Pigs must be getting ready to fly because I just bought a pair of Born sandals!
I can't say I'm happy about it, but cobblestones and stilettos don't mix, and at least they've got sort of a heel, and that cute flower.I was in the 9th grade when the Berlin Wall fell. I knew by the photos of people partying in the streets that it was a big deal, but being 14 years old, I didn't think much about it.
When I visited Berlin this past December, Brandenburg Gate wasn't even on my itinerary. I just wanted to wander around and experience the City, but I guess you can't visit Berlin without experiencing the Wall in one way or another.
I started the second day of my trip in Alexanderplatz. Given the depressing socialist architectural style, and a street called "Karl-Marx-Allee", is there any doubt which Berlin I was in?
I was fumbling with a public transit map when a very sweet old man came over and first spoke German to me, then Russian. Unfortunately, I don't speak either, but he gestured to the map and I pointed to Potsdamer Platz. He tried to explain that I needed to take the bus, not the tram, but he spoke very little English, so he walked me several blocks to the bus stop and pointed to the bus that would get me to the Dali Museum.
In the course of our walk, I got that he was happy to see Bush go and was pleased that we'd elected Obama, and I wished we didn't have that language barrier because I would've liked to have learned a bit about his life.
I rode the top floor of the bus to a stop right across the street from the Museum, which has the largest collection of Dali works in the world. I spent a few hours there, got in trouble for taking photos of the artwork (would never use a flash), then left to find Bergmann Strasse, an area that was supposed to be full of awesome thrift shops, but that aside from the falafel, was definitely not worth the walk.
I left through the back door of the Museum to save a block or so of walking, and I'm glad I did because I stumbled upon this old guard tower, which wasn't mentioned in any of my guide books.
Seeing this tower made realize 2o years later, the incredible significance of the the fall of the Wall. It's one thing to vaguely know this history, but it's another to accidentally stumble upon the "death strip" and be smacked in the face with history.
Along my walk to Bergmann Strasse, I passed the Trabi-Safari depot. I only realized later that these were once the most common cars in East Berlin.
Despite their shoddy performance, Trabents cost about a year's salary, and the average wait time to get a new one was 15 years!!! After the fall of the Wall, East Berliners were more than happy to dump their Trabis, but now tourists can pay a premium to cruise around former communist Berlin like it's 1985!
Farther along in my walk, I came across one of the few remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall. Being suddenly cutoff from my family, friends, and job by a heavily guarded wall is unfathomable to me, and realizing that this way of life is still within the memory of most of the people I was passing on the street was even more hard to grasp.
It's by far the most historically significant sight I've ever seen. It's hard to believe its history is so recent.
I will definitely go back to Berlin. I love this city, but having seen the Berlin Wall in person, I've become very interested in the City's history, particularly life in the GDR. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit the DDR Museum, but it's definitely on the agenda for my next trip.
Despite minor regrets about not visiting Brandenburg Gate and the DDR Museum, I'm glad I experienced Berlin instead of following the usual tourist track. Stumbling upon both the tower and the Wall was far more memorable than seeking them out with a tourist map.
I feel a bit guilty for the recent lack of recipe posts, but I'm so busy, it's a miracle if I remember to eat, nevermind find the time to actually cook something.
This makes me sad because in another month or so, I'll have to part ways with my beautiful kitchen. I will be getting a new kitchen that is possibly even more beautiful, but Jeff and I renovated this one ourselves and it was here that I really learned to cook on that beautiful Wolf Range.
I love these croquettes, which are topped with a delicious Greek salad inspired topping. I adapted this recipe from the October, 2009 issue of Vegetarian Times.
ToppingI want an Azor Oma! It's a Dutch bike, even more expensive than the Pashley (figures!), but less flashy and built to last forever and a day.
I think my affinity for city bikes actually began on a trip to Amsterdam when I was a teenager, so it would make perfect sense to buy a Dutch bike!
I'm going back to Denmark next week, so I'll do some field research, visit some bike shops, and make a decision. It's really difficult to choose a bike without actually riding it, but these city bikes unfortunately have limited distribution in the US, so I'd have to buy it sight unseen, which is a bit scary when I'm looking at spending a couple grand on a bike!
I also suspect there might be a premium involved for getting a Euro bike stateside, so it's possible, though not probable that even with 25% MOMs, it might be cheaper to buy it overseas.
We shall see...
Whether or not I ship a car to Denmark, I will still need a bike. Gas is nearly $8/gallon, so I'm planning to drive only when it's absolutely necessary, or more cost effective than paying $6 each way for the bus.
A few years ago, I found a bike at the curb on trash night, and Jeff overhauled into a really cute pseudo-English bike. It's been a good bike, and I'm bringing it with me, but I really need something internally geared since I will most likely be riding in a dress from time to time. And I can't trust a picked from the trash bike to stand up to daily use.
I've always loved classic English and Dutch city bikes, and I used to think that given an excuse, buying a Pashley Princess Sovereign would be a no brainer, but now faced with the reality, I'm not so sure.
I love this bike, but it's got a steep price tag and I'm afraid it's a little too nice. It kind of reminds me of my Audi TT, it was love at first sight, but every scratch felt like a tragedy and I was afraid to park it anywhere. That's not the mention the unwanted attention I've attraced by driving such a flashy car; it's really not that great. Eventually, I garaged the TT and bought a Toyota Yaris for everyday driving, taking the TT out only a few times a year when the weather was just right for top down cruising.
The Batavus is a true Dutch city bike, and it costs a bit less than the Pashley, but I'm just not into it. The light looks cheap. The seat looks cheap. The handlebars look cheap. It's got dorky coaster brakes, and where the heck is the basket supposed to go? It's OK, but I know I'll always sort of wish I'd gotten the Pashley.
Then there's the Schwinn. It's less than half the price of the Pashley, it has 2 more speeds than the Pashley, and even has shocks, but something about the frame is too mountain-bikey for me, and I'm afraid I'll stand out as an American with a crappy American bike, who wishes she'd gotten the Pashley.
There are many more city bike options in Denmark, but everything is so expensive there and I'd probably end up paying more than the Pashley price there for something not as good. But this is another example of what I love about Europe... simple living and classic style are the norm, rather than the exception.
So what's a girl to do?
Right now, most people are thinking "spring", but I'm thinking about 25% sales tax and the next who knows how many long, dark winters in Northern Europe after I've sworn for years that I'd move somewhere warm.
Today, sweaters were 50% off at Goodwill, so I stocked up for my new life abroad! New, $16.50 might have bought half of one of these sweaters, maybe not even, and as usual, they're all barely worn, a couple might have never been worn...
This classic LL Bean cotton cable knit crewneck was only $3!
Its colder weather counterpart in lambswool & nylon was also $3!
I call this one my "Joan Holloway sweater" because with high heels and a black pencil skirt, it'll be straight out of Mad Men, and the $3 price tag makes it even more authentic ;)
Abercrombie, $4.50
As soon as I saw it, I knew this $3 sweater was just thing to wear on cool autumn afternoons while pedaling my Pashley to the market, library, etc.I'll bet many of us are a little over 2 weeks away from having more hard boiled eggs than we know what to do with!
I'm not sure what the Easter egg situation is in Denmark (though I do get a 4 day weekend!), so today, I whipped up a batch of egg salad, and viola! Lunch is served...
6 hard boiled eggsI feel like Ms. Gloom & Doom lately, so let's lighten things up with one of my favorite topics, thrifted goodness!
I bought these things at the end of last summer and had completely forgotten about them, but we're expecting record high temperatures today and tomorrow, so naturally, I'm excited to change over to my summer wardrobe! Well, that and I shortsightedly left most of my winter clothes in Denmark, so I've really had nothing to wear recently.
I scored these lovely items at Goodwill for $18.96...
This Ann Taylor top was only $3.99!
This is one of those head shop items I wouldn't pay full price for, but at $3.99, why not?
I love the mandarin collar and the Asian inspired buttons! It looks adorable with a black skirt or jeans, and it was only $3.99!!!
As a teeny 5'2" munchkin, maxi dresses are mostly out of my reach, but this one isn't too long, and it was only $6.99. Perfect for summer days at home!Lining up this work and residence permit reminds me of Sex and the City when Charlotte decides to convert to Judaism so she can marry Harry and the rabbi sends her away several times before he'll finally meet with her!
I've completed the 14 page application. I spent my Sunday digging through piles of junk in search of my college degree certificate. I copied all 30+ pages of my passport. I included a passport photo and a copy of my work contract. I checked the application checklist twice and I really, really, really thought I covered all bases.
However, the Danish Consulate called on my way home from work informing me that I needed to also overnight my original passport and money order for $212 before they'll even look at the application.
So, tonight, I was the loser who tore into the post office in a frenzy 5 minutes before closing. I really hate being that person. I was a mess! I was carrying a bubble mailer, my passport, my checkbook, my wallet, a cover letter, my car keys, a sharpie, my Blackberry, a post-it with the address of the Consulate scribbled on it, and a roll of packing tape. My Danish contract starts May 1 and the turnaround time on the application is 4 weeks, so like a good Girl Scout, I brought everything I thought I could possibly need!
They don't accept checks for money orders, who knew? By some miracle, I actually had $220 cash in my wallet, so I was able to get the money order, and charge the overnight fees, but not to my Corporate card because I'm a nomad and had left it in one of my backpacks. But for like 20 minutes, I actually thought I lost my Corporate card somewhere between Copenhagen and the post office!
So, will this be it, or like Charlotte, will they send me away a few more times to see if I'm really serious about moving?
Packing has commenced!!! Not exactly the easiest thing less than 2 weeks post-op, but I thought I would be in the US for the month of April, and it turns out, they need me in Denmark in April, so I'm headed back in about 2 weeks and will be there until early May. I'm a complete stress case trying to get everything ready to go!
The moving company is coming next week to survey my belongings, but I still don't actually know myself what I'm planning to bring! I still haven't heard back from the Danish tax office about the cost to register my car, so I can't tell the movers whether or not I need to ship a car, and I don't know if I need to sell one or both of them!!!
Opie still needs to be microchipped, vaccinated, and issued a pet passport. And if at all possible, he needs to lose a few pounds becuase he weighs 18 lbs. and the weight limit for pets traveling in the airplane cabin is 18 lbs. with the carrier. I can't bear the thought of putting him in cargo, nevermind the danger factor!
My work and residence permit application was submitted yesterday. I spent most of Sunday trying to locate my college degree certificate. Yeah, good luck! I found it in a box under a pile of junk in what we call the "scary closet" after going through literally every viable box in the attic!
I also need to find time to shop because everything in DK is taxed at 25% that after I pay close to 45% in income tax, so I'm bringing whatever I can from here, and yes, that includes things like taco seasoning and salsa because it just hurts to pay the equivilent of $3 for a packet of taco seasoning! And things like NyQuil just don't exist over there. Then there's all of the things I've promised my expat friends because it's not often that someone crosses the pond with a shipping container and it's hard living without Dr. Pepper and refried beans!
Then there's still the issue of going to court to get the actual divorce, then the fun of changing my name with social security, DMV, and 1001 other places. That's not to mention the red tape of trying to move to another country and buy property with documents issued in my married name.
Could this get any worse? OK, I'm not even going to ask that, not even rhetorically ;)
I'm sorry for being absent lately. I had surgery last week, and I've been consumed with the details of packing up life in one country and coordinating its migration to another. There are just so many logistics to deal with!
Anyway, we all know that food brings comfort. Having lost 45 lbs. and kept it off for 10+ years, I don't use food as a drug, but I'd be lying if I said the simplicity of a fresh blueberry muffin and a pot of tea doesn't bring me comfort from time to time.
1 cup milk
