide joy spring up wherever there is space, and you feel like you could be at the North Pole in Santa's backyard.
   
   A Weihnachtsmarkt is not complete without at least all of the following:
   -a Glühwein stand (preferably multiples, because the line can get really long)
   -a sausage stand..because you need something to help with all that rum-infused Glühwein you just drank. And because, well, Germany. It's even better when cooked on a Schwenkgrill, which is basically a circular grill hung by chains over charcoal. The grill swings in a circle over the coals and allows the meat to cook evenly
   -someone selling random clothing items. "Oh yes I've always wanted a fur hat from Russia, the bigger the ear flaps the better, thank you. And yes, while I'm at it, I might as well take a pair of those leggings that look like an ugly Christmas sweater."
   -Christmas lights, sparkling from inside boughs of evergreen and dangling in bright strands from buildings
   -Lebkuchen. Heart-shaped gingerbread-ish cookies, often with little messages on them (seasonal messages like "Merry Christmas" or romantic things like "I love you")
   

   

   This just screams Christmas to me

   

   Lebkuchen

   

   A Schwenkgrill
8. New Year's is not to be messed with. The fireworks started on the morning of the 31st and never stopped. I thought "So this is kind of what living in a war zone must sound like." And then after midnight...I've never seen so many unprofessional fireworks in one area before. The air was literally clouded with firework smoke. But it was amazing.. People rushed outside with their drinks still in hand to watch the fireworks, and everyone was in a great mood. It was the perfect way to start off the new year -- a little bit dangerous (alcohol+explosives, not good bedfellows), but fun and carefree and so congenial and warm at the same time.
   

   

   Totally safe. 100%.

9. Friends. When it's dark and dreary and cold outside, it's easy to feel down. Especially for me. Sometimes I think my overall mood is directly tied to the weather.  So for me, friends and the times I spend with them - be it exploring Christmas markets, dancing the night away, or just enjoying a beer in my favorite Wedding pub - are essential in winter
   

   

   Vagabund

   

   Chasing away the winter blues

   

   Just a normal night in Muellerstr

10. Love. If you were smitten with Berlin before, you will fall head over heels with her. She looks so beautiful all decorated for Christmas with lights and evergreen everywhere, and then once she gets you hooked on Glühwein and innocent Christmas spirit, she shows her crazy, dangerous, dirty party side at New Year's. But by this time you are already so deep in love that you don't care. She's kind of like a girl you bring home from the party because she was so beautiful and dolled up and fun, almost irresistible.. And then you wake up the next morning, see her without her makeup and skimpy dress, and wonder "Who the hell is this?? What have I done??" But then you remember how awesome she was the night before and it doesn't matter anymore. Because as long as you love Berlin, she will love you back. And that's really the only thing that matters.