Brussels

View from our hotel room

I like her soooo much....

Sorry, in front of Manneken Pis there were too many people

Amazing!!!

Back to Tokyo...

Holidays are over for our friend from Tokyo. Today she flew back to Japan. Well, five days in Europe is a really long holiday....She enjoyed it very much as she told us. We sent her to Amsterdam on Monday for a short stay. She came back yesterday evening and was really happy about the trip. Being an organizing talent we matched her with another Japanese friend, who lives in Amsterdam and stays home with her baby at the moment. So she wasn't alone yesterday. Mission completed :)  Now we are preparing for Brussels!!

This was in Aachen, next time you'll see Manneken Pis here... :)

Sightseeing – Japanese style....

Our friend from Tokyo came on Friday. We were thinking what to do with her, because she has been to Germany several times before and we were having a really hard time to think of something she has not seen or visited ,yet. 

But then she saved us! She told us she is on research here.... Little spy, hä???? ;) As a freelancer she designs stamps for a company, who wants to enter the German market, so she just wanted to visit German stationary shops and find out what kind of stamps are sold over here. Well I can tell you, there only few and I am not sure there is a market in Germany because we did not really find many nice stamps except stamps for companies, but those do not count. So Saturday was shopping and researching! In the evening we met friends in a typical German pub and had some nice drinks. 

Our friend says this is a kind of wellness holiday for her and she has not been sleeping so long and so good for ages.... The only thing at the moment is the weather, gosh we have summer and there is 14°C outside!!!! Summer? Not at all at the moment. 

Sunday we did some sightseeing after all, we were in Aachen freezing and getting wet because of the bad weather. Anyway,  very beautiful city! This time our task was not only visit the famous Imperial Cathedral, where the coronation for 30 German kings and 12 queen took place, but also to buy some angels. Yes, our Japanese friend loves angels. Oh yeah, there was also that gorgeous cafe on our way and lots of printen shops....

Churches and angels....

Printen

Cakes!!!

Fukoshima still moves everyone's live in Japan. Governmental behavior after the accident changed many minds mainly of the young Japanese. It is interesting how their opinion changed and what kind of needs they express now and how they try to find a way out of the tragedy and how to deal with their politicians. Interesting for us to get them to know a new.

Life at home

So busy with so many things happening over here. My parents came over for some days to look for an apartment. They were seeing seven apartments in three days, which were mostly a failure. They stayed in our place while we were working. I think it was nice for them to get around the town for themselves. Two days ago a friend from Japan called first at our phone at home. My mother answered the call and did not understand anything, because she does not speak Japanese... well, why should she. She was really having fun with the girl calling several times. And we were wondering who called us. The girl called at two at night again and finally after being awake we have found out is was the daughter of R.'s guest parents in Japan. She will came to Germany tomorrow and wants to visit us... she just got tired of work having a kind of burn out and decided to go on holiday. So she booked a flight to Germany and will stay here for a week. Funny, isn't it? So my parents went back home the day before yesterday, some friends from London came over yesterday for dinner and today the Japanese girl is coming. Am I getting bored? Not at all.By the way, next week  we are going to Brussels! But first we will do some sightseeing with our Japanese guest on the weekend....

En pleine campagne ...

Well, flying to Paris does not always imply you ARE in Paris... this time at my friend's country house...

Chicory fields, the real Picardy!

 Simply great to see old friends and spent a smooth weekend with best friends, excellent French food and champagne.

What else did we do???? Well....

Sightseeing in Amiens

Shopping!!!! (isn't it great? this are CDs and cables)

French cakes, we loved this small patisserie!

Something to bring home....

Friday: Paris again!!!!

I love the colours of big cities at night. It was middle of the night in Paris, 30° C hot. I was coming back from Biarritz. It started to rain. People drinking wine in the streets, getting wet. Who cares. A summer storm lightning up the air. Magnificent feeling.  And all I wanted was to cry, cry so loud. Ru. What is important in our lives? And then I knew it was the right decision. The right decision for him and after all for me. And I know we are happy and as he always said: Happiness is the most important thing in our lives. And I am happy. France was so unbelievable beautiful. And I am going there again on 8th and this is sooo soon.... this time flying to CDG.!!!!

How to start a perfect evening...

... in Biarritz the best start is somewhere you get pintxos (tapas) and a glas of rosé wine before you go on with dinner... or maybe a glas of champagne, too, at Le Comptoir or at Les 100 marches with a splendit view at the wild coast down to Spain ...

at les 100 marches

champagne at Le Comptoir

Bay of Biscay

 

I have really fallen in love with the Atlantic.

Atlantic views

I have managed to upload some pics ; )

Côte Basque

I am still overwhelmed by the spectacular views over the cost and the Atlantic Ocean. I wished I could share my pictures with you BUT I cannot upload them with my iPod :( the edit functions of these posts are gone ... I will upload them as soon as I will get near to a pc.) The weather is great and we went to Saint Jean de Luz today. Cute little city. Nice place to go swimming, I still like the wild waves over here more. Thinking of going to watch the surf pro championships at the weekend, hope the weather will stay so nice and hot!

I don't know why but I am dreaming about Ru. these days, getting afraid sth happened. I never dream like that and it is a bit strange. I dream he wants to talk to me and he looks out for me but there are people who stand between us and do all to stop him of talking to me and on my side there people who hold me back so I cannot go and see him. Well, never ever will my friends consider me being in France! So he cannot get through to me. Well maybe it is only the relaxed time or the sangria with the dinner ...

Sun, sun, sun

Paris was great. The sun was shining and we took a walk around Jardin Luxembourg, enjoyed
just passing the busy streets of the French capital. Yeah, what can I say, there were thousands articles, songs and movies written about Paris and you know - all this is true! It is just a great city! In the evening we had dinner at A typical French bistro and next morning we were off at the TGV on the way to the Atlantic coast. Flying through French province at the maximum speed of 300 km per hour we are now at Biarritz. The weather is still great and the ocean incredible beautiful. We were just coming back from a kind of bar, where you get served great Basque tapas and wine with a spectacular view at the sun going down over the Atlantic ocean.... what else can I say - holidays!

Tomorrow : PARIS!!!

Yeah, yeah... I am going to France tomorrow.... first to Paris and later to Biarritz! See you soon!

Happy Easter!

I know it is late. And Easter almost over. I was having strange dreams during this Easter. Memories in my dreams. Memories of Easter spent in China. Well, X-Mas I was always home, Easter was traveling time. Easter in China was special, so special. Hope you are all fine out there. Happy Easter.

Luxembourg

Nice weather and we are driving to Luxembourg... Very nice, everything made up and so tidy... cannot believe it it is even more than over here in Germany

Ohhh second hand food....

Down a the Grund

Baby baby

Nike

Guerilla Gardening

We did it.....
Did you hear about guerilla gardening??? Well, we got some flowers and since we do not have an own garden.... I decided to set the flowers free... 1 am in the night... well, nobody saw us... I think the mask was worse than the flowers...
more here:  http://www.guerrillagardening.org/
well, I think there were also some other neighbors who planted some flowers. Now I smile every morning when I see the flowers..

My great friends in British Columbia

Once upon a time it happened in a distant Asian country.... working in Bangkok I met two brothers from Canada. They were travelling for some months around Asia. Bangkok was their base camp :) and we became really good friends. We still are, actually.Thay live in British Columbia, and do not like snow....and it snows there six month a year....
I always think of them as such good company and nowadays we keep in touch over skype. Sometimes they send me a surprise parcel.... like recently Thank you guys so much... you sent me all thethings I like most - Japanese candy from Canada. The super lemon candy is superb!

My private Sakura

At the moment I have my private sakura in front of our balcony… A beauty for the next few days… I remember the cherry tree was o full blossom, when we saw this apartment for the first time.

and it is so beautiful.....

Japan

One month after the tragedy in Japan and all my thoughts are still with our friends there. One of our friends is teaching at the university in Sendai. Friends in Tokyo are still there and I worry every day and hope the radioactivity will decrease. R. is not flying to Japan at the moment, his company canceled all business trips to Japan for the time being.

Books on sale

I decided to put some of the books we read, or not because they from our point of view not so good or we do not like them or simply I NEED some space on my shelf on sale....

Actually I have been selling two up to four books in a month for the last two years. Not much work putting them on amazon. Today I am wondering I will be able to sell the Japanese mangas, too. Let's try. Still there more new books arriving so I need space for them :)

My boss approved my three weeks off in May.... so now I hope I can travel somewhere this time, well compared to last year, anything can be better!!!
First next Saturday I will go to Berlin again and I am really looking forward to this visit. Berlin, Berlin....

Sunday`s dining out!

We went to have brunch at PÉGA at the InterContinental Düsseldorf today. Very nice. High quality food, interesting new tastes, a touch of molecular gastronomy and all in a very casual atmosphere. We really liked it. A nice Sunday. I am having a slow weekend. Small party yesterday, nice friends. Cinema on Friday - Black Swan and a fabulous drink at a new Jazz bar with a good friend of mine. What can I say - nice.

Now I am sitting here drinking green tea and enjoying green tea cake. Wrapped in a furoshiki, original from Japan, neat. It tastes a bit different as my green cake, a real Japanese taste. It was a present for my birthday and I am enjoying :) I really like it!