Stories from my life and travels as an American immigrant in Germany!

A Long Weekend in Toronto

Street art near our AirBnB

After stopping by my grandmother’s for a Thanksgiving lunch, Jan and I spent the long weekend in Toronto, Canada. We had two main goals for this trip: eat döner and visit the Christmas Market. We started our first full day with cappuccinos and croissants at Jimmy’s Coffee. I was surprised to discover that the coffee shop was named after Jimmy…Continue Reading

Art Prize in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Art Prize Grand Rapids

Jan and I spent this past weekend in Grand Rapids, Michigan with some friends who were already in the area to attend GrrCon. Coincidentally, the conference coincided with the tail end of Art Prize, a massive, yearly art festival that lasts two months and brings together artists from all over the world. Art Prize is free to attend and set up all across…Continue Reading

Toledo Zoo, 2016

Toledo Zoo monkey

This past Sunday, I took my little sister to the Toledo Zoo in Ohio for her birthday. Zoos always make me feel a little conflicted, yet, never so conflicted as to not go, it seems. I do appreciate the conservation work that they do, of course, but is it really fair to these wild animals to live in such small spaces? I often…Continue Reading

Camping at Hoeft State Park

Hoeft State Park

This Labor Day Weekend, my boyfriend and I drove 4 hours North to camp at Hoeft State Park. “Going up North” is a very popular Michigan pastime, so when my boyfriend asked why I had chosen this particular park, the short answer was “they still had openings.” The long answer was that only two of the parks with open sites had…Continue Reading