What are we doing now?

Ilarion is going to Berlin for a conference on July 19th. Adrienne will meet him there on July 25th. We will then spend a week finding an apartment, learning about bureaucracy, and locating the finest beer.

Originally we had planned to go to Russia on August 1st to visit Ilarion's family, but unfortunately the Russian bureaucrats weren't very interested in our plans. Instead we are perhaps going to hike or camp for a week or so in Europe. (If anyone has any knowledge of natural areas or back-country camping opportunities in Europe, please let us know. So far we can only find RV parks with enormous pools!)

We are returning to Chicago on August 12th. Then Adrienne will frantically close her business, Ilarion will frantically finish some papers, the cats will unwillingly get stamped and processed, and we will all try to have a few more fun times with our friends. On the last weekend in August we will bring our most prized possessions to storage in Bloomington, kiss our parents, then grab the cats and some enormous suitcases and get on the plane!

What are we doing in Germany?

Ilarion has a research position doing theoretical particle physics at a Max Planck Institute in Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin. Adrienne plans to continue selling books, and to perhaps start a new business there if the Germans think this is a good idea. We will be living in Berlin with our two cats, Hamlet and Steamo. Ilarion's position lasts for at least two years, possibly three.