Okay, I really don't have time to say much at this point. We're having fun with our friends from home enjoying the company, water, beaches, etc. So in the meantime check out Tricia's Blog and I'll try to also update my Flickr page soon too. :)
7.4.07
23.3.07
Update 2: Munich, London, Customs, etc.
Tricia's put another update on her blog. Sounds like she had a pretty interesting time. Her blog is here.
21.3.07
Munich
Munich is definately a great city. As with many cities the public transportation is incredible. The systems in Europe really put most of the North American ones to shame. Vancouver's no exception in that area. So, when we arrived we jumped on the S-Bahn directly to the main station, Hauptbanhof (or something like that). The train was easy... the purchase of the tickets through the non-English speaking/communicating machine was nearly impossible. Thankfully, after far too long we found a desk manned by real people that spoke English. English speakers sure are demanding, eh?!
The character of older European cities is hard to imagine and fully understand and appreciate coming from North America. The picture included here is of the glochenspiel (sp?) above the Rathaus (city hall) in the Marienplatz (city center square). The part housing the tower and clock is only about 250 years old. The rest of the building is 400-500 years old! And that's just in the Marienplatz, there are many, many, many other very old, historically significant buildings scattered throughout most of the city. The other interesting contrast is the German affinity for ultra-modern design. The contrast is very interesting and I'll have to upload some more photos to my Flickr account when I have a chance.
But the architecture and history is only part of the story. The passion of the German's for all things German (and some not) is quite something. It's not really a stereotype that Germans love their beer, at least not regarding Barvarians. There's a beer for every occasion, different beers in different seasons, and countless micro-breweries. There's even beer that's especially for breakfast! Weis beer (wheat beer) is eatin' with white sausages and pretzels, but it's only served before noon so you have to make sure you're up early.
The passion Germans have for sport is quite something. Their passion really makes Canadians' hockey passion quite pathetic. I didn't get a chance to attend a football (soccer) game at Allienz Arena to get the full affect, but I did attend a Muenchen playoff hockey game and it was great! Nearly half the fans had the home-teams jerseys on and many other's had scarfs representing the home team. The chanting and constant noise was electrifying and yet there were only 2300 people in attendance at the Olympic Zentrum. Every time the home team scored a giant flag, bigger than the infamous Canadian flags that have been smuggled into Olympic hockey games in years past, was passed over the crowd as chanting and screaming abound. Of course there was beer and wine at the game, the wine was called bluwine, or something, and was a warm, mulled wine.
More to come...
15.3.07
London Town
Trish & I had a great time in London. It's been our first trip together to Europe and we've had a great time together. Our hotel is near Paddington Station near the Northern border of Hyde Park. We took the Heathrow Express into Paddington and then found our hotel.
After checking in we crashed for a bit to try to regain at least a smidgen of energy. Before long our little crash turned into a bit of a medium crash. We finally wrestled ourselves out of bed and into the town. I think we strolled toward Hyde Park and along Regent Street before eventually using the Tricia Navigation System, known as TNS, to get us to Liecester Square to check on cheap show tickets for the evening. Wanting to see the Lion King we had to continue on to the Lyceum theatre to get tickets. We managed to score the VERY last row. It was still great and I'd see it again in a heartbeat, though maybe I'd try for the second last row.
On our next day we again strolled through Hyde Park, enjoyed coffee in our duplex and then went on to Camden Town to visit its' markets. We had lots of fun exploring them and seeing a new area of London. That afternoon we tried to go to the London Museum, but due to an extended nap and poor scheduling on my part we didn't make it there in time. Quickly coming up with an alternative plan, Tricia used her TNS to get us to Oxford Circus and then into SOHO where we decided to find some dinner. We found a nice little place, Aperatifo, which was fine but nothing too special, especially the service.
Read more about our adventures @ The Boulevard to Paris.
Cheers.
After checking in we crashed for a bit to try to regain at least a smidgen of energy. Before long our little crash turned into a bit of a medium crash. We finally wrestled ourselves out of bed and into the town. I think we strolled toward Hyde Park and along Regent Street before eventually using the Tricia Navigation System, known as TNS, to get us to Liecester Square to check on cheap show tickets for the evening. Wanting to see the Lion King we had to continue on to the Lyceum theatre to get tickets. We managed to score the VERY last row. It was still great and I'd see it again in a heartbeat, though maybe I'd try for the second last row.
On our next day we again strolled through Hyde Park, enjoyed coffee in our duplex and then went on to Camden Town to visit its' markets. We had lots of fun exploring them and seeing a new area of London. That afternoon we tried to go to the London Museum, but due to an extended nap and poor scheduling on my part we didn't make it there in time. Quickly coming up with an alternative plan, Tricia used her TNS to get us to Oxford Circus and then into SOHO where we decided to find some dinner. We found a nice little place, Aperatifo, which was fine but nothing too special, especially the service.
Read more about our adventures @ The Boulevard to Paris.
Cheers.
27.2.07
Black Tuesday?
A mammoth day on the global stock markets as the Chinese government moved to stem stock speculation and former Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, sparked concerns of softening Chinese and U.S. economies and the affects that would bring also hardship to the rest of the worlds' economies.
Greenspan's chatter sparked the worst single-day losses in many markets since the terrorist attacks of 9/11! The U.S. markets, measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Index (DJIA) lost over 400 points! The Shanghai Stock market lost nearly 9%, it's largest loss in over a decade! (Fortunately, it's already Wednesday in China, and at writing of this blog, the Chinese markets are headed slightly higher lead by Financial Blue Chips.)
Other markets around the globe also felt the drop, as economists, traders, and investors alike were forced to consider more closely the chances of an impending recession as the U.S. economy continues on one of it's longest periods of expansion ever! Greenspan's primary point was that things cannot go on forever and that more and more signs are pointing to the 'R' word by as soon as the end of 2007.
We'll have to wait and see when the right time is to pull the trigger and buy stocks again or to just put that money in your ING account.
Greenspan's chatter sparked the worst single-day losses in many markets since the terrorist attacks of 9/11! The U.S. markets, measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Index (DJIA) lost over 400 points! The Shanghai Stock market lost nearly 9%, it's largest loss in over a decade! (Fortunately, it's already Wednesday in China, and at writing of this blog, the Chinese markets are headed slightly higher lead by Financial Blue Chips.)
Other markets around the globe also felt the drop, as economists, traders, and investors alike were forced to consider more closely the chances of an impending recession as the U.S. economy continues on one of it's longest periods of expansion ever! Greenspan's primary point was that things cannot go on forever and that more and more signs are pointing to the 'R' word by as soon as the end of 2007.
We'll have to wait and see when the right time is to pull the trigger and buy stocks again or to just put that money in your ING account.
26.2.07
The Hair is Back!
That's right folks, the Vancouver Canucks have reaquired the Hair from the Los Angeles Kings. It's been a couple years since he's been around, but I'm sure he'll be able to fit right back in with the boys without too much difficulty. Who is the Hair? Why it's Sopes, Brent Sopel that is.
24.2.07
End of 2 Eras
Hard to imagine, but two eras came to a swift conclusion since the new year. The first was planned, the second was a bit of a shock to many.
On February 9, 2007 we sold our first home with the help of our realtors. Wierd feelings, but now that its' had time to settle in a bit we're really happy about everything. The place was only on the market for about 10 days when we received our first offer. We accepted it, and here we are, a couple weeks after the fact starting to pack up our lives. As to where we'll be next, that's a good question. Let me know if you have a good answer for it. ;)
February 22, 2007 saw the end of the other era, The O.C.. Seth, Summer, Ryan, Taylor, and the rest of the gang will have to live on in our hearts and DVDs. The summer-time series that could, could no longer. But the series finale was one of the best conclusion-style episodes of any show in recent memory. A few surprises, but overall a good wrap-up of the questions we all had.
On February 9, 2007 we sold our first home with the help of our realtors. Wierd feelings, but now that its' had time to settle in a bit we're really happy about everything. The place was only on the market for about 10 days when we received our first offer. We accepted it, and here we are, a couple weeks after the fact starting to pack up our lives. As to where we'll be next, that's a good question. Let me know if you have a good answer for it. ;)
February 22, 2007 saw the end of the other era, The O.C.. Seth, Summer, Ryan, Taylor, and the rest of the gang will have to live on in our hearts and DVDs. The summer-time series that could, could no longer. But the series finale was one of the best conclusion-style episodes of any show in recent memory. A few surprises, but overall a good wrap-up of the questions we all had.
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