I have this fear when
we come back to the States that I will still drive and park on sidewalks.
You hear people here talking about what they miss from the States. I feel like we've gained so much that I am embarrassed to complain about the small things. But, here you go. These are a few things I miss:
1. Wal-Mart & Big Lots
2. House Hunters, Forensic Files, and other
random true crime shows.
3. Snow cones
4. 2-day shipping <---Ok, now this is a big one.
The last few months have been
filled with festivals and events. I have
never lived anywhere that has so much going on --All. The. Time. To the point, I have a calendar dedicated to
reminders for everything upcoming. It’s
impossible to hit everything but we sure are trying!
The Ludwigsburg Venetian
festival was one of my favorites this summer.
It only occurs once every two years and it’s just for a weekend. The costumes are extravagant and
colorful--and they are everywhere! Not
just in the shows, but walking around in the crowds and posing for
pictures. In true fest style, there was
plenty to eat and many champagne and beer huts.
Hey, this is mine! My little forever reminder of theVenetian festival!
Alicia's Arrival
No matter how much fun we
find here in a far away land, there is something so comforting about familiar
faces. I consider ourselves very lucky
to have enjoyed three sets of visitors so far!
Our most recent visit was a
dear friend of both Mike and I.
Unfortunately, her husband was unable to come due to a surprise work vacation but, we were thrilled to have her here to help her break that oh-so familiar monotony of time apart from the hubs.
We didn’t waste much time
after she arrived. Our goal was to hit
Volksfest for their opening night **Friday,
Sept 28th** But, Alicia was missing a necessary fest
requirement: A dirndl. So on that hunt we went and found a perfect,
purple dirndl. (Not really required but for
Alicia’s fest vision to be fulfilled, she needed a dirndl) See dirndl
documentation below:
Things I’ve learned about dirndls:
1.
They are really
fun to wear! Really fun! If you live here or ever come for the
Fests- Get one! This is one of those few times in life
where you can put it all out there and it’s not only acceptable but,
expected!
2.
I can barely
breathe in mine (Which I realize somewhat contradicts the prior claim)
3.
Don’t refer to it
as a costume. This is their traditional
wear. It is culturally significant and
is taken seriously!
4.
Where you tie
your apron ribbon signifies your marital status. On the left, single, On the right, married, In the back, widowed or waitress Neat huh?
5.
I think that’s
all I know.
There is a local goddess
named Kathy Crews. She played a pivotal
role in finding Mike and I fest tickets last year. She did it again. She found us two armbands for the exact tent
I wanted! Prost Kathy Crews for being so
thoughtful….again.
I wrote about our first fest
experience last year so I won’t go into detail this time but yes, we had a
great time. It’s just one of those
things you need to experience to understand.
The vibe is unlike anything you can imagine. Everyone is friends and everyone is in a good
mood. It’s fantastic! We met a German couple on the train and he
told me about an Oktoberfest celebration he visited in California. He said “They wouldn’t even let you dance on
the tables!” HA! (Probably a fear of law suits)
Piddling around Stuttgart the first few days...
The markethalle downtown
At Schlossplatz
A few days later we were
off for a very anticipated adventure! I’m not a fan of driving here in
Europe. The streets are tiny, the
parking is even smaller and it’s just overwhelming at times. But, sometimes you just have to suck it up or
you’re going to miss out- so I did.
First stop? Lucerne Switzerland. I am glad we didn’t plan an overnight there. Lucerne was a nice stop but a stop was all it
needed. (Unlike Interlaken which was
amazing- In my opinion, that is true Switzerland and is a must see!) We had coffee at a café and visited the
Musegg Wall. Built in 1370 and still
standing! You could climb to the top of
three towers for a fantastic view! We
also stopped into a local chocolate store and picked up several different chocolates
for the drive. I bought one with
sprinkled gold flakes. Eat gold. Check.
*Note: Leaving Lucerne I accidently took the wrong
exit out of a traffic circle and started driving up the wrong side of the
road. Fortunately the only injury was to
my feelings when an old Swiss lady was screaming and shaking her hands at
me. Like I didn’t know at that point I
was driving the wrong way! C’mon lady! The next driver was much kinder and stopped
to allow me to bust a U-turn. How Alicia
remained stoic during that will boggle my mind forever. I would’ve been screeching.
Lake Como- Bellagio
Bellagio, Lake Como- Here we
come. At some point between Lucerne and
Lake Como we realize my GPS is no longer working. Typical-happens-to-Carolyn scenario
really. And no, it’s never happened
before. We have about 30km before the
town of Como. We pull over, Google Map
the route and Alicia also pulled the directions that were in the GPS. Directions.
Too bad there were almost 40 turns (no exaggeration) in Como and all back to back… Alicia is an a-mazing navigator. With my iPhone in one hand and the GPS turn
by turn directions in the other, she got us there. There was one point she told me to go
straight…into an alley between two buildings.
This was no street. This was an
alley with THREE rows of cars inside.
You can’t hesitate driving in Italy.
You either go or get run over. I
went. And drove on the sidewalk with
three rows of cars. In an alley. With
women and children on the sidewalk also.
It was one of the most nervous moments in my life. I still can’t believe I didn’t hit anything. Leaving Como is just the beginning. You then start the long 45 minute drive on
the lake to get to Bellagio. It’s a 2
lane road that is smaller than any 1 lane in the States. And, it’s curvy. Very curvy.
And beautiful…Very beautiful.
There are buses and people walking everywhere. My biggest piece of advice for anyone headed
to Bellagio—Rent. A. Smart.
Car. Don’t just laugh—Really do
this. We finally get to Bellagio and
the GPS comes back on. Really. After all that? It instructs me to drive on this cobblestone
alleyway clearly in a pedestrian area full of people and cafes. Since it abandoned us in our biggest time of
need, I was having trust issues so I just stop in the middle of the road and we
are just looking at all these people. An
old man walks over, sees my German plates so starts speaking German. I’m speaking German to him and English to
Alicia but I’m so frustrated, my German is garbled. Then, he starts speaking English. Sidenote:
It’s very common for people here to be bi and tri-lingual. It’s impressive! He explains this road is the only way to get
to our resort. He tells us we will get a
ticket for driving there but the hotel will take care of it. Guests are given a pass for driving down the
center of a pedestrian area. Ok, got
it. We are exhausted but finally at our
hotel. Oddly enough, there was a huge
parking lot with big normal sized parking spots. The resort was Villa Serbelloni and it was
as amazing as it sounds. We however,
were staying in the apartments behind the resort. It was a sweet deal actually- The apartments house the fitness center and
other amenities for the resort. The
apartments were a good size and had a huge terrace with a view of the
lake. The resort was $600-$1100 (yep!) a
night but if you stay in their apartments (much, much less) you have access to the resort’s pools, sauna,
and even their toiletries! :D We
called it the Resorts’ Stepchild but, hey it worked! We had a great time there!
This was the only picture taken but this will give you an idea of some of the tiny alley ways I keep
mentioning!
Best memories of Bellagio:
1.
Our 30Euro glass
of champagne by the pool
2.
The resort’s live
music- They played the entire Sound of
Music sound track and it was fantastic!
Bravo worthy!
3.
Trying Grappa.
AKA: The fire drink
5.
“Compliments of
the chef” desserts served with our coffee while watching the band referenced
above
6.
The Azalea silk
shop- Great experience. The shop keepers are what make this such an
experience. They were fabulous! We spent
quite a bit of time in here and we own lots of Italian silk now. I splurged for a hand made silk scarf that
took 14 days to make. I even learned how
to wear it.
7.
Finding Murano glass
jewelry for much cheaper than in the States
8.
Not the drive.
9.
The concierge at
our apartment who when we couldn’t find our way to the main resort pool
commented, “If you don’t find it this time, then I can’t talk to you
again.” And, a few minutes later when we
did find the pool area he called the pool attendant to make sure the two
American girls made it. Hilarious.
10.
Dinner on the
water with the best tortellini we’ve ever had.
Oh, and we were given complimentary champagne too! Mega score!
We made it!
Great little wine bar with a super friendly owner who told us about George Clooney's visits!
Bring your walking shoes! Tons of stairs and cobblestones!
The resort pool...
The Azalea Silk Shop
Awesome wood shop! This is me with the owner/hand carver! I picked out a perfect oil and vinegar dispenser!
Bellagio Water Taxis
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| See the sign? "NO GEORGE" ie: George Clooney does not live here! Ha! |
Grappa!
Colmar, France
Three days later we are off
yet again… Headed in the direction of
home but we are stopping in Colmar, France for the night.
Colmar is in the heart of the Alsace wine region of France. We were staying in a fantastic hotel in the
center of town. Finding the parking was
a little tricky but after Bellagio, it felt like a breeze. This nice gentleman walked out to our car and
carried all of our bags to or room. We
later learned he owned the hotel with his wife!
AND, he was the Chef of the fabulous restaurant inside! What a wonderful, personal experience. We made reservations for their restaurant
that evening.
Colmar is nice. It really is.
We had a great time but, neither one of us would put it on the list to
go back. This will contradict many people! The wine route outside of Colmar however,
A-mazing! Many people use Colmar as a
home base to visit the wine route. I
understand that but next time, and there will be a next time because I loved it
that much, we will stay in one of the small wine villages. They were much more beautiful and the people
were friendlier!
Top Colmar memories
1.
The stinky cheese
that was so stinky after I almost gagged on it, I gave it to Alicia who was
forced to quarantine it underneath a glass.
You have to understand no English was spoken here so it was almost
impossible to explain we weren’t trying to be rude but that damn cheese was
horrid. Guess what it was? Muenster.
You think you’ve had Muenster don’t you?
I love Muenster or so I thought.
I am unsure I will ever be able to look at Muenster the same way
again. Funniest part? I picked the Muenster because I thought it
was the safe bet. During the cheese
course of your dinner, you can pick as many as you like!
2.
Our French room
photo shoot. It had one of the Juliette
balconies overlooking a beautiful courtyard.
3.
This little
French book café and I can’t really explain why, only that it was picture
perfect.
4.
Our second
breakfast in yet another French café
Riquewihr, France
the Alsace wine route
The drive back to Germany
conveniently goes directly through the wine route. There are adorable signs leading the
way. The drive is relaxed on nice roads
through beautiful countryside… Vineyards
everywhere you look! The Alsace region
is known for their sweet wines-- not our favorite but it really didn’t
matter. We chose two wine towns to visit
on the way home. We only made it to
one. Why? Because it was so great, we stayed there all
day! Riquewihr, France. Absolutely adorable. It’s what I envisioned a French wine town
would look like. It’s perfect with
beautiful buildings and flowers everywhere!
Parking was super easy and the shopping is fantastic. We had quiche lorraine and ham & swiss
crepes. We also sampled macaroons from
one of the bakeries.
Our favorite wine cave!
Perfect setting for a little wine tasting..
Our host was fantastic!
Best purchase/gift of the entire
trip was here. We noticed in Colmar no
matter where we were, wine was served in the same green stemmed glasses. While in Riquewihr, Alicia and I found the
most beautiful handmade and hand painted wine carafe. I had gone over my trip budget twice already
so after much contemplation I decided not to buy. Alicia bought it for me as a Thank You for
the trip. I added six of the green
stemmed glasses and I now have the most beautiful wine set. I absolutely love it! It’s displayed on our bar and every time I
walk by it I think of our wonderful visit.
I am so thankful my sweet
friend made it from so far to spend two weeks with us. Those are forever memories…
Beginning in Belgium....
October was a busy month for
us. Two days after Alicia left, Mike had
a work trip in Antalia Turkey. The
following week we were off again! We
started in Belgium for another work conference.
This was my second time with him in Belgium for work and I really hoped
I would be able to visit Waterloo but like the first trip, it was raining!
The
Champagne Region of France-Mike’s Birthday Trip
Reims, France, a little less
than two hours east of Paris, is home to many champagne houses and a ton of
history. The city is actually quite big
(about 200,000) but it really didn’t feel that large. Our hotel was in the center of downtown on
the major pedestrian thoroughfare. We
spent the first part of our day at the Museum of the Surrender. If you’re like me, you didn’t know places
like this even existed. The museum is
quite small but absolutely worth a visit if you’re in the area. It was here in the war room of General
Eisenhower on May 7th, 1945 at 2:41AM WWII ended with an
unconditional surrender. The museum has
a small theater with an interesting video (offered in English, German, or
French). Much of it was actual footage
from the war. The highlight of the
museum is the War Room itself. The room
has remained unchanged since the day of surrender. The strategic maps on the wall, casualty
boards, and the table and chairs-
Everything- just as it was that day.
They have glass walls built around the room but you are able to see
everything clearly. It doesn’t matter if
you’re into history or not. This is a
worthwhile look into our history.
We spent the afternoon in the
champagne caves and the evening downtown for Mike’s birthday dinner at this
wonderful brewery restaurant.
The Champagne Caves Some of the caves require
appointments well in advance and some are walk-in. We did one of each. Dom Perignon and the Ruinart are two of
the most prestigious caves and while we tried weeks in advance, evidently weeks is not long enough for a
reservation! We were able to get a
reception reservation with Veuve Clicquot and we did our walk-in visit with
Mercier. Both caves were beautiful but strangely
enough we enjoyed our visit with Mercier more!
($15 verses $90 for Veuve Cliquot)
We also found this little
family owned distillierie, the Distillerie Guillon. We drove on a few gravel roads to get here
but absolutely worth it! It was a cabin
in the forest with the kindest family welcome.
It was such a personal experience and we tasted 10 different
whiskeys. They do not export but only
sell in France so we brought home a bottle.
Verdun, France Verdun is about an hour east of Reims and home to much war history. We stayed in a beautiful family owned castle,
Hosterllerie du Chateau des Monthairons, with its own history! The castle was built in 1857 and served as a
US Military hospital in WWI and was occupied by the Germans in WWII. After
a day of touring the memorial sites we enjoyed a wonderful dinner in their
Michelin rated restaurant.
Verdun
Our hotel...I mean, our castle!
That just doesn't sound right.
This place. pictures below.. Is where we stayed for the night!
"Taking" our coffee and wine in the library
I like when they say "Where will you take your breakfast? Or coffee? Or wine?"
Um, I'll take it wherever you're supposed to take it?
Mike and his birthday pipe!
Fort Douaumont
One of our favorite stops
Trench of Bayonets
The Douaumont Ossuary
Where the bodies of 130,000 soldiers of the 1st World War, French and German, are buried together for eternity
Saint-Mihiel American Cemetery
War 1914-1918
This was just one of those
perfect trips…. A mix of great food,
interesting history, good company with my sweet husband, and beautiful driving
through France.
Headed home on beautiful backroads through France
Halloween week we had snow in
Stuttgart! Lots of it! It’s unusual to have snow this early. It’s beautiful to see
the seasons change. We bought advance tickets to
visit the Burg Frankenstein but due to snow, were forced to cancel a few hours
prior. Burg Frankenstein is an entire
castle insanely transformed into a creepy Halloween castle. We heard references to grown men experiencing
PTS from visiting this place. Ha! We were really looking forward to seeing this
supposed terrifying place but we’ll just have to hit it next year! http://www.frankenstein-halloween.de/content/e566/index_en.html
Our German Photo Shoot
How thankful am I to have a
husband willing to humor me for professional pictures? Very!
When we found out we were moving to Germany, I had these pictures in my
mind… We found someone that made it happen and to
say I’m happy with these pictures is an understatement.
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| This one will be a landscape canvas - Very excited! |
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| See our sweet Dempsey dog? He is missed every day. |
And....favorite #2!
