It can snowboard!

Somehow I doubt an ad like this would fly in the US, especially as a billboard in a location frequented by children.

Hey G-20, fix everything now!

In London over the weekend, we came across a large demonstration snaking through the city. Unlike the protests expected this week during the G-20 meetings, the one we saw was quite peaceful and orderly, and was even followed up by a crew of street sweepers to erase any mess that might have been made by … Read more

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging…

After a long, drawn-out illness that had appeared this week to be in remission, Jul’s computer died suddenly this morning. Emergency surgery was performed, but it was too late. The computer is survived by Jul’s Eee PC which will have to serve as Jul’s only contact to the interwebs until an appropriate mule can be … Read more

Starkbierfest Munich: when regular beer isn’t strong enough

Finally we’ve made it to that time of year again – time for a beer festival in Munich. Starkbierfest is a lot like Oktoberfest, with a few key differences: Different beer (duh). Starkbier is very strong and so sweet it’s practically undrinkable. No smoking! Smokers have to go outside. Your throat will still hurt from … Read more

Germans love Obama and his body parts

By now you have probably heard about Obama Fingers, the tasty new frozen chicken snack food* available in Germany. Although much ado has been made over the possible racist overtones of the convenience food’s name, personally I doubt that those behind the name intended offense. I’m guessing the only reason the fried chicken strips are … Read more

Ask the Expat: temporary or permanent?

Hey Jul: I see that you have lived in some of the most difficult countries in Europe to obtain citizenship (Switzerland and Germany). Are you planning on making your stay permanent or are you planning on coming back States side? – TomD I really don’t know if we’ll ever move back to the US. We … Read more

wheeeee giggle bump ow

I’d almost forgotten how much fun sledding is. I’m happy to report that the Bavarian version is almost as good as the Swiss. Wallberg is on the Tegernsee, about an hour’s drive outside of Munich. A quick 5-10 minute ride up on the gondola is followed by at about a half hour of flying downhill … Read more

How do I learn photography without overtaxing my lady-brain*?

Now that we own a DSLR camera, I figured it’s high time I learn something about photography. So I turned to that local bastion of adult education, the Munich Volkshochschule. Perusing the online course offerings, I was pleased to find a variety of classes on offer. Like this one: Basiswissen Fotografie – Photography FundamentalsSie erwerben … Read more

New Feature: Ask the Expat

I get a lot of email thanks to this blog, most of it asking me to share nuggets of wisdom about travel or life as an expat. I enjoy corresponding with readers, but I find that I often don’t have the time to respond thoroughly to all the inquiries I receive. There are also certain … Read more