the sunniest city in germany

You wouldn't have known it a few weeks ago when it was raining all the time, but Freiburg is known as having the best weather in Germany, and I'm intent on soaking it up before I leave.


On my friend Fiona's last day in Freiburg, we grabbed a blanket, bread, cheese and wine and headed to a local park by a lake.


Needless to say, it was wonderful, as lounging around in the sun usually is.


A few days later I spent a Saturday morning outside on the same blanket with a cup of coffee and a good book. This will likely happen tomorrow morning as well, but with the sources for my term paper. I enjoyed my personal ban on homework while it lasted (just a weekend).


A good way to enjoy Freiburg, but as it turns out, Berlin is quite sunny as well.

catching up

Dear blog, I'm sorry. You've been neglected by me.

But! now I am done with my program courses and my university course presentation. Just two classes a week and a paper to write. No problem.

Add this newly-found freetime to gorgeous weather and a desire to explore Freiburg more before I leave, and you get...a post every day this week! Really. I figure I should set lofty goals for myself.

I was in Berlin from last Saturday until Wednesday, which was wonderful. Saw friends, wandered the city, drank lots of coffee at lots of cute and hip cafes, found stores that I couldn't even let myself walk into for fear of spending money. I braved the fear to go into a few of them, though, like a bookstore with only cookbooks. Sigh. They even had a comfy bench. And a copy of Breakfast Lunch Tea, one of my favorite cookbooks.

Which reminded me that I found one of my favorite recipes from the book (one of Sidonie's favorites too) online. Lemon, Rice and Polenta Cake. Lemony, gluten-free and pleasantly crunchy.

And, my travel photo wednesday (um, saturday) post, one of the aforementioned cute hip cafes in Berlin. Cappuccino and a waffle with strawberry sauce = a good way to start a day.


And a bonus, as atonement for my blog neglect. We went on a great bike ride near Berlin on Sunday, including a cafe on a houseboat, sunburns and volleyball on the beach at a lake, and adventures maneuvering bikes up and down escalators and on and off of trains.