Feeling better about Germany

After coming across a couple of articles this morning, I had two very different conceptualizations of Germany and what it might look like for us on our journey;

1) Oktoberfest, which is started off with a 12-gun salute and the tapping of the beer keg, (and what I just learned) the consumption of almost seven million litres of beer in just over 2 weeks... wow.

and

2) The e. Coli outbreak that has resulted in the loss of 50 people and which made 4400 sick.

Thankfully, Oktoberfest should be fun, if I can manage my way through intoxicated people everywhere! And as of Tuesday, July 26, the e. coli outbreak has officially been declared over as there haven't been any new outbreaks in 3 weeks (http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/germany-declares-end-to-e-coli-outbreak/)

So, overall feeling better about managing our health while away (AND knowing we're within stumbling distance of our hostel from the festhalls if I end up attempting a litre of beer myself... lol)

Some Nifty finds!

After exploring another travel store and all the really nifty items they have to offer for travelers like me, I couldn't help but pick up a few new items!

I thought these were really neat; Soft water bottles that you can roll up when not in use, that are light and easy to transport!
http://cascadedesigns.com/platypus/water-bottles/softbottle/product

Super underwear by ExOfficio; "Engineered with Aegis Microbe Shield (I do not know what that is...) and unbelievably quick-drying, ExOfficio 'Give-N-Go' is ready for odor-free, active adventuring." Gotta love an underwear called the "Give-N-Go" lol

I also picked up a pair of Bermuda shorts for Jeff that can be used as a bathing suit and that can be squished into a tiny little bag that is part of the pocket! I thought they were pretty neat!

Anyway, only a few items yet to go... but not much!

Say Cheese!!

After much, much, MUCH deliberation and a painful decision making process, (thanks Chris for making it as painless as possible and for your MANY hours of research that I, frankly, would have gotten totally lost in)... I finally bought a new camera to accompany Jeff and I on our trip! It's a Nikon and pretty nifty if I do say so myself. I'm looking forward to playing around with it prior to leaving so I understand how it works so that I can take some beautiful pictures while we're away. I'm pretty stoked actually!

Click Click Click!