After nearly a month of being out of town, we are finally HOME!!! The trip was wonderful, with so many happy reunions with old friends, reminiscing while strolling through our old neighborhoods and revisiting our favorite restaurants. But the four weeks we spent in Europe were full of emotional roller coaster riding, too, since we were so nervous about Jady's oral exams and thesis defense at the theological faculty at Humboldt. After all of this work-- years of reading and studying and then writing and editing his thesis-- the whole PhD comes down to passing these comps at the end... so hey, no pressure:) We had the best time celebrating together after he passed, and now we're just getting used to the weight and wondering having been lifted. It's over, and now he's Dr. Koch!
I know I've been posting a lot about this whole doctoral degree adventure, which has juuuuuust about nothing to do with what Mel & I normally share on the blog:) Since Jady's degree is what brought us to Germany and enabled us to live in Europe for as long as we did, and because I'm so proud of him and this major accomplishment he has just finished, it's such a huge part of our lives that I felt like I had to share it with you all. And also, it makes sense of how little I've been able to post lately!
We did a pretty good job of not loading up our suitcases *too* much by buying things on our trip, but I was thrilled to get to take a trip back to a flea market we used to visit in Berlin on Sunday afternoons. The Mauerpark, situated in a narrow field where the Berlin wall used to stand, is a crazy combination of antiques, crafts, cold war memorabilia and straight up junk. The whole thing feels a little seedy, but it's worth pushing your way through the eclectic crowds for the chance of discovering some great finds. This time I went back with a purpose-- to find the Moroccan guy with a stand full of pretty, colorful bowls trimmed in silver. I bought one of these bowls years ago when we lived in Berlin and always meant to go back for more.
We did a pretty good job of not loading up our suitcases *too* much by buying things on our trip, but I was thrilled to get to take a trip back to a flea market we used to visit in Berlin on Sunday afternoons. The Mauerpark, situated in a narrow field where the Berlin wall used to stand, is a crazy combination of antiques, crafts, cold war memorabilia and straight up junk. The whole thing feels a little seedy, but it's worth pushing your way through the eclectic crowds for the chance of discovering some great finds. This time I went back with a purpose-- to find the Moroccan guy with a stand full of pretty, colorful bowls trimmed in silver. I bought one of these bowls years ago when we lived in Berlin and always meant to go back for more.
The one I have is kind of a medium sized serving bowl in one of my favorite pale turquoise shades of blue.
Thankfully, our guy was still there, right where he used to be! I knew I couldn't manage to schlepp home a suitcase full of enormous pottery, so I focused on the tiniest bowls and tried not to look at the fun serving pieces.
In the end I was proud that I restrained myself and thrilled to bring home a few little dishes in a variety of blues. The two sizes would be perfect for putting out nuts, sauces or dips-- but I'm also tempted to steal one or two of them to hold earrings on my dresser...
xo
Liza
No comments:
Post a Comment