While Your Insanity Amazes Me, Your Vision Astounds Me

Well King Ludwig, I finally saw the last of your palaces (another unfinished project) and I must say that I am impressed. The palace (part of which is a replica of Versailles) on Herreninsel is gorgeous. The gardens and fountains and the views all make me want to be royalty from the 1800's regardless of all the lack of modern medicine, suppressive treatment of women, and general non-existence of gelato stands.

My opinion of the islands may have a bit to do with the fact that the day was beautiful (until the storm appeared out of no where) but I don't think my opinion would have changed much if we had been there on a less sunny day. Unfortunately because of the un-forecasted and quick moving storm we had to cut our time on the Fraueninsel short, but I hope to go back sometime to check out all of the ceramics which are made on the island.

The most random part of the trip was the woman who we started talking to on the boat ride back who offered us a ride to the train station since it was raining. We actually took her up on her and her boyfriend's offer. The ride was so funny though. She had lived in New York for a while and is quite well travelled so we talk a lot about what we all missed from the states. The top of her list: beef jerky, KFC, and Dunkin' Donuts! Wow, really?! Most of those are the things I am glad to be far away from!

Real France This Time

I finally made it to a real French city, none of that half-French/half-German Strasbourg stuff this time. And Lyon was just what I had hoped for. I spent 2 days in Lyon and 2 days in Geneva with my friend Fabienne over Easter. While it is true that the French don't like to speak English, I found that if you tried to speak French and were cute about it, then they found you entertaining and were nice. Or if need be just keep talking in English because chances are that they actually do speak English and will eventually answer you in English. Nice system they've got there.

We left from Zurich and were in Lyon within 4 hours. The hotel was right in the heart of the old city amongst the beautiful architecture, delicious bakeries, and tempting shops. That night for dinner we headed to rue des Marronniers which is a one block street with nothing but restaurants. Dinner was great. (Although it took 20 minutes of staring at the menu before we decided, and the menu was even in English!) Here is where I realized that while French desserts are my absolute favorites and impossible for me to resist, the French savory dishes scare me. How can they be so good with desserts and so weird with the rest? Anyway I found a non-scary scallop risotto which was heaven, and so far Lyon held up to it's reputation for being a food capital of the world.

The next morning I had a chocolat au pain and a cappuccino for breakfast (except the cappuccino was an espresso topped with whipped cream, not technically correct, but actually really good). We then went to the top of the hill to see the Fourviere. It was beautiful. Then we walked to the Roman ruins. It was so amazing. These structures were built in 15 B.C. and they are still around! The rest of the day was spent walking in and out of bakeries, patisseries, and chocolate shops. And if that wasn't enough we walked to the Halles de Lyon which is a massive indoor food hall. All the meats, cheeses, seafood, baked goods, and desserts you could dream of. Basically this was my heaven.

That night we went to dinner at the restaurant that my colleague, who is from Lyon, recommended. I got the Lyon speciality: quenelle de brochet, which is a pike dumpling. It was one of the best dinners I have ever had. It was a small dish but I was full half way through. Amazing. Plus the atmosphere in the restaurant was perfect. A small room with wood beamed ceiling and low lighting. (Aside from the worst behaved French child I have seen who had useless parents, it was a great experience. The 3 or 4 year old kid was sitting by himself on one side of the table with both parents sitting on the other. He was off his chair and all over the place, bumping into everyone the whole time. The parents never said a thing or corrected him once. In fact at one point the waitress came over, picked him up off the floor, sat him in his chair, and scooted it to the table. Even after this the parents made no effort to keep him in line. I'll stop there, but it goes on.)

The net day we went to Geneva. We hadn't booked a hotel but lucked out on a nice one which wasn't too expensive. Then was walked around the city. It was beautiful. Although I have noticed that almost any city is beautiful when it is on a lake or river. Dinner that night was fantastic. (I promise I have had a bad meal, just not on this trip!) I tried beef tartar for the first time. Oh and the local wine (a pinot blanc) was perfect.

The next day on the train ride home was the most beautiful train ride I have ever been on. The snow capped mountains, the lakes, the hills covered in wineries. Why is it that when you are in France and you see a building which is old, run down, in need of paint, and an eye-sore you think of it as rustic, beautiful, and picture worthy? France is just magic like that I guess.

5 Months, 3 Cities, and 3 Apartments

So within the past 5 months I am able to say I have had apartments in 3 different European cities. Munich, Dublin, and how Zurich. I spent the past 2 weeks working from our Zurich office and will spend at least the next 2 weeks down there again. (All that's left is working from our Singapore office) It has been fun to spend that much time in Zurich. Unfortunately work is very busy so I don't get to see a lot of the city in the daylight, but the bit I've seen/done has been great.

The first weekend there I went to Bern (the capital of Switzerland) on Saturday and on Sunday got to meet a cousin I haven't seen since before the age at which you are able to remember things without being just told that you were there or did something.

Bern was nice. It wasn't the best weather, but I got to see the apartment where Einstein developed his Special Theory of Relativity. I have to admit it was pretty cool. Then I walked around a bit and saw the bear pits (the namesake of the city, Bern=bear). It is a city known for a lot of fountains and it was quite interesting.

On Sunday we drove around the area near Zurich and saw several of the smaller cities. We also stopped at a huge monastery in Einsiedeln which was actually quite beautiful and unique, and for once was not just another church to add to the list. Then we had lunch/dinner in Rapperswil which is on the south side of Lake Zurich and beautiful. Very nice views and a great garden/castle for walking.

Zurich is beautiful, but my heavens is it expensive. I find myself doing the exchange into euros instead of thinking about the fact that the Swiss Franc is equivalent to the dollar, because if I thought about the cost of things in dollars I would have lost my mind already. I just try to soften the blow by thinking about the amount in euros which makes the number smaller, but doesn't actually lower the price. I guess it is so insanely expensive there because the taxes are so low, but as someone not getting those kinds of tax benefits, it is a bit of a strain on the bank account. (Oh funny side story, I spent the last 2 weeks trying to survive in a foreign city with absolutely no cash. My EC card wouldn't work so I quickly had to learn which places accept credit cards. Dresdner bank has now officially joined the sh** list.)

I realize this post is a bit sporadic and random, but it is hard to summarize these past two weeks into anything I think someone might potentially be interested in. My apologies.

The Alps, A Snowstorm, And Kaiserschmarrn

Last weekend I went with a group of friends from work to Innsbruck for a skiing/snowboarding weekend in the Alps. Innsbruck is where parts of the 1964 and 1976 Olympics took place. It is a beautiful city (well at least the little bit of it that I actually saw was nice). The first day 2 friends and I took snowboarding lessons since we were the only ones who didn't already ski or snowboard. We met our instructor at the rental shop and, my hand to God, he was perfect. I thought it was just a myth that snowboarding instructors are attractive, but (at least in Innsbruck) it is true.

We headed up the mountain directly from the center of the city. There is an extensive gondola system that goes from city center to about 2000 meters up the mountain. When we got to the top we discovered ourselves in the midst of a snowstorm which lasted the entire day. Within minutes my hair had frozen into a giant icicle, but there was no consideration of turning back. By lunchtime we were pretty well soaked through. We went to the hut and had lunch in an almost empty restaurant. Just us and 3 other people.

After lunch it was back out to practice edging on the half pipe. That's right in the first day we were on the half pipe. (Ok, so we were just using the middle part, but that is just a minor detail.) Because of all the snow there were about 15 other people on the mountain that day. In fact I could tell you what every other person out there that day was wearing! At one point one of the snowboarders who was coming down the half pipe almost ran over me and had to take a fall to stop. He came to a snow spraying stop about 1 meter from me and left me completely covered in snow (which I preferred to being run over).

That night I had kaiserschmarrn for dinner because I discovered that it is actually Austrian and I figured that justified it. Man is that stuff good!

The second day we headed back to the same hill (by ourselves this time, unfortunately) to try to figure this whole snowboarding thing out. Plus I didn't really ever fall on Saturday, so I needed to get some bruises at some point (and boy did I!). Well, once we got to the top of the mountain we discovered just how lucky we had been on Saturday. The entire city and surrounding areas were all out for the day. There were people everywhere. There were even kids on skis who were under the age of 3. Likely they had taken their first steps that week so the parents decided it was time to strap on the skis. All these people made it harder to practice since I worry less about hurting myself than I do about hurting someone else. By the end of the day the guy from Venezuela ended up as the super star, showing up a girl from Slovakia and myself (I've lived near enough to snow most of my life that I shouldn't have done so poorly.) But aside from sore muscles no one was hurt by the end of the weekend and I can now officially say I've been snowboarding in the Alps!

Fasching = Halloween + Donuts

Last Tuesday was Fasching (aka carnival aka Fat Tuesday . . . ) and I got to celebrate Munich style. While the best place to be for Fasching is actually Koln, Munich was fun too. There is a big celebration in the Marienplatz where everyone is dressed up in costumes and walks around drinking, eating, and throwing massive amounts of confetti, but mostly they are drinking. There are portable bars set up all over and not just beer but wine, Gluhwein, hard alcohol, and pretty much any other kind you'd want.

My favorite part is that the traditional food for Fasching is krapfen aka Berliner aka filled donuts. It is so nice to have an excuse to eat donuts all the time, and even though the US is the country known for loving donuts I have to say that Germany in general has nearly perfected the filled donut.

The costumes are great and let me just say that there are no holds barred. Everything goes. There were fruits, witches, Hello Kittys, tigers, police officers, and then people dressed as Mexicans, Arabs, Gypsies, and more. I found that a bit surprising and realized that in the US we don't typically dress in the traditional (or stereotypical) dress of major cultures. I don't know if it is good or bad. Anyway, Fasching was a great day and not just because we only had to work a half day!

Baby Steps into France

I finally had my first trip to France, even if it was only a couple of feet into the country. I'm almost kidding. I went with 2 other American ex-pats to Strasbourg, France. It is a very interesting town with lots of history. It has been French and then German and then French, etc. but the key is that in 2010 it is France and to tell the truth I could tell.

Once we arrived Friday night we headed across town to the hotel, but because of me it took about 3 times longer than it should have because I had to stop at every bakery and chocolate shop (which were all closed) and drool over the display. I mean they had macaroons the width of baseballs for heavens sake! The first morning breakfast sort of turned into brunch after searching for a place for a while. But it worked out well because I had basically a bruschetta with tomato spread, eggplant, and chicken and it was amazing. I think the best savory dish of the trip.

Then to the cathedral to watch the astronomical clock at 12:30. It was interesting and impressive that something built that long ago still functions as it should. Plus the cathedral was beautiful inside (aside from the part where they charged money for everything). I think I ate a salad for lunch, but all I really remember was the chocolate tart from heaven at the end of the meal at Paul.

That night we were trying to find a particular restaurant and when we asked this nice couple for directions they ended up just walking us there. They were so nice which is great because we would have never found it! Another point for France.

The next morning we woke to a beautiful snow covered Strasbourg and headed to the Tomi Ungerer Museum - International Center of Illustration which featured Tomi Ungerer (illustrator of tons of book including Crictor) and Saul Steinberg (known best for his work for the New Yorker). I think it may be one of my favorite museums of all time except for the basement, which I sort of regret encouraging us to explore. I should have let the mystery stay a mystery. Eventually we headed back to Petit France to explore again and take more pictures.

Luckily on the way to the train that night I was able to find one bakery open so I could get my long awaited macaroon. I proceeded to carry it all the way back to my apartment in my breast pocket (6 hours) without smashing it and man was all that work worth it! AMAZING!!

The worst part of the trip was the ride home on the train when a group of (drunk of course) soccer hooligans got on the train and made a game of who can get Beth to hit them first. Basically the one guy kept opening the door to the car and singing and talking to the group around us (of course we were all women so an obvious target). I did enjoy the part where since I was ignoring him while he asked what book I was reading he ended up calling me French. Awesome, but just goes to show how oblivious he really was as I was reading an English book called Independence Day with a big American flag on the cover. Oh well, I kind of like being called French, who'd have known.

First Trip of 2010!

Have you ever had a swig of beer and then thought "this is good but it is missing something . . . hey, I know what it needs, a big dose of smoky bacon"? Probably not, right, because you're sane. Well there is a small city in Germany who makes it's name via this Rauchbier (smoke beer) and it tastes exactly like a side of smoky bacon was dropped into your dark beer. Bamberg, Germany is a small city in Northern Bavaria which is an Unesco World Heritage Site as it actually survived the war without being destroyed. It also has the Rathaus which is one of the most photographed locations in Germany.

We left early yesterday morning and arrived in Bamberg and began the tour/battle to not freeze. The Dom there is one of my favorite churches now. It might have had something to do with the Christmas decorations, but too bad. I love the big trees lit up with candles and the nativity scenes. Plus it was a nice understated, massive stone building. I know that seems like an oxymoron, but it isn't this time.

Later we went up the hill to the Kirche St. Michael which was a bit overstated inside, but was somewhat redeemed by it's Christmas decorations. Oh, but it had the most interesting ceiling I have ever seen. The ceiling had herbs and plants painted on it. Odd. Then we walked around to the back where there were views of the city and about 1000 empty champagne bottles and firework trash everywhere. Apparently the entire city went up there on New Year's Eve and each had a bottle of champagne, a box of fireworks, and no trash cans. Anyway, the walk down was fun as it was snowing the whole day we were there and the stair were covered in ice. I imagine we were very entertaining to watch although I didn't particularly enjoy envisioning myself sprawled out in the muddy ice. Don't worry we made it back in one piece.

Seriously? Only in Germany!

Yesterday was my first day back in Munich so I of course had to make some major progress in the Christmas Market marathon. Sadly I only hit 3 for the day, but it was absolutely freezing outside so cut me some slack! We saw the Muenchner Freiheit one, the Residence one, and the Medieval one. In case you are curious the Medieval one had the best food!! AND they had schneeballs (the dessert I have been dreaming of since my trip to Germany in High School!) The dark chocolate covered one was great both times I ate it (no I did not get two, it was the same one but in two separate attempts).

Anyway the best part of the day was something that could only happen in Germany. I still feel like it is a test and someone is collecting data for an experiment on social behavior. Ok, so the story goes like this. There is this ceramics stand that I had seen 2 weeks ago at one of the markets and I just loved the woman's items. I have been thinking about them for the past two weeks and so I dragged Silvia there to validate my opinion. Well, after much deliberation I decided which items to buy, and when I asked if she accepted cards the woman said no. But then she asked if I have a German bank account. I said yes and so she told me I could just transfer the money into her account. So basically what happened is that she wrote down her bank info so that when I got home I could transfer the money and all she asked from me was my address. I walked away from the stand with my ceramics and this woman's trust that I was a good person. I know people who don't trust their friends that much and she let me make up any name with the promise of transferring money at a later date and walk away with the goods?! Only here, only Germany!

9 Pubs in 2 Days, Not a Bad Average

I spent last weekend in beautiful Galway. Ireland, which I had only known as being a rainy and mostly cloudy place, actually turned out to be the perfect host for our weekend trip. It was perfectly sunny the entire weekend, cold but sunny.

We left Dublin and drove the 2 hours to Galway the first night and after checking into the hostel we, of course, headed to the first pub. There I not only got to try a baby Guinness (Kahlua and Baileys, so it looks like a mini glass of Guinness) but I even got proposed to. Unfortunately the kid was drunk enough to not notice he had used the same line when bumping into my friend at the bar. My advice for him was one proposal per bar per night. We ended up talking with him and his friend (who we lovingly referred to as Stripey based on his clothing selection) until the pub closed. Oh side note: I love the pubs in Ireland, they are so cosy and often are these massive establishments with great nooks and wooden beams. It relaxes you just by walking inside one. Anyway after the bar we headed to Supermac's (McDonalds equivalent) with the rest of the city. That is where we saw Stripey again.

Next day was got up and went for my first Irish breakfast. It wasn't bad, bacon sausage, black and white pudding (similar to sausage patties) beans, toast . . . Then we just wandered in the beautiful sun all over. Saw a church band playing to raise money, a fresh and I mean FRESH market (dirt still on the carrots), the bay, and more. Then to cool off we hit another pub for a Baileys and coffee. From there the pub crawl continued. At the next place we experienced an impromptu flute and drum performance and they were fantastic! Then at the next pub we saw our old friend Stripey. Surprisingly enough he didn't seem to recognize us. Sorry to say, but it was no big loss for us.

That night for dinner I had my first Shepherds Pie and it was quite good. Of course it came with 3 different types of potatoes. We are in Ireland don't forget. Then we hit a bunch more pubs (a total of 8 by this point).

On Sunday we drove back via the Cliffs of Moher. We stopped at another pub for breakfast and while to food left much to be desired we did solve the question of where all the cute guys in Ireland are. They are in a pub in a small city just outside of Galway.

After stopping for lots of pictures on the way we finally made it to the Cliffs of Moher. They were so impressive. Straight drop into the ocean. It was breathtaking. Then at dinner we were able to experience the perfect sunset in combination with utter insanity, i.e. surfers. Not only was it sunset, but the air temperature was below freezing and they were surfing with no beach, but just massive rocks to break their fall. Crazy Irish, I love you but you're crazy.

Christkindlmärkte Definitely Beat Oktoberfest

Last night I went to my very first of the long awaited Christkindlmärkte (Christmas Markets) with Kornelia and Hannes! There I had my first Gluhwein (mulled wine) which is sold at every single food related stand. It doesn't matter if the stand sells wurst, kebabs, flammbrot, or anything else, they will all without a doubt sell Gluhwein. It was pretty good too. For example it made me not realize for about 30 minutes that I couldn't feel my toes. Impressive.

I think the markets held up to expectation and I only went to 2 of them yesterday. Lots of lights and Christmas trees and fun stuff to buy and Gluhwein and lots of fantastic food. (Oh did I mention that roasted chestnuts are amazing? Who knew?!) I still have dozens more markets to see in Munich and then all the others in the rest of Germany. That might make for one very busy week between returning from Dublin and Christmas. Even more worrisome is the amount of Gluhwein I would be expected to drink if I went to that many markets. Ok, I'll save some for next year.