This article is slightly disturbing...

Care for some dog or bull testicles? How about an aborted deer fetus? Don't want to go on a national television program like Fear Factor to eat them? Well, I have the restaurant just for you.
By the way, if you can read this article without starting to feel even slightly sick to the stomach, please do not let me know...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/5371500.stm

Rugen Island, Germany 17-20 August

Two weekends ago, Arno and I decided to drive somewhere...the original destination was Copenhagen in Denmark but we decided instead to go to the supposed home of my ancestors - to Rugen Island in northeastern Germany. It is very close to Scandinavia.

Most people are probably not even aware that Germany has some islands, but in fact it does and this one in particular is very beautiful. It is a nature reserve and family beach resort and was formerly part of East Germany. There are a few parts of the island with the good ol' Communist housing blocks. However, for the most part the houses are cute, quaint and beautifully situated.

You may notice that some of the photos aren't so great and that's because we had to use a disposable camera! We brought our digital camera and had forgotten to charge the battery and bring the charger!

Enjoy the rest of the photos by clicking HERE.

Groningen, Netherlands

Groningen is the largest city in the far northeastern part of the Netherlands and since I'd never been there, my friend Brian and I recently visited for a day (it is 2.5 hours by train each way to/from Amsterdam). The city was nice with, some rather pretty buildings (in photos below), but it was not too drastically different from many of the nice Dutch towns and cities so I don't have many photos from there...it was good to get out and see a new place, though!

Gay Pride in Amsterdam

One of the best gay pride celebrations happens to be in Amsterdam. What is unique about the Amsterdam gay pride parade is that the floats are on boats and travel down a canal rather than a street! It was really interesting to see some of the outfits - these Amsterdam festivals are always good fun! The photos below include Arno and my good friends, Brian and Jaap.

Our trip to the U.S. 1-22 July 2007

Finally - I am posting our photos from our trip to the U.S. Photos include shots from our road trip to Miami, Key West and our short visits to the Everglades, St. Augustine, and Savannah on our return to the VA/DC area.

Photos from top: South Beach; Jared, Susan and myself; storm in SoBe; Arno and I in Savannah.