What the Blog?

Since this is my newest favorite "rant" topic, it seemed appropriate to blog on it. Since moving to Germany, I've observed a dearth of working mothers around me - and see a fairly high population of mothers choosing to stay home. Thanks to a combination of extremely family friendly employment policies (women can take up to 3 years, 2 without pay, away from work to raise children and still have their job guaranteed upon return) and unfriendly government policies towards a two-income household (school usually ends by 1:30 pm; daycare spots are extremely hard to come by for the under-3 set, shopping hours are limited for errand-running on evenings and weekends, and don't get me started on the *costs* to have a working spouse - higher tax class, no "mother pay", separate health insurance payments... I could go on... ), moms who want to work in Germany are faced with tough and often expensive choices. The las t phrase is not so different from the US, but when y...

Amsterdam is packed with so much to do, it's hard to choose how to best plan 2-days there. We went in the early fall, and got lucky with one sunny day (normally, the weather is notoriously gray and rainy). So, we revised our museum / indoor plans and stayed outside as much as possible! Where to stay: Hotel Eden Manor is in the east end, a bit removed from the city center, but a lot more "neighborhoody" and has a boutique, intimate feel. We had a cozy top floor / attic room. The internet was spotty though - and largely unreliable. Luckily, a McDonald's isn't too far from the hotel, and they have free and solid wifi if you're desperate like I was. Day 1: If you get lucky with the weather, too, pick an outdoor market to start. If you're staying at the Eden, there's a small market around the corner but it doesn't compare to the big, famous Albert Cuypmarket . Pick up some oddities, some funky jewelry, and a coffee and pastry to prepare for the day...

In my last trip for a while, S and I spent a weekend in Dublin after my weeklong work trip in the city. The weekend was pretty near perfect - a bit of city and a bit of the stunning countryside, with some tasty bites in between. During the week, I stayed at the cozy Cliff Townhouse at St Stephen's Green. The guestrooms have a lot of character and the staff was extremely friendly. My rate (EUR 115/night) included a large breakfast in the dining room overlooking the Green. The only downside was there were a lot of stairs to climb - the elevators only go to half-floors. The location is superb - three blocks to Grafton Street , easy access to taxis and the Luas Green Line . For the weekend, we moved into the Conrad Hilton , just a few blocks off the Green, on the other side. I combined Hilton points with euros for a manageable EUR 66/night, and walked into the gorgeous lobby and well-designed guestroom. With my Diamond status came a room with a view of the concert hall across the ...

Ah, the South of France at the beginning of springtime. A clear sky and bright sun bouncing off the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Fresh fish, oh so fresh, along with seafood of all varieties. And of course, pastries made only the way the French can (lots of butter?)... if only every weekend was like this. I get pretty homesick pretty frequently, but weekends like the one I took to Sète are a good reminder of how living in Europe isn't so bad. Ryanair flies into Montpellier and Beziers, both about 30 mins by car to Sète, and I managed to score a crazy-cheap Friday night to Sunday night fare of EUR 25 for the roundtrip flight. With airbnb, a weekend getaway can get even cheaper: we found a 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom apartment for only EUR 50/night, in the heart of town. Finally, free parking is available along the east end, along Quai d'Alger. You don't need a car to wander Sète once you've made it to town; it's small and easily walkable. Many of the places we vis...

This weekend, I had a lovely getaway with a very old friend to a small coastal town called Sete, France, after flying on an exceedingly cheap (EUR 25, roundtrip) ticket via Ryanair from Frankfurt Hahn to Montpellier. It will be my last Ryanair flight. Not because of the flights (both arrived 30 minutes early!), or the staff, or the very friendly service, but because of my fellow passengers. The worst of what I saw included:  A large group of middle-aged tourists, pointing and laughing at a woman struggling to put her suitcase in the cabin storage.  A twenty-something cutting in front of lines at McDonald's, who expressed no shame when I questioned him about why his time was so much more important than mine.  People blatantly cutting in the seating line as and whenever possible. Shoving (!) to get farther down the aisle as people were attempting to board, store luggage, and take their seat. Heaven forbid you don't get the perfect seat for the ONE HOUR flight. Gra...

Ah, Paris. Though 2 days isn't nearly enough to experience it, I was amazed at what you can fit into 2 days there. DAY 1: We arrived by ICE into Paris Est, where we caught the bus 32 to the 16th Arrondissement, our home for the weekend. From there, it was a short 20-minute walk to the Eiffel Tower. After taking loads of photos -- up close, far away, artistic -- it was time to move on to the Seine riverboat ride. For EUR 13 per person, we piled into a flat-bottom boat (after waiting about 30 minutes - apparently this is a popular activity!), and sailed off towards the Notre Dame. The commentary was quite good, but it was difficult to get a good view of many of the buildings - unlike similar cruises in Amsterdam, where everything is at eye level. Still, this was a nice way to get a lay of the land, and would be perfect o n a sunnier day. After the boat cruise, we headed by foot to the  Champs-Élysées  and the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc was gorgeous lit up at night - I've t...

Brussels is a short 3 hours by ICE from Frankfurt, and a nice change of scenery from the big city. Although bustling in its own right, Brussels was peaceful at 9:30 am, when my train arrived. Most shops were closed, but luckily Dandoy's breakfast stand was open - perfect, to warm up and eat a waffle. Although I didn't taste their delicious-looking, but extremely pricey "handmade" biscuits, my waffle and fruit sauce hit the spot! The Grand Place in Brussels, which appeared to be the centerpoint for tourists like myself, is simply stunning. Even on a dreary gray day, the gold-leafed buildings seemed to glimmer a little more brightly and were a nice change from the dark stone buildings in the Marktplatz of many German towns we've seen. I walked around the square to take it all in, snapped a few pictures, and headed up to see the Manneken Pis and his costume of the day. Definitely a tourist trap, but also only a 10 minute walk from the Grand Place, so why not? ...

Strasbourg, France, is the largest city along the border between France and Germany. During WWII, the Reich worked to make it a "showcase" city, which meant building beautiful government buildings, parks, and plazas. Many of the buildings now house various organizations in line with Strasbourg's role as the seat of the Council of Europe. The German architecture, plus the destruction of much of the older parts of the city during WWII, lends a strong German influence to Strasbourg - in terms of architecture, culture, and even language. We drove down from Frankfurt for a day trip, and enjoyed wandering about - though it was surprising how little business activity there was even on a Saturday afternoon (most shops are also closed all day Sunday). The drive took about 2 hours in no traffic, and pleasantly required paying no tolls. We just needed passports at the border crossing. Parking was tricky, but we found space at the Opera-Broglie parking garage , and at EUR1,70/hr, a...

We just returned from a post-Christmas, pre-New Year's getaway to Franconia, just two states over from Rhineland-Pfalz, where we live. Though Nuremberg is famous for their Christmas Markets, hotel prices drop dramatically after the markets close, and the weather is still lovely enough for long walks around the town. And really, you can drink gluhwein anywhere in Germany during the Advent days, right? We hopped on an ICE from Mainz for the 2.5 hour ride to Nuremberg, and went straight to our hotel, the quaint Garni Probst . The very friendly staff and great breakfast the next morning made us feel right at home, though I had some trouble sleeping thanks to street noise and lights. Darker curtains would have helped... and a note for those with kids, there are some unsavory businesses across the street. Using my Lonely Planet Germany as our guide, we headed out for a 2.5 km meander around town, starting with a giant bowl of soup at Souptopia (a bit bland, but hearty soups in a co...

Even though I work in Darmstadt, it's taken some time to pull together the elements of one great day there. But after sampling lots of lunch spots, exploring the town and a bit of the outskirts, here it is - everything you need for a great day. Getting around Darmstadt by car or transit is easy - we took a Deutsche Bahn train and arrived at Darmstadt central station about 30 minutes later. The station's a bit out of town, so you'll have to tram or bus into the central square, Luisenplatz. If you exit the train station on the main side, you'll see where the trams pick and up and can hop on any one. Luisenplatz is shopping central, and also the beginning of the Techniker University (TU) campus. Turn south on the first road you see, and head to the Darmstadt Dom. It's a much smaller church than in Mainz, but was designed after the Pantheon, and has a beautiful blue ceiling with nice, simple decor. Head back to the Luisenplatz and walk west down Rhinestrasse and as...

I just returned from a perfect Saturday afternoon spent in Baden-Baden, a well-heeled town nestled in the Black Forest, in the state of Baden-Wurttemburg. B-B is an easy 1.5 hour train ride from Frankfurt, and if you book in advance, can cost around 50 euros per person (you can also take 4 friends along via the budget/scenic route - 3 hours - on the Happy Weekend ticket, only 40 euros total). The B-B train station is just outside of town. The 201 bus runs into town every 10 minutes, and it's a 13 minute ride to the main square, Leopoldsplatz. From there, catch either the 204 or 205 to Merkurwald , a good starting point for a Black Forest hike. As you head up the hill, take note of the homes - or rather villas - that pepper the side of the road, and the forest in the background! At the end of the line, you'll reach the foot of Merkur Mountain. You can pay 4 euros for a roundtrip ticket up the funicular railway ( bergbahn ), or hike up and train down, as we did (2 euros), so as...

Well, we did it. I think that I've already gone through two of the seven stages of massive adjustment to change. "This is the best place I've ever been!!" followed quickly by "Did we really just do this?" I will wonder for a long time, what would have happened if... I said no, let's not do this I said you go, and I'll work as a lawyer in the US I said yes right away and came with S when he moved, in the dead of winter But none of that matters, because 7.5 months after he moved, with most of our life (though not our cat), to that other country in the Western world with a strong economy, I followed. Luckily enough, with a job that  I'm very excited about and to start a new life together (with our cat) that we talked about often, but I don't think I fully expected to happen - not this soon, anyway. Much of my time here has been spent setting up -- bus trips to the German equivalents of Wal-Mart and Home Depot, putting together Ikea stu...

Ok folks, here it is. Your guide to a perfect weekend in the nation's capital. With all of the free fun that DC has to offer, along with burgeoning neighborhoods, two days is enough to get a good feel for the city. Day 1: Check into your hotel. I recommend the Palomar in trendy Dupont Circle but if you're feeling spendy, go for something fancy and historic like the Hay-Adams (where many a President have stayed) or even the Mayflower . Whichever you choose, start the day with a breakfast waffle at Tynan . But you're going to have to earn that waffle via a morning neighborhood walk! Follow the map below for a tour that will probably take you 2 hours if you're walking fast, but 4-5 if you're wandering through and taking in each of the points of interest. By the time you get to Adams Morgan, you may feel like a more complete meal. In that case, try traditional Oaxacan food at Casa Oaxaca . Don't forget to get a margarita. View DC Wandering in a larger map ...

The number one thing I learned from this bar exam experience is that there is not enough information available about the "exam experience". Why law schools don't offer pertinent information on what to expect is beyond me... but I thought I'd document the few lessons I learned over the past couple of days. I took the NY Bar in Manhattan, at the Jacob Javits Center. It's a good 20-minute walk from Penn Station, so plan travel accordingly. The two days can be exhausting, even though it's broken up into 4, 3-hour segments of exams. Some random notes to know: There is a coat check. It costs $3 per item. It is horrendously inefficient, so if you can avoid using it, your life will be greatly improved. Note, you can access your bags at no cost (how generous!) during the lunch break, but if you take your bag out, you will have to pay again. Ah, nickel and diming. There is a Starbucks in the Javits Center. One. The line gets long, the prices are jacked up, but it'...