liebster award

i have to be honest that i had no idea what a liebster award was before amy bestowed it upon me. (thank you!!) it’s a blog award given by other bloggers to highlight quality, entertaining blogs (usually, that have less than 1,000 followers). and with this honor, i get to nominate a couple blogs that fit this description that have been on my radar for awhile and deserve recognition. then, the nominees can choose to answer eleven questions from me on their blogs. you can also choose to pick eleven random facts about yourself, but i figured answering eleven questions was good enough for me. my nominees?

on the road again, a travel blog written by van, a pink-haired german girl who is moving to the arctic (northern norway) this year! i’ve always had an affinity for northern european countries, so i love all the great photos and interesting facts on her blog.

deutsch bitte!, a blog about becoming a berliner by californian writer natayle, who i had the pleasure to meet while in berlin this year! i love reading her unique perspective on living in this great city.

czechesotans, written by em, a minnesotan living in prague with her husband and lil’ dog too! it’s always a treat to read a new post about what they’re up to in the city of a thousand spires.

and my eleven questions from amy….

1. What prompted you to start a blog?
I love reading blogs about people doing unusual things, and I thought quitting my job and moving half-way across the world without a plan was pretty darn unusual and worth writing about. IInitially it was to keep in touch with friends from home, but it grew after I discovered the whole network of expat women doing the same thing. It’s fun to share each others’ stories and experiences.

2. If you could live anywhere, where would you live?
Without a doubt, Berlin, Germany. What I consider my second home! But living a six hour bus ride away ain’t so bad, either. (photo by luke_g, flickr)

3. What’s one of the best sunsets you’ve ever seen?
Honestly, my home-sweet-home of Fidalgo Island in Washington state (below). But the sunrises and sunsets in the Western Isles of Scotland were pretty enchanting. Maybe it’s an island thing.

4. If you have a hometown, would you move back there if you have a chance?
I wouldn’t rule it out… I do think it’s one of the most beautiful places to live in the world, so I’d feel lucky to move back there at some point. But for now, cities are calling my name.

5. What exotic animal would you see if you could?
Any. Koalas, elephants, gorillas… a trip to the zoo is always fascinating for me.

6. What is one country/city you have no interest in visiting? Would you still visit, if someone bought you a ticket there?
Not really into visiting Ohio or the plains states, although I’d never say never. I used to have absolutely zero interest in visiting Spain (which is why I still haven’t been) and nothing so far has drawn me to Rome, Italy. Give me Northern locales any day.

7. What period of time would you most like to visit?
The 1990’s in Berlin, to witness the rebuilding and reformation of two cities into one and all of the interesting cultural and social events that happened there at this time. The 1950’s in the United States might be fun for awhile… i’d really like to go to a sock-hop followed by milkshakes at a drive-in!

8. What’s the strangest food you’ve ever eaten?
A piece of rotten shark in Iceland, at Cafe Loki (below). And the waitress looked on sadly (but not disapprovingly) as I expressed my distaste. To me, black pudding was incredibly strange (essentially, oat cakes made with congealed blood) which is a Scottish breakfast staple. I had one bite and tossed it away– it wasn’t the taste that was bad (actually, it was decent) but I couldn’t get over the ingredient list.

9. What’s the strangest food you really want to try?
Anything goes! Particularly anything Japanese: strange sushi, snacks, whatever they got… lay it on me.

10. Have you ever had your 15 minutes of fame? If not, what would you want to have it for?
I’m not sure if you’d call it “fame”, but I played bass guitar and sang in a power-pop rock band for a few years at the end of my teens, and had the best time ever. (you can still listen to a few tracks here, if so inclined) We recorded an full-length album (and an EP), played a lot of great festivals, and some bigger gigs. And we totally opened for YACHT once. Really, it’s all for the love of music and performing with your buds. And as soon as I get a hand on all my instruments again and find the right people, I’d love to start another project.

11. What are some of your must-have travel clothes? (This question is purely for research reasons).
Footwear is key! Especially a good, solid sturdy pair of boots that you’d wear in the winter but wouldn’t mind wearing in other months too. Invest in an expensive pair– something you wouldn’t wear the soles out of in six months. The same with quality summer sandals. (I wear Chacos). For traveling, it’s important to remember to bring shoes you love that are tested and true, not some fancy new pair of “travel shoes”. Always pack something you’d be happy wearing back home.

and now, my eleven questions for these ladies to answer….

1. When you think of the word “home”, what place comes to mind?
2. How important is it to learn the language of the country where you’re living?
3. What was your biggest travel or expat “oops” you’ve ever made?
4. What is a city or place you LOVE that is totally off the tourist radar?
5. How do you like to unwind after a long day?
6. If I gave you free tickets to fly anywhere in the world, where would you go?
7. What’s the best material possession you’ve acquired in the past two years?
8. What inspires you most, creatively?
9. Best book you’ve read in the past year?
10. What’s your travel style like? Slow, fast, budget, luxurious….
11. What are your travel plans for the rest of 2014?

happy friday!