Today marked the first day of the third week of my new job.  So far, I'm liking it a lot.  I have also started taking the bus to/from work some mornings, and it is goign well.  The unfortunate thing is that I have to be out waiting for the bus around 6:53am, and it is totally dark at that time still.  The good thing is that the bus stop is right across the street from our house, so I don't have far to walk.  But, those windy, rainy northwest fall mornings can be a bitch. 

Nick and I have also been trying to get to the gym on a semi-regular schedule of M, W & Friday.  Today, for example, we went on a run instead of the gym, because it was so beautiful and seemingly unseasonaly warm (is it just me or does it sound funny to put those two words together in a sentence?).  It was great.  Ran by the swanky houses along McGilvra Blvd, to the Seattle Tennis Club and back.  It's a nice jaunt.  (I love the word jaunt, btw)

I realized with horror tonight that i had been missing episodes of some of my fav shows, The Hills and The Bachelor.  Thank God for the INTERNET!  Seriously folks, what would we do without it?!?!?!?!?!  I mean, the other night when our power was out, I was so bored, I painted my nails in the dark wearing a headlamp.  And the manicure looked great!  :)  It made me realize how much I reply on the internet...from looking up random questions, to watching cooking how-to videos, to blogging on wonderful 'ol MySpace.  

One of our cats, Naomi, the tortishell, has a wet eye.  One of her eyes has developed a weeping.  We have these expensive "cat eye drops" that our vet "prescribed".  I have this theory that the vet "gives" the cats this eye disease every time we are there so that they have to come back to be treated for it.  Nah, just kidding...well, mostly.  I really dont' think the vet is out to get us like that, but he is old skool.  The man doesn't believe that global warming is a fact.  I swear, he's a bit senile.  We may be going someplace else next time. 

Out other kitty, Lola, is doing quite well.  Nothing to report on that front.  Nick has just informed me he needs to rebuild all of our iTunes playlists that we lost last night during a computer malfunction (read: NOT user error). 

I'll be in touch 

P.S. The color of the font is the rocking color of my nail polish right now.  love it!!!!

Today I was offered and accepted a job as a Benefits Assistant for PATH (www.path.org)!!  They are a non-profit organization that works to improve the health of the people around the world.  I start Monday, so my "vacation" will finally be coming to an end :)  Job hunting is tiring, so it is nice to feel like I have made the right decision in taking this job.  I will keep you posted on how my first day goes!!

 

Went to the Red Bull sponsored Fremont Soap Box Race on Saturday.  We met up with Christa & Abram, after about an hour of wandering up one side, then back down and up the other side of Fremont Ave. N.  It was a madhouse!  Complete insanity!  Once we found our friends though, it was much better.  Stationed under a tree, near the blow up Red Bull arch, we were protected from the rain when it started to pour, and had a great view of the cars coming down the track (well, those that made it around the turn!), but didnt' get to see the big screen that much.  Overall though, it was a fun time with friends and I'd definately go again! 

On another subject, the job hunt is going well.  I've been getting quite a bit of response on jobs, so am able to be more selctive in terms of where I interview.  I started my hunt by casting too wide a net, and have narrowed it down since.  I have a few places which I'm very keen on, so it will basically come down to their job offers.  But I definately consider things like commute (a shorter one is VERY important to me), worklife balance, benefits, fun atmosphere where I can feel good about what I do, and ultimately room for growth.  So, lots to consider as I go into the later phases of the interview process with a few prospective employers. I'll definately keep you posted and let you know what I decide to do.  Very exciting nonethless - meeting lots of new people, learning about a lot of different companies.  Can't say interviewing is fun exactly, but it is at the point where I am so comfortable interviewing that I no longer feel that anxious beforehand.  That is a good feeling. 

I know, I'm home and all, but I realized I never really posted anything about what we did in London, so here goes. 

We started our time in London by going to Buckingham Palace, but unfortunately there were no guards to be changed that day (Sun).  We then walked down the Mall to Trafalgar Square.  Then Tubed it to the Embankment stop and walked across the pedestrian bridge over the River Thames (Thanks for the advice Sarah Kate!).  There is a nice walkway along the river, with fun stops along the way.  We watched some skateboarders there, as well as some crazy little kids doing backflips all over the place.  They couldn't have been older than like 7, yet were doing all these crazy moves...weird.

We finally made it to the Tate Modern art museum where we looked at some interesting modern art, and some boring modern art (hate those canvases that are all red with a black line...so not cool).  The Dali exhibit was tempting, but at the equivalent of $22 each to get in, we passed (it was only our first day in London, and the prices were completely crazed). 

After the museum, we walked back across the river, over a different bridge, to see St. Paul's cathedral (from the outside only...it too was $22 each to get in...apparently London likes charging 11 Pounds, or $22, to get into things). 

We also managed to visit Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus areas.  We woudl revisit them multiple times during our stay. 

On another day we visited the Tower of London, which was pretty cool.  Saw the crown jewels, guns, armor, etc.  Oh yeah, and the ravens that live there are massive!  Like crows but double the size.  I'm not sure I'd ever seen a raven before.  Makes me think of Halloween.  Same day we also checked out the Covent Garden area in search of  LUSH store, but did not find it. 

We spent an entire day out at the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens, which were really cool. The best gardens I'd been to ever.  Massive conservatories and just beautiful rose gardens, lily pad ponds, etc.  We didn't even see 1/3 of it, becasue we were too tired to walk any further.  It was about a 45 minute Tube ride out of central London, but very easy to get to besides that. 

We spent another day doing free museums...the Victoria & Albert and the Science Museum, where we spent some money on seeing Sharks 3D in the IMAX theater there. 

On our final day in London, we went to shop at Oxford Street, in search of the Penhaligon's store.  I first used their lotion/body wash after staying at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle, and love the Quercus scent.  I was hoping to find some body lotion, but it had been discontinued, so I instead opted for some cologne.  It's delicious.  We then happened upon a LUSH store, so I had to pick up a few items there, including one massage bar not yet available in the states (Nutts), as well as a bar of soap (Lily), which they told me may never make it to the states.  Fun!  I'm a LUSH fanatic.  Later we had lunch at Yo! Sushi, which is a conveyor belt sushi chain.  It was pretty good, but spendy (as is everything in London).  Not sure Mari was happy about it, as she doesn't like sushi, but she found some tempura sweet potatoes that she liked :) 

We flew home the next day, and managed to not have any hold ups until we got to Philly, where security was a bitch and then our flight was 2 hours delayed.  We finally landed in Seattle around 11:30pm, and stayed up until 3:30am (11:30am London time). I am still adjusting to the time difference.

Well, that's the wrap of up the trip. I'll be sending out a link with pics on our Flickr site in the near future.  Have to finish the captions, etc.  I'll keep you posted :) 

Mari and I arrived in London this afternoon.  The flight from Amsterdam was an hour long, plus we gained an hour, so we landed about 20 minutes after we left ;) Whee!

We didn't do much tonight except laundry and get dinner, but have a day of sightseeing planned for tomorrow.  Things are really expensive here, so we're trying to hit up some free museums and free sights.  The pound is worth 2 US dollars right now (approx), so it really sucks. Especially when you look at cheap restaurant menus and the dishes are liek £7, which is like $15!  Craziness.

Well, I'll post more when we do something :)

-Willa

We arrived safely in Amsterdam on Wednesday afternoon . We couldn't check into our hostel (Hotel My Home) until 6pm, so we checked our luggage at the train station and went out to wander the town.  It is pure madness. Kind of like a cracked out Alice and Wonderland meets Cheech and Chong.  A lot of the people here just look very roadhard, if you know what I mean.  Maybe they did a few too many 'shrooms or something. 

The coffeeshops are everywhere.  You can smell them all around you as well.  They card you if you look under 18, and all of the shops have signs up that say they will card you and to not fuck around.  Okay...

Yesterday we went to the Van Gogh museum and to the Heineken Experience.  The museum was cool, but really really crowded.  It was hard to get a view of any of the famous Van Gogh pieces without someone's head in the way.  Oh, well.  The Heineken Experience was actually kinda fun.  It was somewhat cheesy in that Disneyland sort of way, with a "ride" and whatnot, but you get 3 free beers along the way (included with your admission), so that is fun.

Today we explored the Cannabis College, Hemp and Marijuana Museum, and the Red Light District.  The RLD is freaking crazy.  Like nothing I've ever seen.  You'll just be walking along a canal on the sidewalk and then right next to you, at your same level, is a scantily clad woman behind a window.  Bizzare. 

Tomorrow we leave early for the airport to catch a one hour flight to London.  Then we will have to find our way to our hostel and figure out what we can do for free in London (there actually are a few free museums!), as our money is running low and London is going to be the most expensive place on our whole trip. 

Well, that's all for now.  Write more from London!

Cheers!

I have to say that I have had a great time in Cologne with Mara and Michael.  It will be sad to say goodbye tomorrow.  I have really enjoyed Cologne and have truly appreciated their hospitality.  It has been nice to be at a friend's house instead of a hotel or hostel.  Much more comfortable and relaxing!

Last night Mara took Mari and I out to a few places to try the Cologne style of beer, Kölsch.  It is really good!  We first went to this place called The Kitchen, where they set up the bar into different kitchen table areas.  It was a really cool idea.  Next we went to this Indian style place, with buddahs, wall hangings, prayer flags, etc.  The seats were like couches and pillows where you can lounge while having a beer.  It was also really cool. 

Tonight Mara and Michael are cooking us lasagna and then we will go out for a beer, come home and pack up our stuff for our trip to Amsterdam tomorrow.

It's supposed to be rainy our whole time in Amsterdam, but it will be fine.  It's not like we're not used to that kind of weather, coming from the northwest :)

Well, we'll write more from Amsterdam! 

-Willa

We arrived safely in Cologne yesterday afternoon.  Our friends Mara and Michael picked us up from the train station and brought us back to their place where we will stay for the next 3 nights.  Later, Mara took us to a BBQ with her friends, in the city park.  It was a huge park, with a lot of people BBQing, playing frisbee, volleyball, and some Swedish viking chess game :) 

Later we went out for ice cream and walked around the neighborhoods, and then came home and crashed, as Mari and I were pretty tired from our day of travel and our time in Munich. 

Today we are going to visit the Dom, which is a cathedral here in Cologne.  I could tell you more about it if I had my guidebook in front of me, but I know it's pretty, and big! We are also going to do some shopping and just explore the area of town around the Dom.  Later we will meet up with Mara and hang out with her. 

We leave Wednesday morning for Amsterdam.  We have 3 nights there, then it's onto Londo for the homestretch of our trip.  It's been so much fun already.  Definately a memorable trip.  I can't wait to show the pictures and tell stories from the trip. 

Well, that's about it for now.  I'll write more soon!

-Willa

Hello from Munich!  I tried to post earlier today, however, I pushed the wrong button and it deleted everything I had written.  Oh yeah, and if you see a z where there should be a y, it's because they're switched on these German keyboards.  I may give up and just switch them because it throws off my typing flow so much. 

Anyway, we got into Munich on Wednesday night around 8:30pm, checked into our hostel and hung out in the bar area for awhile, trying to figure out if it was as cool as The Yellow in Rome.  (I have to say, as it's now our third night here, it's definatelz not as cool...).  On Thursdaz, we got up earlz to go on a tour of the castle Neuschwanstein, about a 2 hour bus ride from Munich.  We started our tour by riding bikes for about 6 miles to an alpine lake.  After, we could take an alpine slide ride if we wanted.  We finally went through the castle at 4:15pm.  It wasn't as spectacular as I was expecting, and kind of a let down after all of the Gaudi places we toured in Barcelona. 

Today we did laundry, checked email and shopped.  We are planning to take a free tour of Munich's major sites, ending in teh English Garten, a park here, larger than Central Park in NYC, where there are beer gardens, pretty lawns where zou can lay out, etc.  Should be fun.  then we leave early Sundaz morning for Cologne, where we'll hang out with my friend Mara for a few days. 

I do have to say that I would much rather be in the warmer parts of Europe, as much as I complained about it when I was there. I really like Italy, even with it's quirks, and even when it can be difficult, or when the men gawk at you too much.  There is just something very different about things once you get farther north in Europe...not to mention things are more expensive. 

I also forgot to mention that our last day in Venice, we actually managed to find a beach!  First time the whole trip!  And probablz the last, as the weather is cold here now.  it was great to get awaz from the hordes of tourists in Venice and just chill on the nice sand. 

Well, that's all for now.  Munich is kind of unexciting so far.  I kind of wish we had less time here, and made time in other places...oh, well, maybe next time. 

Ciao!

We have arrived safely in venice.  We were pretty wrecked after 4 consecutive days of sightseeing in the blazing heat of Rome, then coming home to drink way too much and stay up until daylight most nights.  We had a great time at The Yellow in Rome.  The staff there are way cool, and it's a great place.  Clean, our room had AC (not all of them do), and keycards, etc.  Just a very friendly place, good to meet new people from all over the world, and lots to do at night. 

We had a bad experience with our first hotel in Venice.  nick and I had previously stayed at Hotel Astoria near Piazza San Marco 4 years ago, so we reserved a room in the hotel for this trip.  Unfortunately, it was a terrible room - mold in the shower and on the walls, smashed mosquitos all over the walls, the shower head didn't work properly, and it was just super hot at night.  So, needless to say, we changed hotels and now have AC so we know it will be more tolerable. 

This afternoon we may try to see the Doge's Palace, and then hang out in the Piazza.  Tomorrow we're going to attempt to go to the beach at Lido, so we'll see how that goes.  We're dying to swim, as it's been so freakin hot in Italy.  now I know why people say don't go here in the summer.  Plus, the crowds are ridiculous, at least here in Venice they're terrible. 

Well, we will write more, probably from Munich next (we leave int eh afternoon on Wednesday Aug 1st).  I'm not sure that we'll be able to find our way back to an internet cafe here :)

-Willa