Expat bloggers for change

Oh boy did we miss some, um, interesting political news coming out of the homeland during our vacation. Usually I take in all of my US news filtered through the brilliant brain of Jon Stewart in order to make it more palatable, but this time I had to learn about things the hard way: from CNN. At least it was CNN international, which is mildly more intelligent than the US version, but still, not good.

The addition of Sarah Palin into the election mix is too much for me to handle. It makes me so angry I could kick a puppy. I feel personally assaulted by this choice. How dare you take an idea so dear to me (a woman president) and twist it around into something so revolting, Mr. McCain? I feel like I've been put through some sort of Clockwork-Orange-style reconditioning.

Jon Stewart, can you make it all better?


Anyway, given my inability to handle such topics like an adult, you probably won't find me blogging too much about US politics here (beyond encouraging you to register to vote if you're a US citizen). But plenty of other expat bloggers are speaking up, and I'm happy to see them do it:

• Snooker tells us about her new toy, a Caribou Barbie.
• Astroyoga shows a lot more patience in describing what's icky about Republicans than I ever could.
• Heza wants you to vote, too.
• from Yelli: Aboogaboogabooga! Watch out for those scary European ideals, Republicans. Affordable healthcare and usable public transportation, OH NO!
  
• Naechstehaltestelle is not such a fan of Ms. Palin, either.
  

Much love for San Diego

This trip to San Diego was for a family wedding. I really didn't want to go. Having spent six weeks in the US at the end of 2007, I felt no desire to return to the States again so soon. Especially to somewhere as far away as California - 15 hours of flying each way. I hate long flights. But in the end, I couldn't justify missing out on this celebration and the opportunity to see so many family members in one place at one time (some of whom I hadn't seen for many years).

And I'm very glad we went. Not only was it great to hang out with folks, but we also ended up liking San Diego itself, much to our surprise. It's a very cute city, and the beautiful beaches are plentiful. The weather managed to be warm enough for swimming in the sea yet cool enough for me sit on the beach in the sun (and we all know how much I hate the sun). And Tower23, the hotel with the cool fire pit, made a great backdrop for the first half of our stay. I even started imagining how fun it would be to live so close to the ocean for a year or so, eating Mexican food and shopping at Trader Joe's to our hearts' content. Wouldn't that be awesome?

"All joking aside, don't move back." The sternly-delivered unsolicited advice came from our friends we met for dinner on the second night, American friends who moved from Zurich to San Diego around the same time that we moved from Zurich to Munich. It seems that the temptations of southern California aren't quite enough to make up for the downsides of living in Bush's America.



We had a secondary goal of abusing the exchange rate and using the American banana currency to stock up on clothes and electronics on this trip. We were only partially successful at this, since we ended up spending more time at the beach and less time at the mall. The mild food poisoning we were suffering on our last free day there didn't exactly put us in the mood to shop, either. Sign of a bad wedding caterer: guests all have mysterious stomach problems the next day.

At least the wedding itself was a blast. Especially the photo booth! Note to Italian wedding vendors: start offering more photo booths, fewer balloon bouquets.

The fire pit

To answer the questions about the last photo in my San Diego post, I give you... a video:



This was the fire pit at the fancy beach-front hotel where we stayed for the first part of our trip. The sand was configured differently each night, but this one was definitely my favorite. I could have watched it for hours.

Not much to do in California at 6 am...

...except walk on the beach, or sit on the sofa on the balcony drinking coffee and staring at the ocean. Which really aren't such bad options, once you get out of the must-make-the-most-of-time-in-US mode.



Although it's been a mere six months since our last trip to the US, we're still having waves of bewilderment about this strange country and its strip malls full of cheap nail salons and Trader Joe's. The jetlag is adding to that, I'm sure. Some of my brilliant observations over the past 24 hours:

• Everybody here is speaking English!
  
  
• You're refilling my coffee?
  
  
• I can't drink a beer on the beach? Why the hell not?
  
  
• What is this? We didn't ask for the check...
  
  
• Turn off that air conditioner! Do you want me to get sick????

Alright, I'm TOTALLY kidding on that last one. I'm still an American, you know.



After 23 hours of traveling, my weary brain was confused to end up speaking German with the guy checking us into the hotel (who happened to be from Munich). Fortunately he was the perfect person to tell us where we could watch the German-Turkey game* the next morning (see photo above). And I thought I'd never have a use for a big American sports bar. I'm sure the 10-person crowd of mostly German expats at the bar was a far cry from the scene in Munich, and I'm quite sad to be missing out on all the excitement at home. It's going to take a lot of Mexican food, dirty martinis, and free coffee refills to console me. And perhaps another walk on the beach before breakfast.



* WTF was up with those feed outages during the second half of the game? And what's worse, we were forced to watch inane American commentator banter in the gaps. Switzerland, I am deeply disappointed with you. Hang your head in shame.

Uncounted

Last night we attended a Democrats Anonymous Abroad meeting here is Munich, where we watched and discussed the documentary Uncounted. The film explores the ways in which the outcomes have been manipulated in recent US elections, how vast quantities of people were not allowed to vote, and how vast quantities of cast votes went uncounted. It is hard to watch, deeply disturbing, and important. I encourage every American to watch this documentary. Here's the trailer:


You can order a region-free DVD from the Uncounted website by following the instructions for a special request. I also encourage Americans living overseas to register to vote from abroad. It's easy!

At last, the Americans may know the joys of German teen angst

Even though Germany has some great home-grown musical acts to offer, rarely does a German artist make it across the Atlantic to the US (as opposed to American music, which makes it over here to Germany far too often).

If I had had to bet on which German music was going to make it big in the US next, Tokio Hotel would have not been where I put my money. So good thing I wasn't betting: A Wild Welcome to a German Teen Pop Band.

Tokio Hotel is the group which required riot police protection at the train station in Zurich. Apparently they are re-scripting their German hits to have English lyrics. Lucky you, you people who don't speak German but want to sing along with Bill! (Yes, I admit to knowing the name of the porcupine-headed lead singer. Do you still respect me?)

Will somebody please huck her already?

Aaaaa, gotta love American politics.

A couple political notes for you Americans abroad

1) Dr. Sara appeals to us all to write our congresspeople about how ridiculously lame we find it that we as Americans abroad are expected to pay taxes in two countries. Pretty much every other government in the world has figured out that this is a lame way to treat expats; hopefully this proposed bill will straighten things out. By the way, your congresspeople are the representatives from the last state in which you legally resided in the US. You can vote for them (or against them), so that means they have to listen to you. Ha!

2) The US government may see us as double-tax-paying suckers, but at least the Democratic party loves us. Democrats Anonymous Abroad is sending 22 delegates to the DNC, and if you register on the Democrats Abroad website by January 31st (ie, tomorrow), you too can take part in the primary voting. You can also register to receive your absentee ballots for any and all upcoming elections using their handy Vote From Abroad wizard.

OK, back to my usual posture of closing my eyes, plugging my ears, and singing LALALALALA whenever US politics comes up.

Homeward bound

After spending a fabulous New Year's in Boston with friends, we're finally heading back to Europe to complete our move to Munich. We've had a great time in the US, but I'm really looking forward to having a home again, and sleeping in my own bed.

Happy New Year!

Two days in Vegas

Before Christmas in New York (and after skiing in Montana), we spent a couple days on the Las Vegas strip. Being the kitsch aficionado that I am, naturally I have an affinity for this city (and here you thought I was all about sophistimicated high-culture destinations in Europe).

How can you not love a street so full of diversions? Everything is so ridiculous and extravagant. Indoor waterways, pirate ships, volcanoes, yummy restaurants, lions and tigers and dolphins (oh my!), Broadway shows, Big Elvis, dancing fountains, a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower and Saint Mark's Square. Not to mention the gambling... if you're into that kind of thing. I won a big $20 on nickel slot machines this time around (in other words no, it's not really my kind of thing... but I like the blinking lights).

This time we stayed at Bally's, an older hotel in the middle of the strip (next to Paris and across the street from Bellagio) which offers large, cheap rooms. December is apparently a great time for deals in Vegas, although some things (like the pirate ship show at Treasure Island) are out of commission during this slow month.

My favorite meal of the trip was at Olives, an Italian-like restaurant at Bellagio (with good martinis). We didn't see any shows this time (although we were awfully tempted by Little Legends), although we did catch Big Elvis's free lounge act at Bill's Casino. Good times.



More Vegas photos here.

Christmas in New York

Hi there. This week I'm in New York City, one of my favorite places to spend Christmas. I'm a couple trips behind on my blogging, but here are a few New York Christmas photos to keep you entertained until I have a chance to catch up.



Merry Christmas, if you're into that kind of thing. More photos at my Flickr.

Montana skiing, take two

Better snow, warmer air, more fleece clothing - we had a good day of skiing at Bridger Bowl yesterday (even though it didn't end with anything fried on a stick).

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Montana

I've learned there's a key difference between skiing in the Swiss Alps and skiing in Montana: ambient temperature. I had no idea how good we had it in Switzerland, where we could ski on perfect snow in little more than an unzipped ski jacket for most of the season. Not the case in Red Lodge, Montana. All my warmest clothes worn simultaneously proved no match for the frigid air, and I only survived a handful of runs.

Luckily the Bierstube ('stube' rhymes with 'tube' here) at the bottom of the slopes serves a whole lot of yummy microbrews, so the day wasn't a complete disappointment. They also had deep-fried candy bars, which Scott insisted on trying. It came in a coating that made it resemble a corn dog. I found the whole thing rather disappointing - I mean, something that sounds as ridiculous as a deep-fried candy bar ought to at least taste insanely good, right? It didn't.

The town of Red Lodge itself was very cute and small-towny, where the locals all seemed to know each other and restaurants and bars posted their opening hours as "11am till close". "Close" in this case tended to be rather early, since most folks are done eating and back at home by 6:30 or so.

Bozeman, Montana: me likey

Still in Montana, having a fabulous time. We spent a day in Bozeman, which I found to be an absolutely charming little town. Not to outdo the NYT guy, but we covered quite a lot of ground during our short visit:

• Lunch at Pickle Barrel, a famous Montana chain of sandwich shops. I kind of liked the lack of options offered - only one kind of bread, no design-your-own million options, just "do you want everything on that or not?" My cheese and veggie sandwich was delightful.
  
  
• Wandering Main Street, browsing some stores and art galleries, and admiring the octopus-like Christmas decorations. While tempted by the delightful assortment of guns and hunting supplies on offer, we managed to resist making any purchases.
  
  
• Coffee at The Leaf and Bean. Comfy little espresso bar with an extensive tea selection, fresh juices, and cute gifts.
  
  
• The Museum of the Rockies, a short, snowy car ride from Main Street. Dinosaurs, bats, Native Americans, and Ansel Adams photographs. Lots of fun.
  
  
• Drinks at Montana Ale Works, a great bar, restaurant, and pool hall on Main Street. Loved the extensive beer menu. And since it was happy hour, pints of yummy local ales were $2.50. Which is about, what, a euro these days?
  
  
• Dinner and more drinks at Plonk. My friend Peter (who lives in Bozeman) described this place as the hippest spot in Montana, and I believe he could be right. My fresh basil ginger martini-like thing (I forget the name of the drink) was awesome. The food was fabulous, too.
  

Greetings from Yellowstone

Where in the world am I today? It's getting hard to keep track... I'm several blog posts behind, but I figured I'd share a couple photos from the last couple days in Yellowstone National Park (that's in Montana and Wyoming, just in case you were wondering).



It has been crazy freaky cold, but we're having a good time. We saw all kinds of wild animals (elk, wolves, bison, coyotes, deer, bighorn sheep, and an elk-like species I have dubbed 'white butts') and walked around the steaming hot springs.



More soon!

What Europe needs more of: microbrews

Sure, plenty of good beers come from Europe. But my favorites tend to be ales, and the continent just doesn't make many of those (this is one of the reasons I'm sad we won't be moving to Ireland).

But here in the northwest United States, microbrews are everywhere. The variety is staggering. And delightful. Bars with 30+ beers on tap are common, and the best part is that if you don't know what you want, the bartenders tend to be very knowledgeable about the differences between, say, the 5 brown ales on tap. Sweet.

The grocery stores also have some lovely variety, but without the accompanying helpful personnel. Leaving outsiders like me to choose based on label alone... which is why so many brands distinguish themselves with memorable ale names such as Moose Drool or Yellow Snow. Good stuff.

Storm chasing on the Oregon coast

Greetings from Oregon. We spent the last couple days on the very stormy Oregon coast. We had a blast playing on the beach in the wind, rain, and foam showers (which looked like big chunks of snow). The wind was so strong and constant you could lean back into it and take a nap. I kind of felt like a weatherman out there.

The coastal road was littered with fallen branches and trees (luckily none of which blocked our way), and the hotel parking lot was scattered with roof shingles and other debris.



We were lucky that our hotel had power the whole time we were there. Many points south and north of where we stayed weren't so fortunate. The aquarium was closed due to a power outage, but we managed to catch the Rogue brewery just as it was re-opening after their day without electricity. Nothing like a before-noon beer tasting to get you in the mood for some more storm chasing!



More storm (and beer) photos here.

Maybe I will move back to the US after all...

... but only if this works out:

Addressing Climate Crisis, Bush Calls For Development Of National Air Conditioner

It's going to be environmentally friendly, too!

The cannolis of NYC

First off, for those of you who haven't yet had the pleasure, allow me to introduce you to the wonderful pastry delight that is the cannoli. These Sicilian delicacies consist of a deep-fried pastry shell filled with ricotta-based creamy deliciousness. Traditionally there are little pieces of candied citron involved, and a dusting of powdered sugar, and that's about it. But purists be damned, I like my cannoli shells coated in chocolate. And given the prevalence of this practice in New York, I'm obviously not the only one.

Before we go any further, I'd like to address those of you out there reading this and thinking, "Idiota! it's one cannolo, two cannoli." Look, I can speak Italian, too, but right now I'm speaking English, and in English, it's one cannoli, two cannolis. As in, "Leave the gun. Take the cannolis." Capeeeeesh?

For the longest time, the chocolate-covered cannolis at La Bella Ferrara on Mulberry Street have been my favorite. Whenever I find myself in the general vicinity of Little Italy, I head straight to this bakery, ignoring all the others along the way. I usually sit in the adjoining cafe and have an espresso and a cannoli or two, and then head over to the bakery part to pick up some more to go. One of the benefits of the chocolate-covered shells is that they don't get soggy as fast as the regular shells do, so they can be kept for a day or two in the fridge after they have already been filled. Plain-shelled cannolis should be eaten immediately after filling, if possible. But I digress.

On my last trip to New York, I was sitting in La Bella Ferrara, eating my delicious chocolate-covered cannoli, and wondering what made me think this was the best place to get them. The truth was, I didn't. And it bothered me. I needed to find out if there were other, better cannolis to be had on Mulberry Street. Luckily for me, I had a rainy afternoon full of time and two willing companions, so we set out to investigate. To be continued...

One last Gatlinburg t-shirt post

As you've already seen here and here, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is obviously one of the world's most thrilling t-shirt shopping destinations. Here are a couple more of the gems we found.

Poor guy must have a hell of a time getting through airport security.





OK, this isn't technically a t-shirt. But still, isn't it charming?










Somehow this shirt doesn't seem to fit in with the others.











Yes, sir.











I'm dying to know what I could learn about history from someone wearing this.