Flo was also studying abroad from his native Germany and happened to be placed in the same apartment as Andrew. For months Flo and I walked to school together; on weeknights we'd all make dinner and play Uno; and on the weekends we'd all hit the pubs and watch "Scrubs" together. It was an adventure and a total bonding experience - being thousands of miles away from home you really learn to rely and lean on your friends, and Flo never let us down :)
While living in Leeds we also had the opportunity to meet Flo's girlfriend, Annika, twice on her visits from Krefeld, Germany. She is so sweet and happy-hearted. Needless to say, we were thrilled when we found out earlier this year that they were coming to the States!
After 23 hours of travel, Flo and Annika arrived at 7:30pm on Sunday, June 27th. They were exhausted but just as excited to see us as we were to see them. I wasn't sure if I'd recognize them right away at the airport, but they haven't changed a bit in 3 years :)
On Monday, they walked around campus, downtown Berkeley, Telegraph Street - all of the classic Berkeley spots. On Tuesday, I mapped out a bunch of SF sightseeing spots for them to visit. Again, they did a bunch of the classics: Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Union Squre, Embarcadero, Transamerica, etc.
And that brings us to Wednesday. After touring Andrew's lab in the morning, the 3 of them drove into the city to pick me up for a 1/2 day of more sightseeing. We ate lunch at a great little cafe in Haight-Ashbury (the epicenter of the Summer of Love in 1967), walked around Golden Gate Park (SF's version of Central Park in NYC. Bonus little known fact: Golden Gate Park is actually larger than Central Park!), saw the Golden Gate Bridge and drove down Lombard Street.
The weather was perfect and the company grand.
Much more to come of Flo and Annika's visit...
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