Ich habe Frühling gefunden! Oder vielleict Sommer...

Guten Tag!

It all started Wednesday, when I was given a break for the second half of the day. The day of my last blog post had been cold, rainy, and miserable. On Wednesday, however, all of that changed. The sun was bright and the birds were singing their little birdie hearts out. Although it was a mere 65 degrees (F), I had the feeling that Spring had finally arrived. But this was only day one of the warmth to come.

Thursday was cheerfully sunny again with temperatures climbing into the low to mid 70s. Being a Springtime person, and one who grew up in a colder region of the USA, perfect weather for me is 75 degrees, scattered clouds, and breezy. Thursday was a perfect day for me in this way, and I was loving the weather. Then Friday comes along. I had a very busy work morning on Friday, followed by a free afternoon and weekend (my host mother's parents are here again!), and the temperatures were in the upper 70s, low 80s. I got to take a stroll by the Isar River but I didn't have my camera with me to document the experience.

Then we come to Saturday. Somewhere along the line yesterday I realized that even though we had about half-sunny, half-cloudy skies, that the temperature seemed to increase, even with the added cloud cover. Then I decided to check the temperature at about 4:30pm. 87. And boy was it hot. Humidity wasn't too bad, but enough where I felt like instead of breathing I was almost panting. Therefore, as I stated in German as my blog post title: I found Spring! Or maybe Summer...

Since the weather was so nice I have some pictures with commentary to share. Today's temperature is in the mid 70s, but with cloud cover and a lot of it. We're not expecting rain until Tuesday or Wednesday, and the temperature is supposed to go back down to typical, which is anywhere in the 60s range and probably getting up to the 70s by the end of May. Have fun with the pictures!

TUPILS! Always a great sign of Spring.

This is the first lily pad pond I've ever seen. I'm calling it: Lily Pad Pond.

Grazing horsey with too many flies around his poor eye.

Large pathway in the forest.

A nice open German field.

I love flowering trees. They are symbols of Spring, too.

And my ALL-TIME FAVORITE sign of Spring: TADPOLES! I am going to head back to this pond in the next day or two and collect one or two of them to grow.

Overall I've had an interesting week. The weather, miscommunications, walking around... and of course everyone's favorite: lack of money. I have only tomorrow and the beginning of the first of May until I get my pay, which will be short this month because of a loan they gave me in the beginning of this month in order to get around Athens (I hadn't gotten my money yet even though it was past the first). Sadly though, I'm not totally sure whether I will have lunch food for the next two days. I have breakfast and dinner food, but lunch is an empty plate as of right now. The other problem is that May 1st here is a political holiday (having the first day of May off represents changing of seasons or something), so I may have another day with no money. Oh well, we'll see what happens!

All this lack of money has made me improvise something fierce when it comes to food, and I actually created something really awesome! I had a remaining part of an onion, some leftover lentils from my Shepherd's Pie, and some vegetable broth cubes, and I made something wonderful... all on my own! (Recipe follows.) Something else I discovered is that if you want to spice up a plain apple or plain apple juice (organic and without anything added), add like a half-teaspoon of cinnamon. I used to love cinnamon sugar with apple, but then it dawned on me: uh, hello? There's already like a ton of sugar in apples. So, instead of adding unnecessary added sugar calories, just add one calorie, in the form of cinnamon! I also plan on doing some more fun dishes this month and on my list is homemade bread (I'm thinking potato), something with chicken, a vegetable rice dish, and number one on my list is AVOCADO SMOOTHIE! Ever since Athens, I haven't been able to get that deliciousness out of my head. I have some craft things I'd like to do so stay tuned!

Holly's Basic, Yummy Lentils!

Okay, so lentils may not be the prettiest food, but they sure are tasty!

Ingredients:

About a Cup of Lentils (any color)

One Medium Onion

About a Tablespoon Butter or Olive Oil

About Two Cups Vegetable Broth

Water as Needed

Black Pepper, to taste, if desired

Nutritional Value:

Lentils are off the chart with benefits! Let's see: molybdenum, folate, fiber, tyrptophan, manganese, iron, protein, phosphorus, copper, vitamin B1, and potassium!

 Onions have vitamin C and B6, plus fiber, molybdenum, manganese, folate, potassium, tryptophan, anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as cancer protection qualities.
Gluten (Can Also Be Dairy) Free
Low Calorie (and filling too!)
Can Be Vegan!

Directions:

1) Chop up the onion. In a medium pot, melt the butter over medium/medium-high heat. Add onion and stir often until onions are soft, about 5-7 minutes.

2) Slowly add the vegetable broth, and continue to stir for about 3 minutes.

3) Add lentils, turning up the heat only a touch. Stir frequently.

4) As the vegetable broth is absorbed into the lentils, and as some of it evaporates, add water. Be cautious though: you want the lentils to be thick, not soupy. Add pepper, if desired, during this time.

5) Continue to cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are soft, the onions have melted, and the mixture is thick. Remove from heat.

6) Spoon into bowls and enjoy!

Source:

www.whfoods.com

Last but not least I wanted to mention my plants, which, probably as a result of the weather, have been growing a bit faster and are lush with greenness. My pumpkin plants finally fell over, which is a good sign for pumpkin plants, and I have been getting more flowers. The little boy found an Oak seed and gave it to me to grow, which I was super excited about, so I have another tree that might grow!

Plants! I love  my plants. I hope the family doesn't kill them when I leave.

My next post won't be until May, which is amazing to me that I've been here for four months already. I have already decided that I'm going to keep up my blog even after Germany because there are many more places I want to go to travel, work, and see the world. One city at a time!

Hopefully Spring reaches everyone soon!

Wo ist Frühlings?

Hello everyone,

Well, today is April 24, 2012. We have six days until May. And many of us are asking the question that is the title of this blog post: Where is Spring? Much of the northeast of the United States (including the Buffalo, NY area) got hit with a snowstorm and here in Munich I am stuck with a chilly 37 degrees Fahrenheit, with rainy, miserable conditions. Plus the dishwasher broke on me so I ended up washing more than a full load of dishes by hand this morning, in addition to all my "regular" Tuesday chores: vacuuming and mopping the kitchen and hallway, and doing the children's beds like normal. Then I had to walk out into the rain to drop off our recycling.

Enough complaining though. I do have some good news: I AM GOING TO PARIS! This will be happening the end of May, and as of right now I have five Euros to my name until the first of the month. I will be spending about the same amount of time in Paris as I did in Athens, and I have been looking up other trip options for me before I go back to the States. Day trip options still include Salzburg and Zurich, an overnight option is Amsterdam, and one last trip I'm thinking I may take (if I have the time and money) is going to Sicily for a day or two. We will see. I am extremely excited about going to Paris, I'm almost worried I'll never come back! For those of you who would like a good foreign film to watch, and a French one at that, try "Amelie." Yes you will have to read subtitles, but it's a fantastic movie. Warning: there is quite a lot of adult content.

The children are great by the way. I haven't mentioned them much, but we have a great time. I will say this: trampolines were invented to kill innocent people like me. Some children have limitless energy, and it just so happens that these three children have enough energy I'm pretty sure we could hook them up as generators in case of a power outage. I was never a child with unlimited energy; I am pretty evenly balanced between running around and sitting down. (This is why exploring is perfect for me, it kind of combines both. Those of you who have suffered "Holly Road Trips" know what I'm talking about. Driving is a lot of sitting no matter how much of it you do, but it always takes you somewhere where you have to walk!) Anyway, these children LOVE the trampoline and I have become the person of choice to play with on the trampoline. Now, I love the children, but I'm pretty sure my calves are going to break off of my legs from jumping. On the other hand, it is good exercise. (Note: For my weight, two hours of jumping on the trampoline burns 318 calories. Thank you SparkPeople.com.)

Something I would like to share with all of you is this website: Project Gutenburg. For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a website dedicated to providing free electronic literature. Much of it is classic literature, for example I have read "The Prince and the Pauper," by Mark Twain and "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London, but it's still a great resource to have if you're short on funds (like me) and love to read (like me). Some classic literature is timeless and fun to read such as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," by Arthur Conan Doyle, "Anne of Green Gables," by Lucy Maud Montgomery, and "Little Women," by Louisa May Alcott. Plus you can get a whole plethora of stories which inspired Disney movies such as "Cinderella," by Henry W. Hewet and "The Mermaid," by Lily Dougall. Not to mention if you're looking for classic children's books, you can get them here. Fair warning though, the original "The Three Bears" is a tad bit scarier than what America has diluted it to be. I have downloaded books on my iPod, but you can also download in other formats to other devices, such as Kindle and your PC. Check it out if you're bored!

I would like to take this time to announce I am very, very, very jealous about something. It's painful for me to admit, really. All of you know I love my Squishables. In fact, they are coming with me to Paris just like they came with me to Athens. Well, there is a section on the Squishables website where there are "retiring" Squishables. This makes me very sad. (Especially the platypus and the kangaroo Squishables. Why are they retiring? They are so cute!) There is another Squishable on the list for retirement. That is the Phoenix. My friend Justin had always commented on wanting this Squishable. I mentioned to him the other day that is was retiring and all of the retiring Squishables were shipped for free (to the continental U.S., darn it). Within minutes of this being mentioned, the Squishable was purchased. Now Justin has a Squishable mascot of his very own: Chanticleer. He even dressed him up and sent me a picture (reused with permission):

"Homeless Chanticleer," by Justin J. Totes jelly, Justin.

For those of you who do not yet own a Squishable, I highly recommend it. My next Squishable of choice would be the mini penguin, mini platypus, or the mini kangaroo, with the penguin and platypus tied for first place. Check out Squishable.com if you haven't yet! Chanticleer also has a cartoon:

And as always I have recipes to share with the world! My new dinner recipe is shown below:

Stuffed Mushrooms with Ribboned Zucchini

Okay, definitely one of my better ideas. Came up with it all on my own. (Only looked up how hot the oven should be for the mushrooms.)

Ingredients:

For the Mushrooms -

12 Large Button Mushrooms

1/3 to 1/2 of a Day Old Italian Bread Loaf*

1/4 of a Medium Onion, chopped

1/2 Tablespoon of Butter

About a Cup of Vegetable Broth (hot works best)

2-3 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese

*Note: You can really use any type of bread here, but in my opinion I think French or Italian would work best. Also, when broken up this should amount to about 2 to 3 cups of bread.

For the Zucchini -

3 large Zucchinis

3-4 Large Cloves of Garlic, chopped fine

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 of a Lemon (optional)

Salt/Pepper to Taste

Nutritional Information:

I'm going to focus on the mushrooms and the zucchini since they are the primary ingredients here.

Selenium, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and D, copper, potassium, zinc, manganese, protein, anti-inflammatory benefits, antioxidant benefits, cardiovascular benefits, and anti-cancer benefits from mushrooms. Whoa.

Fiber, vitamin A, C, and K, vitamin B complexes, and potassium in zucchini.

This meal is less than 400 calories per serving (serves about three), can be made free of dairy with the substitution of butter to olive oil and remove the cheese, and can be made gluten free with a substitution of bread.

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius.

2) Prepare your mushrooms by twisting out the stem, then gently with a spoon removing as mush of the gills as possible.

3) In a large bowl, break up the Italian bread. Pour in vegetable broth just until the bread comes together in a paste-like substance. Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until the onion is soft and lightly browned. Stir the onion and the Parmesan cheese into the bread and broth mixture.

4) Spoon the mixture into the mushrooms as evenly as possible. Place filled mushrooms evenly in a glass baking dish and bake for about 5-10 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and the mushrooms are leaking.

5) Meanwhile, chop the tops off of the zucchinis and ribbon them by taking a vegetable peeler and peeling as much of them as possible (it's okay if they're uneven).

6) Lightly saute the garlic in the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes or so, then add the zucchini.

7) Stir regularly, and when the zucchini has begun to wilt add salt/pepper, and squeeze the optional lemon over the top. Continue to stir until zucchini is tender, or if you desire a slightly crisp flavor, until the zucchini just begins to brown.

Enjoy!

Sources:
www.whfoods.org
www.nutrition-and-you.com

Kettle Corn!

I based this recipe off of Chaos in the Kitchen's recipe. A few adjustments were made.

Okay, I loved Chaos in the Kitchen's recipe, but since I'm a health nut, and an organic one at that, I edited the ingredients a bit. In the original recipe, the amounts of oil and sugar were extreme. Yes, of course I will admit that it probably tastes great, but it's really excessive. The recipe below also really only serves one or two:

Ingredients:

1/8 Cup Popcorn Kernels

1 1/2 Teaspoon Canola or Sunflower oil

2 Teaspoons Raw Sugar

Large Pinch Salt

As far as the directions go, I followed the original recipe's. Thank you Chaos in the Kitchen!

Lastly, I wanted to share a plant update. It's been so long since I've done that, and other than a bit of regular plant growth nothing exciting happened... until today. I had been getting a few pumpkin flower buds, but out of the blue one had opened while I was sleeping. Since I had planned to make a blog post yesterday, the first two pictures below are from yesterday, while the last one is from today. I hope everyone reaches spring soon! I'll keep everyone updated on events as they happen.

Au revoir!

My plants as of yesterday. And yes, I know I should probably remove my dead gift flower.

This was my pumpkin flower yesterday...

Ta-Da! It looks a little like a hibiscus flower to me. Either way it's beautiful and I'm so excited about it. Sniff... I remember when it was just a little seed...

Hungry? Bored? This is the blog post for you!

Hello everyone,

For some of us, this past week was really bad. I know some of you probably had a great week, and I am glad for that. But honestly, this week for me, along with some other people I know, was not good. Not even remotely. Therefore, since I do not want to talk about the bad week I had, I will be giving you guys a full plate of recipes plus a craft or two, and throw in some random pictures for good measure also. BUT FIRST! There are some very important things I want to say:

1) I cannot remember if I had put this in an earlier post, but I had sent many of you postcards which were never received by any of you. I feel very badly about this, and I will try to pick up more postcards as soon as I can.

2) I have some bad news about Paris. My finances are lacking and I have a mere day or two to plan a trip somewhere before prices skyrocket. It looks like I will be going to Venice instead, and hopefully I can plan a long weekend trip to Paris before I leave. This is very heart-wrenching for me, and I am going to try with all my might to get to Paris instead of Venice, but I am not sure how it will work out.

3) Some of you may or may not know this (again, I can't remember if I put this in a blog post), but I have a new friend from my German classes. We plan on taking many a day trip; Salzburg is on the top of the list as of the moment, followed by Zurich, and then maybe Cologne, Berlin, and Amsterdam. I also found out today that the outside shots of the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory musical were shot here in Munich! Guess who's going to take a look at this tower!

Now, ON WITH THE RECIPES!

Holly's SPRINGTIME FRUIT SALAD!

I have decided that seasonal fruit is truly the best.

Ingredients:

1 Container of Strawberries

1 Bunch of Grapes

3-4 Kiwi

1 Lime

Nutritional Information:

Vitamin C, manganese, fiber, folate, iodine, antioxidants, blood sugar regulating qualities and more from the strawberries.

Manganese, vitamin K, vitamin C, an impressive list of phytonutrients, melatonin (believe it or not!), anti-bacterial properties, and more from grapes.

Vitamin c, fiber, potassium, interesting DNA protecting qualities in kiwi.

Limes are similar to lemons in nutrition, and lemons were covered in a previous blog post.

Less than 100 calories per serving.

Gluten free.

Dairy free.

Directions:

Chop and mix the above fruit except the lime in a large bowl, then squeeze the lime over the top! Mix and serve!

Good Old-Fashioned Popcorn

People have seriously lost touch with popcorn. Microwaves have ruined popcorn forever. After reading this recipe, don't you EVER go near that microwave with a bag of trans-fat filled artificial popcorn again! I will find you!

Ingredients:

UNPOPPED PLAIN POPCORN! (A little less than a quarter cup)

About 2 tablespoons oil, preferably canola or sunflower

*Note: if you would like to add butter or salt, I understand this. However, if you want more exciting popcorn, try cinnamon sugar/honey, or my personal favorite MELTED DARK CHOCOLATE.

Supplies:

Pan with a lid. Yup that's it. Oh and about 5 minutes of your time.

Nutrition Information:

Plain popcorn has very, very little fat, but is very high in fiber, and does contain trace amounts of various vitamins and minerals.

Canola oil, believe it or not, is very low in saturated fat, and contains omega 3's and 6's, along with vitamin E and K, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Plain popcorn is less than 100 calories per serving and is gluten, dairy, and pretty much everything except for corn, free!

Directions:

1) Place the oil and kernels in the pot, and, with the pot uncovered, place on the stove and turn the heat up just below the highest setting.

2) Slide the pot back and forth pretty continuously to move the kernels around a bit so they don't burn and heat evenly.

3) When the first popcorn kernel pops and hits you in the face, eat it, and place the lid over the top of the pot.

4) Keep moving the pot back and forth and when you start to hear the popping slow suddenly, take the pot off the heat before you burn the popcorn (better too soon than too late).

5) Pour into a bowl, quickly top with whatever topping you want (or eat it plain) and enjoy!

Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Lemon Pasta

This was so, so easy, took me about 10 minutes to make, and is absolutely delicious and filling.

Okay, I can't take any credit for this recipe. I found it here and followed the recipe to a T except I couldn't find any tarragon, so I omitted it. (But I would have put it in if I could have found it!) I highly recommend squeezing a bit of lemon over this, but be careful not to use too much as it will over-power it, and the lemon could actually be omitted completely if you so choose. Not to mention this is so versatile: can be made gluten free if you substitute the pasta, contains no cow's milk, is not very high in calories for a dinner dish, and if you're pressed for time this is a beautiful meal to make. Thank you so much Smitten Kitchen!

Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

This little side to the above recipe actually took longer the main dish! Takes only about a half hour or so to make though.

This delicious gem is also not mine. (Thank you Eating Well for the recipe!) I will share a couple of things with you. I followed this recipe to a T as I did the first one. But for those of you who are sensitive to vinegar I have good news: you can omit it. Really. Add whatever else you like. It's extremely versatile like the pasta recipe. It is also gluten free, can be made vegan (but honestly, the parm is what makes this recipe), very low in calories, cauliflower is exceptionally good for you, and it is pretty quick to make. Love it!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie!

This was adapted from BBC Good Food's recipe.

Ingredients:

 Base -

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Butter or Olive Oil

1 Medium/Large Onion, chopped

4 Large Carrots, chopped

3/4 Cups Peas

3-4 Large Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

1 Bay Leaf

1 Tablespoon Thyme

 1 1/2 Cups of Dry Lentils

6-8 Cups of Vegetable Broth

2-3 Tablespoons of Ketchup or Tomato Paste (optional, but recommended)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Topping -

8 or 9 Small to Medium Potatoes

3 Tablespoons of Butter

1/2 Cup Milk

1/4 Cup Sour Cream, Plain Yogurt, or Cheese of Choice

Directions:

1) Over medium, medium-high heat, melt/heat 1 1/2 tablespoon butter/olive oil then saute the onion, carrots, and garlic for 15 minutes.

2) Turn up the heat, add the peas, then cook for 4 more minutes.

3) Stir in bay leaf, thyme and lentils, then add 6 cups of broth. Turn heat down to a simmer (about medium-low or less), and stir every now and then for about 40-50 minutes, adding broth if it gets too thick (you want it to be thick, but not too thick), until the lentils are tender.

4) In the meantime, decide whether you'd like peeled or unpeeled potatoes, peel or don't peel according to what you'd like to do, chop potatoes roughly, then place in boiling water. Boil for 15 minutes or until soft.

5) Drain, then place potatoes in a bowl with the butter, milk, and sour cream (I used Parmesan cheese), and beat or mash until it reaches whatever consistency you desire. Set aside.

6) Once your lentil base is done, remove from heat and stir in your ketchup/tomato paste if you so choose, and use this time to season with salt and pepper.

7) Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. In a casserole pan, or glass baking dish, spread lentil base on the bottom, then spread the mashed potatoes on top. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until top is golden.

Detail. I like it with ketchup on top.

*Note: This is completely gluten free, can easily be made dairy free, only about 400 calories per serving, delicious, and adjustable. Enjoy!

Holly's Tummy Soother!

This tummy soother is not for the faint of heart. However, it is great for digestion, I think it tastes pretty good, and if you drink it before bed you wake up feeling great! I didn't believe it until I tried it!

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Apple Vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)

1 Small Lemon Wedge

A Cup (or so) Cold Water

Nutritional Information:

Okay so we already know lemon is good for us right? But apple vinegar? Really? Well it turns out it is a huge digestion aid that has been used for a really long time, not to mention this whole drink is only about 25 calories. Try it and you'll see! (Oh, and apple vinegar is also a fat dissolver. This drink can be used to aid weight loss as well! But remember, I'm not a doctor and these results aren't guaranteed.)

*Tip: Another idea is to drink this with two or three slices candied ginger. Excellent combination and adds additional tummy soothing benefits. You could even add the slices to the drink if you want, then eat them at the end.

Directions:

1) Mix the vinegar and water in a glass.
2) Squeeze the lemon wedge in the drink as well.
3) Enjoy! Just be sure you don't drink it too fast, it can leave your tongue a little raw if you do.

Sources:
www.nutrition-and-you.com
www.livestrong.com
www.whfoods.com

CRAFT TIME!

I decided to do my own craft project/decoration. A butterfly string! Everyone loves sequins! EVERYONE! (Even the people who deny it!)

My finished string.

Detail of bottom. I bought a special crystal just so it could hang nice. (The rest of it was part of a set.)

Remember these paper "fortune tellers" from elementary school? Well the little boy LOVED them! We just put silly things on the inside, no fortunes for us.

I so wish I could find the site I used to make this. The fan is beautiful, just a piece of yellow paper, stamps, and two Popsicle sticks. Genius.

Okay, make sure you're sitting down for this: the children had never made a fort before. Yes, it's true. So I made them one!

Last but not least, I have two new Marlboro ads to share. I will let everyone know what happens with my travel plans in the next blog post. Talk to you soon!

Maybe Never Will. Be Marlboro.

No More Maybe. Be Marlboro.

Thinking About A Trip to Athens, Greece? A Traveler's Guide.

Do you love going on vacations, but hate the cost? Well I'm here to tell you that Athens, Greece is truly a forgotten travel destination. After being there, I just can't understand why. It's surprisingly affordable, the people are generally friendly (and most speak English), the weather is outstanding, the landscape is breathtaking, the Mediterranean Sea... need I say more, history, architecture, amazing shopping areas, everything's easy to get to by walking, and the food, well, let's just say there's a reason why the Greeks aren't super thin. And I'm here to tell you today that there is NOTHING wrong with that! The food is incredible, even if you don't care for olives, like myself.

But since I'm a person who looks at both sides of the coin, I will list the short amount of cons that Athens does have.

The crime rate isn't the best. As a lone traveling, obviously not Greek person (female as well), I didn't feel comfortable walking around after dark, so I made the point to be in my hotel room no later than 7:00pm, but since I walked around so much (and because of the tropical humidity), I was usually in my hotel room by 6:00pm, exhausted.

If you're a person who truly detests crowds and bustle, getting a hotel in the center of Athens is not for you. However, this isn't necessarily a con. If you get a hotel on the outskirts, the public transportation is disgustingly cheap for the distance it goes. I will say this though: if you are going to or from the airport, you need to have an 8 Euro special ticket, otherwise you will get fined (and don't forget to validate your ticket!). If you are the anti-crowd person, taking a trip into Athens by public transportation may also be something you dislike. I don't have any idea about the rental car costs, but I do know from what I saw from walking around that driving poses a lot of disadvantages to walking. So, consider your claustrophobia level before making a trip.

Get a map. I'm sure every hotel has free maps of the area to give you. All of the streets are written in Greek, but usually with a phonetic spelling below it. Even still, prepare to get a little turned around. This isn't necessarily a con, but something to be aware of. Also, may also be a con, they do have a serious stray cat issue, but these kitties are so sweet and cute, you'd never even guess they were strays. There are also a few stray dogs wondering around, but they also have a sweet demeanor. It doesn't mean you should let them bite you, but it's not necessarily a threat.

Be prepared to get asked by random people to buy something or to talk to you about giving you something. I turned down a pamphlet about the apocalypse, invitations to sit at restaurants/cafes (those people were actually just doing their job though), purchasing various items in stores, etc. Just be polite but firm. They understand. There is also a fair amount of people asking for money and playing the accordion for Euros, etc., etc. It's another "be prepared" tidbit.

Other than the above, which if you think about it, isn't really a big deal, Athens is truly a great place to visit.

My journey? Well, it was incredible.

DAY 1

The start to my first day was rough. I had to leave the house at about 1:10am, just to catch a bus that wouldn't accept my German debit card for a bus ticket. Fortunately, a nice man offered me his ticket that would get me so far as the airport, which was fine because I could buy a ticket there. Two buses and a train later, I was sitting in the Munich airport at 4:30am or so desperately trying to get internet to connect with the world.

My plane was on time, and the flight time was only about two and a half hours. I arrived in Athens sometime after 11:00am local time (Athens is one hour ahead of Munich). By the time I got my luggage and got on the train, it was about noon. I took the train from the airport to Monastiraki station in downtown Athens, and when I got out of the station, I saw more people that I had ever seen in my life. (The weather was also beautiful, sunny and about 75 Fahrenheit. Being exhausted, I tried to locate Athinas (street), which was straight out of the station, then I walked along it until I found Evripidou (street). I made a wrong turn on Evripidou, which I discovered when the street split into two, so I turned around and found the hotel easily. I will say this: the best advice I got while researching Athens was from a website I can't remember, so I can't give them credit (but it was not my own advice), but they said that pedestrians do NOT necessarily have the right of way, even when the "walk" light is activated. This is a very true statement.

I got checked into the hotel about one o'clock in the afternoon, and had a cozy room on the third floor. I very tiny room, it was clean, had a bathroom, and free wifi. Plus the lady at the counter was so nice it was amazing. (I highly recommend this hotel. By the way, hotels in Athens are very inexpensive. Very inexpensive. Check out: Hotels.com.) I went up to my room, and had every intention of sleeping for a bit when I first arrived, but I found myself too excited to, and unable to connect to the internet, I went exploring with my map.

I saw so much. The Parthenon, Acropolis, the Odeum of Herodes, the Monument of Filopappos, the Plaka shopping district, a beautiful little forest/park area (again reminiscent of Central Park or the English Gardens), and even got myself an organic pizza made with super healthy hemp flour and oil (THC free!). My photo accounts of this day are below.

Monastiraki Station, with Acropolis in the background.

My hotel's sign.

Engravings I saw at the Acropolis site.

More of Acroplis.

Parthenon.

Odeum of Herodes.

Monument of Filopappos.

View of Acropolis/Athens from the end of the forest area, near the monument from above.

I told you I was in a tropical climate! This is an orange tree! (And there were many more where this came from!)

Meow. They were so sweet.

I realized that I was feeling the affects of a one hour sleep from the night before when I was waiting to take my pizza back to the hotel. I started tilting slightly, and I knew that was a bad sign. So I went back to my hotel as soon as I could, got there about 6:00pm, asked the hotel lady about the internet, who gave me a slip of paper, then I went up to my room. I ate three slices of organic goodness, and was able to connect to the internet long enough to send an e-mail, then, unbeknownst to me, I passed out. Literally passed out. Like I don't remember crawling under the covers and turning out the lights. I woke up abruptly at about 12:30am or so. I made some "I'm alive and safe" phone calls, then tried to sleep again. I couldn't. The hotel, which I did enjoy thoroughly, was a bit noisy at night, probably because of where my room was in respect to the stairs, it was like a sound tunnel. So I didn't get too much sleep.

DAY 2

I knew when I woke up that this was my shopping day. I was determined to just wander around, looking at stores, visiting organic shops, and maybe going to a museum or two. I got to see a lot again, with visiting the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the New Acropolis Museum, an organic store (which supplies handmade Greek halva! I was in heaven!), a vegan restaurant next door (I ordered an avocado milkshake. It was surprisingly delicious!), the Theatre of Dionysos, and the Athens Flea Market. I was again in my hotel between 6:00pm and 7:00pm, and my day is accounted in pictures below. The museum is not pictured because pictures inside were forbidden. Also, it was raining off and on for most of the day, so there are only a few pictures. The temperature was still in the 70's though. (Note: It's worth mentioning that the Acropolis is a 12 Euro fee, but that also includes the Dionysos Theatre, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and others. I think it's a pretty good deal.)

Temple of Olympian Zeus.

Fallen pillar at the temple site.

Theatre of Dionysos.

Engravings at the theatre.

The Athens Flea Market. To me it looks like a modern Arabian marketplace.

DAY 3

I didn't sleep real well again the next night, but at the same time I don't usually sleep well in new places at first. I was determined to see the sea on my last official day in Athens, so I made sure I had good directions, put on my bikini, and had my first adventure riding the Athens public transportation system, which included more than the train this time... a bus as well. The only issue I found was that there was no way of knowing what stop was next for someone who didn't know the area. On the other hand, I probably should have counted the stops before I got on the bus, but I'm not sure how I would have known that. But the water was beautiful. I did a lot of walking around, went in the water a bit in a nice secluded section of the beach, read part of my book (Okay, pause. Recommended reads by Holly: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. I know both books have been out for a while, but they are fabulous and I highly recommend.), and then I realized I was going to get sunburned (Holly the pale white girl didn't think she'd need to bring sunscreen), so I headed back. The weather was somewhere around 80 and sunny, but I was starting to feel my lack of sleep, plus I was starting to feel my sunburn bad, so I headed back and rested until the next day, when I was leaving. (Hey, I was on vacation after all.)

Cascade of foliage. It was also covering a mini cave.

The water was so clear and beautiful it was ridiculous.

The Mediterranean Sea. I should point out that the area I was in was called Varkiza, just southeast of Athens.

DAY 4

I overslept a bit because I again didn't sleep real well, but I made it out the door about 9:15am or so, and when I checked out the hotel lady seemed very sad to see me go (she was truly wonderful during my stay), and I promised her I'd be back (which I will be). I made it to the station okay, got my special ticket to the airport, made it through security, baggage check, and everything else, only to discover my plane was delayed... by three hours. When I finally did get on the plane, it was a perfectly smooth ride for the first 2 hours or so, but then we hit "severe turbulence," as the attendant put it, directly over the Alps. My heart felt like it would explode and the nice Greek lady next to me held my hand. The turbulence only lasted a couple minutes, but the people on the plane were panicky and yelling a bit too. When we finally landed, everyone on the plane clapped, and I had never been so happy to be on the ground in my life. It took another hour for me to get home with the S-Bahn and bus, and when I did get home I discovered that the family was gone, and I still needed to get to the store before 8:00pm, cause I had no food for the next few days (Easter and Easter Monday everything is closed here), and I had gotten back at 6:00pm. And well, everyone knows the rest. I got my Elephant & Piggie stuffed animals, and typed up my blog post on the Squishables Fashion Show yesterday, and now here I am!

My next step is to, of course, plan my trip to Paris, which I'm hoping won't be too costly. Until then, I'm going to be continuing my German classes, working here with the children, doing my chores, cooking my mini-meals, and best of all going on my own little day trips!

I will post another blog entry when I have more to talk about.

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

The Squishables Fashion Show - Brought to You By The Squishables

Yulysta: Well hello and welcome to the first annual Squishables Fashion Show!

Julius: Wait, wait. We just got back from Greece. Shouldn't we be talking about that?

Peanut Butter: Well, here's the problem: Holly wanted to post a blog entry before she left but ran out of time. So after we write about our show, Holly will post a mini "Special Holiday Blog Post" at the end because it's Easter, then tomorrow she will write all about her travels to Athens.

J: I need some coffee.

PB: Anyway, yes! Welcome to our fashion show. The idea came about as kind of a join thought between Holly and the youngest, when the youngest wanted to take us "shopping" and then Holly, noticing all of the dress up clothes, thought it would be fun to have a Squishables Fashion Show!

Y: About a week later, Holly was playing with the children and remembered about having this little show. So Holly grabbed us, brought us to the playroom, and instantly the children were excited.

J: Luckily, each child has a favorite of us. I'm the middle child's/the boy's favorite.

PB: I'm the littlest one's favorite.

Y: And I'm, of course, the oldest one's favorite!

PB: Oddly enough, the little boy loves to throw, kick, and generally knock around Julius... and Julius doesn't seem to mind...

J: It's fun.

Y: Into the play clothes the children and Holly went to collect things that we could wear that were, "Squishable sized."

PB: We collected all of the clothing in a little basket and immediately the camera appeared and we were fashion icons!

Y: Shall we begin with the pictures?

PB: Please!

Y: Here we see Peanut Butter dressed as a scary Squishable skull.

J: And here I am: Christmas Julius. (Even though it's April.)

PB: We have our ever dashing Hula Yulysta, ready to soak up some sun!

J: Pirate Peanut Butter will attack you for your gold!

Y: Here we have... I'm not really sure actually... Julius?
J: I'm not sure either. I'll call it "Funny Julius."

PB: Angel Yulysta is a vision in white and silver... with a touch of gold in her halo.

Y: I think we will call this one "Party Peanut Butter."

PB: This one suits Julius a little too well. Tyrant King Julius.
J: Hey! I'd make a great king!
Y: I think you'd be a little mean...
J: I would rule my country firmly, yes.
PB: (Good thing this is just a pretend show...)

Y: Here I was dubbed "Baby Yulysta" by one of the two girls.

J: This one's my favorite. I call it "Peanut Butter in Drag."
PB: It's a children's fashion show, Julius.
J: I don't care. I still think it's funny.

Y: This one's actually my favorite. Holly came up with the "Cowboy Julius" idea and I think it really works for him.
J: Well, thank you... Maybe I should try being less cynical...
PB: Yeah, maybe you should.

J: Lastly, here we have poor suffocating "Princess Yulysta."
Y: They just didn't have anything in my size. There is nothing wrong with being round. It's a beautiful shape.

PB: And thus is the conclusion of our show. We hope you enjoyed it!

J: We will take votes on which picture is the overall favorite.

Y: Uh, Julius, I'm not sure anyone will vote on a pretend children's fashion show. It was kinda just for fun.

J: But... but... I wanted the people's votes!

PB: Okay, this is why King Julius is a bad idea. Speaking of King Julius, after the children's fashion show, the two girls put together a little Squishable's play starring King Julius, Princess Yulysta, and... well, me as a non-royalty love interest/friend of the Princess.

J: And they had a baby dinosauer. Because everyone knows that pandas and cats produce extinct animals together.

Y: Yes well, the children had a lot of fun before we all went to Athens.

PB: There will definitely be a blog post on that tomorrow, Tuesday at the latest.

J: Below, Holly has shared two things besides the Easter summary: two new additions to our stuffed animal world, and her pita pizza recipe.

Y: We hope you enjoy!

PB: See you next time!

Holly's Pita Pizza Recipe!

This "lecker" (German for yummy) pizza dish is so easy... and only takes about 10 minutes total time!

Ingredients:

One Pita Bread (the kind that can be a pocket to put veggies and other things in)

One Tablespoon Pesto

One Tomato, sliced into rings

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, as desired

(Note: Serves 2)

Nutritional Information:

Well, let's put it this way: whole grain bread, tomatoes, herbal base, with calcium filled cheese. Runs about 300 calories per serving, and there's nothing bad in it. I'd say it's healthy! (Can be made gluten/casein [lactose] free with substitution of ingredients.)

Directions:

Carefully cut the pita bread in half as if you're opening up the pocket part of the bread. (This means you'll have two circles of bread.)

Use the pesto as your base, then top with tomatoes and mozzarella.

Place in 400 degree oven (or 200 degrees Celsius) until cheese is melty and the tomatoes have dried up a bit, somewhere between 5-7 minutes.

Enjoy!

This recipe is so versatile. Use tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella for a classic American pizza, or use my surprising favorite combo of tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella topped with pineapple, chicken, and jalapenos! Yum!

Happy Easter everyone! This is my very first Easter away from the states, and it's also the first Easter in a long time I won't be spending directly with my grandma, which is sad. Mostly everyone knows that Easter traditionally is to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and also many people also know that Easter was originally a pagan holiday that was converted to Christianity. However, I actually was curious to know what's the deal with the colored eggs and Easter bunny.

Obviously, rabbits, chicks, and eggs are symbolic because of the coming of springtime. (Except for today, I woke up to snow whereas yesterday I woke up to tropical weather.) But egg coloring? Easter bunny? Well, I just discovered, much to my surprise, that the notion of the Easter Bunny or Rabbit was first presented to the Americans by, believe it or not, the Germans in the 1700's. These Germans who introduced the idea would later become the Amish in Pennsylvania.  The chocolate bunnies as we know them today were originally made of sugar and pastry, and the Germans had the "folklore," if you will, that the rabbit would bring eggs, historically a symbol of rebirth, to the children during Easter time. Why color the eggs? Because eggs had been so symbolic, people had "wrapped" them, kind of like presents, with gold leaf, or boiling the eggs with flowers and other vividly colored plants to make them beautiful. The were also colored in the bright colors associated with springtime to further appreciate the season. Later, of course, different strains of candy came about, like jellybeans and dare I say Peeps. And there you have a brief, interesting history on the Easter Bunny and the colored eggs. (Source.)

I'm sorry about not posting a blog post before I left, and I will be posting an Athens post tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. Time has been elusive the last few days and I'm doing my best to get everything organized. Plus I have to start planning a trip to Paris!

I had a box on my dresser when I came home yesterday, and when I opened it, I was shocked with glee to see what my grandma had sent me! I'll write soon!

ELEPHANT & PIGGIE HAS COME TO LIVE WITH ME!