Lost in the UK: Surfing Devon

Ever have one of those trips where even if the conditions aren't exactly perfect it's still fantastic? This would be one of those trips. I have to say, despite the forecast, the waves are pretty crap. With my luck they'll smooth out on Monday when I'm back in Frankfurt for my VERY LAST DAY. Whoohoo!

Anyhow, crappy waves aside, the trip is pretty fantastic. Great girls, great food. Even some good music. We heard a band on Friday night called Scaramoose. Totally local, and with a kind of Jack Johnson/Ben Harper sound to them.

So it's been such a trip to far. I arrived on Thursday, Kerry gave me ENDLESS crap about my board bag. Which is a lovely board bag, if you have 3 boards which I do not. Anyway, we manhandled the sucker into the car and headed to her house. Our 5am start time didn't pan out quite how we had hoped, but we still managed to get onto the road by about 6am and we missed ALL Of the Glastonbury traffic somehow and even squeezed in a quick session before the other girls arrived.

It has been incredibly windy so far. So bad in fact that the other girls tried to put up their tent and one of the tent poles BROKE! Can you believe it? Crap tent if you ask me, but anyway, they've managed to swing themselves a camper that has heat and a real shower in it so I suppose we're making out well in the end. Kerry and I are actually camping which is great. Wake up to the birds calling and the waves breaking. And when you step outside the tent you can do a surf check right on Croyde Bay right then and there. Absolutely lovely. And there are two other breaks that we've been surfing as well, Putsborough Sands and Saunton Beach. The surf culture here in North Devon is truly amazing. There are surf boards and surf shops everywhere. When picturing the dream world of surfing, it's always been SoCal or Hawaii that really pop into my head, but man are they hardcore here. And they have so many places to go. Incredible.

Anyhow, I'm so glad I was able to squeeze this in before I leave Europe. Hopefully I'll be able to find more opportunities to travel with her even when I'm back in the States. . . .

Euro Cup 2008: Germany wins!!!

Amazing! Germany has won a spot in the Euro cup finals. I can't believe it! Not that they played particularly well against Turkey, but man! They won!! There are car horns going off everywhere tonight it's like the entire city has come out to celebrate!

Go Deutschland!

Already missing Frankfurt

I haven't even left the city yet and somehow I already miss it. I can't believe that I'm only a few weeks away from leaving Germany and heading back to the States for grad school. I know that it's the right decision, but somehow I just can't get excited about giving up my life here and going back to school.

There's something about leaving a city just when you start getting to know it and you start building a life there that actually feels like it could be yours. Frankfurt finally began to feel like a home to me after a little less than a year and a half. Good friends, an incredible boyfriend, and a world of experiences that have changed how I view the world. I finally know where to find the best produce in the farmers markets, the waiters at my favorite Italian spot know me by name and pour me a glass of good wine as soon as I walk in the door to order carry-out after a long day at work, I have found my favorite cafe to sit and read in. And my little apartment feels like home.

It's a hard moment to pick up again and know that I have to start all over again back in a city that was home for so many years. Somehow it feels like going backwards even though I know that I'm starting an entirely new phase of my life.

I am forever grateful to have had this experience and I know that somehow, Frankfurt will always feel a little like home to me, even though I only had the chance to be here for the briefest amount of time.

Euro Cup 2008: Germany beats Portugal!!

Oh my god! Germany has beat Portugal! We're on to the semi-finals now! Euro Cup here we come!

Germany Wins!

Germany has beat Austria! It was a kind of dicey game, a little underhanded on our part, but we beat Austria and are moving onto play Portugal next. It's incredible. I'm so glad I can be here for the excitement of it all. I love cheering on my adopted homeland.

Sorry Nick, I'm just not ready to root for Austria yet. . . .

Whirlwind Chicago Weekends and Frankfurt Springs

So last weekend I hopped a plane for a 48 hour turnaround in Chicago to try and find an apartment now that I've officially committed to going back to Chicago for grad school. It was more than a whirlwind I have to say, I viewed close to 20 apartments in less than 48 hours before getting back on a plane to Frankfurt. But I think the trip was a success as I believe I have found a place I could happily live in for the next 2 years or so. And! I've found a little piece of my german home not too far from the apartment I'm hoping to sign on. Yup, so here's a little toast to my return to Chicago. I'll have to lift a glass at Prost once I get back there.

Anyhow, I arrived back in Frankfurt, mercifully not feeling too much jetlag and got back to my lovely abode just in time to miss being struck on the head by a massive thunderstorm complete with hail! I swear I have had the strangest weather since arriving in Frankfurt. No snow all winter until about May, and now that it's pretty much Summertime we're getting heat waves followed by huge thunderstorms complete with hailstones. And it had been so hot when I got home that I opened all of the windows, so I ended up with little hailstones melting all over the apartment. Strange days.