That was like 14 years ago.

A few weeks ago, a couple very of exciting things occured. Leah came to visit. She stayed for a couple of weeks. We got all domestic and nesty in my apartment. It was the first time since I got here that things really felt normal. I had to work some of the time because, well, we'll get into it in later posts but my current employers are real A-1 fart bags. The other exciting thing that happened was that we traveled to Croatia together. Dubrovnik, Croatia to be exact.

It sounds familiar for a reason. Croatia had a little scuffle not too long ago also dubbed "war of independence" a civil war might have you. But that was like 14 years ago. Everything is war-free now. Not to mention gorgeous and amazing.

We flew in bright and early on a Sunday morning. We slept about 2-3 hours and lugged our single suitcase to the train in order to get to the airport. I would like to accept full responsibility yet plead complete innocence in thinking we could fit 4 days worth of 2 peoples (both slaves to the unrelenting grasp of clothing and fashion) things inside 1 suitcase. Some people can do it, I admire these people. Leah and I could not. It tipped the scales well over the weight limit and we ended up paying for it. Not only in Euros for an overage fee but in the pain in the ass it was to lug that thing around.

When we landed, it was immediately evident just how amazing this place was gonna be. You could just smell it in the air. It was 7 in the morning and 72 degrees and even though we were exhausted, things immediately turned to great. We took a cab to our first hotel and when we arrived, this is the jist of the landscape we saw.


Dubrovnik is on the Adriatic Sea across from Italy. It has a lot of ancient history. Too much to get into quite frankly. It's been ruled and taken over by several countries and crazies including Napoleon in 1808 and Nazi Germany in 1941. Leah and I thought about annexing it when we got there but decided to just change our Euros for Kuna and then hang out for a few days.

The next four days were filled with a non-stop mix of relaxing and sometimes nerve-wraking adventure. I may or may not have accidently taken us on to a busy highway in the middle of the night on our tiny rental scooter.

Overall, we killed it. We ate good meals, swam in the sea and bathed in the sun. Made friends with both the local feline population of the island and the management at our Hotel. All the while ripping up the island on our scooter and seeing really ancient, amazing sights.

Not Homeless

So this happened a while ago but I feel since I made such a big deal out of it in past posts that it's worth talking about. I got an apartment. It's ridiculously perfect for me and i found it just a week before I had to move out of my other apartment.

It's a studio in the neighborhood called Ehrenfeld. I had my sites set on Ehrenfeld since I first got here. It's very similar in comparison to the types of neighborhoods i've been happy in other cities before. Very multi-cultural, close but slightly removed from the "it" neighborhood and quiet. Lots of Turkish people and therefore Turkish restaurants, grocery stores and "Kiosks" or convenience stores.

My apartment is about 2 blocks from the train, so it takes me about 15-20 mins to get to work by public tranny, or 20 mins worth of biking. Oh, and my landlord is my age and very relaxed. This does mean that I still don't have a bathroom mirror, however it also means he's not gonna come knocking on my door to collect the rent on the 2nd of the month. His name is Giacommo, unbeknownst to him I call him G. He's into hip-hop, insense-burning, meditation and horticulture, as are the several people who come to visit him daily.

Here are a few pics of the place from before I moved in. I assure you it is much more homey now that i've put in a bed, work desk and other niceties.