stade

 

Yesterday was our last full day in Germany. We spent it in Stade, a little city on the Elbe River, which is my dad's hometown. My grandma still lives in the house my dad and uncle grew up in, and it's the place of most of my childhood German memories - lots of birthday parties, several Christmas, and summer stays. My sister and I spent part of the morning walking around, doing just a little bit of shopping, eating pastries, listening to an organist play on the organ my dad played on in his youth, and enjoying the semi-warm weather. Of course not even close to warm enough to actually wear any of the other clothes I brought ;)

^ cute right? so much brick, so much ivy, so much pretty

^my sister bought this vintage YSL trench in Paris. I'm so jealous. Extra motivation to sell all of my clothes to buy this jacket.

^ I'm obsessed with the store signs. A UNICORN. for a pharmacy!

Jacket: Hof in Germany [similar]

Scarf: Victoria's Secret

Pants: Urban Outfitters [exact]

Shoes: Old Navy 

Purse: Coach via Etsy [current]

Now I'm back in Wisconsin for the next five days. On Tuesday I have my super fun appointment with immigration services to update my greencard, and immediately afterwards we're packing up the pups to go to a little secluded cabin about an hour away, where we're staying until I leave for Seattle on Friday. No time to be bored I suppose!

ab nach kiel und stade

After leaving Munich on Monday, I stayed in Göttingen with my aunt and uncle until Wednesday morning. We used this time really just to hang out, give my sister a little hair cut, and play fetch with the dog. I lived with my aunt and uncle in eighth grade when my parents wanted me to go to school in Germany for a year, so I always love being back in their house. We didn't go into the city at all because Tuesday is when the jet lag finally hit, which is why I somehow ended up staying up until almost three in the morning.

On Wednesday I took the train up to Stade where my grandma lives. My dad and I drove up to Kiel, which is my mom's hometown. My parents met there when they were both in medical school, and it's also where my sister and I were born. My grandfather was a German Navy Admiral, so the sea has always been something close to our family. Kiel is a huge port city with a history rich in naval activity and ship building and each year they have a huge city fest known as Kieler Woche, which is the largest sailing event in the world. We stayed with my father's frat brother (we stayed with him last time too!) and met up with a ton of his other frat brothers, many whom he hadn't seen in decades. The weather unfortunately wasn't that great, and therefore there weren't that many sail boats out, but the rowing competition was going on (which my dad used to take part in in the 80's).

Jacket: Hof in Germany [adorable save | splurge]

Blouse: Gap [exact]

Scarf: Forever 21

Jeans: Urban Outfitters [exact]

During the 1972 Olympics (which is unfortunately known for the Munich massacre), Kiel was the site for the sailing competitions. 

Today we are celebrating my grandma's 83rd birthday. My grandparents share the same birthday, except they were born one year apart. My grandpa unfortunately died my freshman year of college, so he hasn't been with us know for more than half a decade, which is felt by everyone. Their wedding anniversary was also right around this time, and my grandpa used to get my grandma a bouquet of roses for the number of years they were married. My dad and uncle have now taken over that role.

^^my dad made all of these from scratch when he was a super cool teenager ;)

I wanted to wear my blue polka dot dress, but it's way too cold so black jeans it is...

Blazer: thrifted

Tee: Everlane

Jeans: Urban Outfitters...still [exact]

Necklace: c/o Apple of My Eye - win here!

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Nails: Essie Park Avenue 

münchen

So after two days of family gatherings and beer garden adventures, my aunt, my sister, and I spent a few hours in down town Munich. I was really excited to look around because I haven't been down here in years and years, and I don't think I've ever been downtown. We only had a few hours of time before we had to drive back to my aunt's home 5 hours away, but I really wish that we could have spent more time in the city. There's just so much to see, do, learn, and eat, but with limited time we hit up the big sights.

We started out in the Viktualienmarkt, which is like a permanent outside market full of fresh cheeses, meats, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. We ended up with most of those in our shopping bags - flowers, cherries, dried apples, and schmalznudelen (which are kind of like a combination of funnel cake and thin donuts).

the May Pole

Above is a picture of the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) viewed from the Market side. The building is from the 14th century - isn't it crazy that something built that long ago still stands today? This is obviously common place in Europe, but living in the Midwest for most of my life, it always surprises me, no matter how often I am over here. Anyway, it stands in the Marienplatz, which is where we wondered over to next.

viel zu viel

 

Greetings from Munich! We finally arrived on Saturday after several delays, re-booked flights, and some lost luggage (although thankfully it wasn't mine this time!...sorry dad). We have been visiting with family the last three days, celebrating my dad's cousin's 50th birthday, spending lots of time in beer gardens, and visiting distant relatives. We haven't really done much besides eating, drinking beer and coffee, and retelling the same stories a hundred times :)

Now we're off to see a bit of the city just for a few hours before we drive up to Goettingen, where my aunt and uncle live, where I went to school, and where my sister now goes to school. I promise more interesting pictures, less swollen feet, and more cute dogs pictures in the future. I'll be posting on instagram when I get wi-fi every once in a while if you want to follow along!

Shirt: Gap [exact]

Jeans: American Eagle [exact]

Belt: Gap [same style]

Shoes: Gap Outlet [similar]

so swollen :(  cute dog though!

packing for germany

The last time I went to Germany, several people asked about how I pack for when I travel. I figured this time would be a good as time as any to do that! This isn't really an advice post since I'm a pretty infrequent traveler, but more of an insight to how I do it. When I travel to Germany, it's a bit different than most visitors because I stay and travel with my family the entire time. That means I can bring a bit more with me since it's not as much of a problem to get the luggage from one place to another. Besides my large suitcase which gets checked in, I also bring a smaller carry on suitcase that holds all the items I was asked to bring over - mostly quilting supplies for my aunt and candy for my sister. For this trip, I am also putting a dress and heels into this carry on because we are going to a party pretty much as soon as we get off the plane, so I want to have it with me in case my luggage doesn't make it right away. I also keep my jewelry in the carry on suitcase because although it's not monetarily that valuable, it means a lot to me. As far as clothes packing goes, I know it would be smart to prepare outfits for each day, but the weather next week is looking pretty unpredictable, and I'm lazy, so I really just throw in all my favorite clothes and hope something comes out of it. There are of course a few outfits planned since there are several birthday parties, but other than that I just kind of wing it. 

OK! So here's what I'm wearing on the plane. Comfortable, easy to layer/unlayer, and easy for getting through security. 

 Everlane Sweatshirt | J.Crew Factory Tee | F21 Scarf | Fossil Watch | UO Jeans | Revas

 My purse - old magazines that haven't been read, my ginormous wallet that also acts as a passport holder, bag for chargers/headphones, necessary makeup and lotion bag (again in case my big suitcase doesn't arrive right away), my macbook, iPad (with the new Dan Brown book I'm super excited to read) and my iPhone because I didn't think I had enough Apple products packed.

 Gap Dress | Vintage Dress via Goodwill | Target Dress

 AE Jeans | UO Jeans | J.Crew Factory Skirt | Limited Shorts | J.Crew Factory Shorts | Gap shorts

Black Blazer | Cargo Jacket | thrifted cardi | ON cardi | Gap Popover | Gap Popover | J.Crew Factory popover | J.Crew tee | Everlane tees | Banana Republic Factory Tee

 Limited Heels | Revas | ON flats | running shoes | Havianas | Target Sandals | Gap Outlet Sandals

 various accesssories

and boring running clothes and pajamas.

Ta da!! :)

linking up with just jacq!

Deutschland x Zwei

Guten Tag! Another little update from Germany (see the first update here). Since leaving my grandma's, we've been in the city where my aunt and uncle live. I lived here in 8th grade when I went to school here for a year, and it's interesting to see how much, and at the same time how little, has changed. Here are a few snapshots...





The pharmacies are always so fancy here, especially the signs...

...and so are the jewelry stores.

Enjoying a mid day beer down on the river with my uncle.

My aunt makes amazing quilts. She made me one back in 8th grade, and I still use it all the time. She made this one for my cousin, her stepson, for his 30th birthday.

Out in the city with my aunt's dog, Hermione. She's the most playful dog I've ever met. She looks like such a little teddy bear!

Blazer: J. Crew  {exact}
Scarf: DIY
Shirt: H&M
Bag: Mountain Stone via Boston Store  {similar}
Jeans: American Eagle  {exact, on sale}
Boots: Steve Madden  {similar}

We went shopping at Hof - of course we had to go in and look around (and buy a few things)!

Yesterday was my cousin Johann's 30 birthday. Family members, co-workers, and childhood friends all came together to celebrate.

He was thrilled that his uncle, my father, was there.

At 82, my grandma was the first up to dance! Ok, just kidding, but she was having a great time.


Now my second cousins (I consider them first cousins because we're close in age and because our family is so small) are here with their babies. Tomorrow we leave to fly back already. I'm sad to leave, but at the time same I'm happy to going back to my own bed, my own schedule, and not eating all the time (ok, I will miss that).