Buddy Bears

If you are evey lucky enough to spend time in Berlin, it won't be long before you''ll come upon a buddy bear. The official mascot of Berlin is the bear and he is all around the city wearing a bunch of outfits. I just love them. It is a warm to see and makes me happy.

Prost!
Christina

Living In Europe

One of the best things about living in Europe is old buildings scattered about. While on tour, we were lucky enough to stay spot on one of the most beautiful squares Berlin has to offer. The Gendarmenmarkt.

Prost!
Christina

The Berlin Zoo

While on tour - I did make sure to see my favorite place in Berlin. The Berlin Zoo has the widest selection of animals that I have ever seen. It is a wonderful place to visit, and for about 55 Euro - one can get a yearly pass. While the zoo is no match for the Bronx Zoo or Disney Land when it comes to animal habitats - it is certainly worth a visit.

Prost!
Christina

Lost It!

The competitive Berlin housing market ate up all 3 of our applications. Looks like we will have to opt for temporary housing and look while we are there.

Prost!
Christina
http://thegermanadventure.blogspot.com/

Dog Heaven

Germans love their dogs. While on tour, we were lucky enough to visit the heavenly Berlin dog hotel. These dogs spend hours romping, swimming, and living with another dog while on stay at the hotel. While it is more "rustic" looking than "polished" I'm sure the dogs don't mind.

A Flat - Cross Your Fingers

Our first choice, a house with a private yard, went to someone else. Who knew the Berlin housing market is quite like the NYC metro area market - get it fast! So our second pick is what we are waiting to hear about. A nice four bedroom flat with a shared yard in beautiful Dahlem. We should know something soon.

Prost!
Christina
http://thegermanadventure.blogspot.com/

a "look see" tour of Berlin

We are back from our Berlin look-see trip, which is a basic tour of the city. We have a wonderful international coordinator, Sophie, who is just full of information. We have decided to stay in the "green" areas of Berlin so that we have an easier time finding play areas for both kid and dog.

The commute will be about 40 minutes into the "city" for hubby, but we are left with a yard, lakes, forest and such.

As we learned , Berlin comprises 4 original "towns" that came together to form "Berlin". So with that in mind - no matter where you live, you will always live near a "center" of town with "public" (Ubahn and Sbahn or bus)

Prost!
Christina
http://thegermanadventure.blogspot.com/

Preparing Your Pets For International Travel

Flying with pets is new territory for me, but this is what I have learned so far. First off, frequently traveled countries that would require pets to go into holding for a time period are islands, like Hawaii and England. In our case Germany just needs them to have an International Health License (takes a few days) that you can get from your vet. We are using a pet shipper which (I think) is making the process much smoother www.worldcarepet.com

Also - get an up to date "rabies" shot (only valid for one year in Europe) and have microchipping done. We are using "Home Again" because that is what our vet uses. Cost for microchipping is about $50 with an activation ($10) and yearly maintance fees ($14). Well the cat goes tomorrow - wish me luck.

Bare Closets

Over the past few months, and as our relocation approaches, my daily task has been to throw stuff out. Don't worry I gave away what can be used - but I'm pretty sure that the jar of luxury loose bath tea that I have been saving for two years is getting chucked (Is it still good?).

I have gone through just about every nook and cranny and for one thing I am sure. DH and I have accumulated a bunch of stuff. A bunch of stuff we save. And we save it for....what?...Well I have the answer - to throw away.

Here is the lesson - go to your closet, pull out everything you are "saving" and use it now. Use the whole bottle of bubble bath, wear the fabulous shoes, use that purse!

Blissful Stress

As our trip approaches Eugen is riddled with anxiety.