Florida/Germany Trip 2008

Holiday Part I - Florida
I arrived in Florida late on Wednesday night, 23/7. The next day, I went shopping with Christina, where I spent way too much money! We picked Kai up from the airport that afternoon...I was so happy to see him again!! It had only been 3 weeks, but for some reason it felt like forever. I didn't want to overwhelm him with too many family members on the first day, so we just went back to Kyle and Christina's. Paul come over a couple of hours later, and we cooked a nice dinner on the bbq with some crappy American beers. :) The next morning, Paul, Kai, and I drove to Cocoa Beach. It was a bit too hot to stay out in the sun for too long, so we went shopping again, and we all found something to buy! :) For dinner, Christina, Kyle, Deanna, Dave, Paul, Kai, and I went to the Melting Pot in Orlando. Fondue is my favourite, and I haven't been able to find a fondue restaurant in Sydney so it was a must on the 'Florida To-Do List'!
Saturday, the 26th, Dad had a great Mardi Gras party for me being back in Florida! I went over a bit early so I could spend some time with Dad, Paul, and Dominic before everyone else arrived. Dominic has grown so much! He is so cute! He runs around the house everywhere, and babbles a lot....You can't really understand what he's trying to say most of the time, but he definitely has a lot to say! :) We had a great time....great food, beers, and a few jello shots! Loads of family was there...probably about 40-50 people. Even though it was loud and crazy, none of it seemed to phase Kai....I was very impressed!
Sunday, Paul, Dani, Kai, and I drove down the South Beach. We got there pretty late in the afternoon so after an hour or so on the beach we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We went to a cute Cuban restaurant on Ocean Drive, and then got some takeaway beers to bring back to our hotel and watched Office Space.
Monday - Cruise Boarding Day! Kai got to meet another 50 of my family members...I'm sure he was thrilled! :) It actually wasn't too bad at all....There was the normal confusion, of course, but everyone had a blast! We spent the days on the beach or on the deck on the boat, and we spent the nights in the bars and singing karaoke! In Grand Turk, Kai and I found a nice hammock for two and laid there for hours....perfect! The first day in the Bahamas, Kai and I went snorkelling. The fish were so colourful and beautiful! The second day, at Nassau, Kai went diving, and I spent some time wandering around the city with my mom, Christina, and Kyle. I really enjoyed just being with my family again.
We got back to Miami Saturday morning, 2/August. Had to say goodbye to Kai...His flight left for Germany at noon that day so that he could be with his mom for her birthday.
Sunday was Christina's baby shower in Orlando. It was so nice! Got to see all her friends again. Christina got such nice presents...I think her daughter will be spoiled....I know I'm going to contribute a lot to spoiling my new niece! :) Right after the shower, I drove to Tampa to have dinner with a few people I used to work with. We ate at a nice tapas restaurant, and spend hours laughing and catching up....a great time!
Monday, the 4th - Time to leave Florida. :( Met Paul, Dad, Mom, and Deanna for coffee at State Farm...was supposed to say goodbye to everyone then, but of course I couldn't do that! We all decided to have lunch together, and then I would leave after that. Everyone came...including Dani, Dave, Jil, and Grams....It was so nice! I've really missed my family! I'm going to try to come back around Christmas time 2009. It would be nice to see Christina and Kyle's new baby girl, so I really hope it works out that way!

Holiday Part II - Germany
Arrived in Berlin on Tuesday, the 5th. I didn't sleep much on the plane, so I took a quick nap when we got back to the hotel. We went out to dinner at a nice Vietnamese place with one of Kai's friends. The next day, we rented bicycles and rode all around Berlin, looking at all the sites.
Thursday, we went to a concentration camp in Oranienburg, and then drove to Kratzeburg, in Mecklenburger Seenplatte, to start our kayaking adventure! We kayaking for about 3 hours the first day before setting up our campsite. We bought a new tent that is so cute...It even has a little compartment for Roxie! :) We got up early on Friday and paddled another 5 hours to Neustrelitz. It was so beautiful! The lakes were a bit difficult sometimes, but the I loved the little canals! We even had a group of ducks swim next to our boat....I think they were just looking for food, but they were cute! That evening we drove to Schwerin to see an amazingly beautiful castle, and then continued on to Wismar, Kai's hometown.
I had a wonderful tour guide on Saturday. :) Got to see all of Wismar's beautiful churches and beaches. Kai was crazy enough to go swimming, but the water was just way too cold for me! I also got to meet Kai's mom and grandma. They are so sweet!! We went out to dinner with Kai's mom on our last night there. We got a delicious fish platter to share...It was a wonderful evening! I really had a great time in Wismar, and I can't wait to go back!
On Monday, the 11th, we drove to Hamburg to visit with Kai's brother and his girlfriend. They showed us around the city & took a boat ride along the river, and we had a fun party at his place with some more of Kai's friends!
Our next stop was Dusseldorf, where Kai used to live and work. It was fun walking around and seeing all the places he used to go. We even went for a nice jog along the river...We actually ran quite a bit on our holiday...I'm trying to get ready for my big marathon in September!
We arrived in Koln on Thursday, the 14th. Walked around the city for the day...I really enjoyed Koln....The church is amazing! We walked along the river, took a cable car ride to the other side and walked through some cute parks. That evening my train left for Frankfurt where I would catch my flight to Singapore.

I only stayed in Singapore for one day because I had to make one more stop for my round the world ticket. I have already been there, though, so I didn't mind.

So, I'm back home today. I'm still pretty tired and definitely not ready for work tomorrow! :) It seems a bit strange actually....I guess I've gotten used to having Kai with me all the time now! :) He's already booked his ticket back, and he arrives bright and early at 5am on Wednesday, the 27th....I can't wait!!! He's going to move in with me when he gets back. We're very excited about living together and can't wait to start our Aussie adventures!