Apologies! Life got in the way...

So this is something of a travel smörgåsbord post; thinly disguised as an apology for having shirked my writing responsibilities for so long. You see, lately I've been way too busy living life to find time to write about it. I've drafted dozens of posts in my head while traipsing through the summer and early fall. But now sitting before an intimidating blank screen prepared to illustrate them in full-color glory, I hardly know where to begin!

At the start of summer I took off for Munich, and wrote a review of that Summer trip slated "First up: Munich" but then failed to ever report on subsequent forays. So here's a belated recap of some other summer adventures, with a couple teasers for travel posts still to come...

Switzerland
In late July, we visited Lucerne, Switzerland with my brother and his family. I wish I had been able to capture better photos, but the weather most of the time was miserably cold and rainy. What I do need to share is that we took an awesome (albeit freezing cold and wet) excursion that, one day, I'd like to repeat under fairer skies and which I strongly encourage you to take if you find yourself visiting the Swiss Alps. It was the Golden Round Trip to Mt. Pilatus. This tour involved a ferry ride across the incredibly beautiful, turquoise-blue Lake Lucerne, followed by a slightly scary spectacular ride up the world's steepest cog railway. Once atop the nearly 7,000 foot peak, you have the opportunity for some awesome hiking and sightseeing. Unfortunately, we couldn't see much, entombed as we were in formidable rain clouds. To descend the summit, the tour includes an aerial cableway ride part-way down, then you switch to smaller gondolas for the remaining trip to the foot of the mountain at Fräkmüntegg. A short bus ride then returns you to the starting point in Lucerne.

Another day trip in Alpineland included a boat ride to Europe's largest waterfall: Rhine Falls and a hike through the town of Schaffhausen. This was nice, but if you've been to Niagara Falls, Yosemite Falls, or Viktoria Falls (among many other gorgeous river cascades) prepare to be unimpressed.

One of the more exciting adventures for the men in our group was a day of Canyoning in Interlaken. Unfortunately, since the younger kids were too small for this, my soon-to-be sister-in-law and I got stuck taking the four little ones to a noisy, chlorine-filled indoor water-park. The kids loved it, we couldn't wait to get back to the hotel and crack open a bottle of red!

Bavaria
We departed Switzerland after a few days and headed for the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle. At least on this day, the weather gods blessed us so we were able to enjoy stunning views in the German Alps. Arriving too late to get tour tickets for the famous structure that inspired Disney's Cinderella Castle, we were able to tour the neighboring Hohenschwangau Castle, where King Ludwig II spent his summers growing up and actually lived while building his dreamy princess palace. The tour was fantastic and I was really glad we did it. The rooms of the castle are richly furnished and the wall murals are amazing. We were able to get a sense of what life was like in the castle during the early to mid 1800s.

The castle visit was followed by another trip to Munich so my brother and family could visit my daughters and experience a traditional German beer garden, among the other great sights of this historic city. Most of this rainy trip included the same points of interest I reported in the Munich blog post, minus the sunshine.

The Maldives
The final trip of our summer was a three-week dream vacation to a tiny atoll in the middle of the Indian Ocean - part of the Maldive Islands. That trip, which was a gift from my in-laws, is going to need its own blog post, so I promise to get one up in the next couple of weeks! Right now, I'm still sorting through the thousand photos we took and trying to assemble an album to give them as a thank-you present.

Autumn Adventures
Then summer ended, I celebrated my birthday, and the first full year of my new life in Germany came to a sentimental close. School resumed and life moved on at a somewhat normal pace, with the expected highs and lows of kids continuing to adjust to a challenging situation. We were all grateful when fall break arrived. And with it, came a visit from the American grandparents. That, too, deserves its own post. So as soon as I gather all the photos from the various trips we took to the Baltic, to Belgium, along the Rhine, and throughout the Ruhr region, I'll get them up for you!

Essen-Kettwig

And as a side note on crazy adventures, last week, in the middle of the fall break, with the grandparents and rest of the family as witnesses, my girlfriends and I participated in the Essen-Kettwig Drachenboot Race. This was a huge amount of fun and definitely worthy of its own blog post, but since my co-conspirators KettwigeFrau  and Expat Emma already blogged about it, I'll refer you to their wonderful sites! (And they're religious about updating their blogs, so check in often and you might even learn more about what I've been up to).

So, apologies again for not writing in so long. One of these days I'm sure life will slow down enough for me to find no other excuse for blog-procrastination! Until then, I hope you all are enjoying adventures of your own!

Pizza Culture: An International Culinary Adventure

The other morning I sat down to breakfast with the morning newspaper and a flier for a local pizza delivery company fell in front of me. One glance at the pictured specialties and I lost my appetite for the eggs on my plate.

A large photo featured a pizza with hard boiled eggs, broccoli, corn, and curry sauce! Seriously? Does anyone eat that? With a little imagination I can believe people might like curry sauce with chicken and pineapple on their pizza - but eggs and broccoli?! No. Thank. You.

Glancing through the Joey's Pizza ads, I found several combinations that challenged culinary couth. How would you like steak, asparagus, and Hollandaise sauce on thin crust? Feeling a little dull? Try the sharp edge of a "Pizza Hot Conchita" with spicy BBQ sauce, hamburger, bacon, red onions, Mozzarella, and chili peppers. And call the fire department.

Flipping through more pizza menus, I had a flashback to the first meal I shared with my host family in Germany as a 16-year old Congress-Bundestag Exchange Student. The day I arrived, they took me to a festival along the beach near our home on the Baltic Sea, then out for dinner at a local Italian place. Since I didn't speak any German, I opted for the first thing I was certain I understood on the menu: Peperoni Pizza. I really couldn't understand why my host brother seemed so surprised and asked me if I was sure that was what I wanted. Until it sat before me. I quickly discovered to my horror that "peperoni" in German is not at all the same as "pepperoni" in English. Rather, in Germany, this is a hot green chili pepper. If you want the traditional American pizza topping, then you need to order "Salami." I've tried to warn unsuspecting tourists about this, but it never fails that visiting friends forget, and order a pie full of hot peppers.

After seeing the flier with hard boiled eggs on pizza, I jumped online and surveyed my Twitter friends for the strangest pizza toppings they've found outside the US.  I got some interesting feedback! Here are a few of the oddities people have encountered around the world:

• Dönerfleisch (shaved seasoned lamb similar to that used for Greek Gyros) with onions, peppers, and tzatziki (a cucumber and garlic-based yogurt sauce).
  
• Tuna fish, shrimp, salami, spinach, and garlic.
  
• Mixed seafood (including octopus, mussels, shrimp, and clams) with garlic.
  
• Pineapple, ham, and onions (although I've often seen this "Hawaiian" combination in the US, too).
  
• Turkey, artichokes, and onions.
  
• Olives, sardines, capers, Feta cheese, spinach, and garlic.
  
• Smoked salmon, spinach, peppers, and garlic.
  
• Eggplant, spinach, broccoli, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and artichokes.

I can be adventurous with food. So I'd be willing to try a few of these, but some topping combinations are just too much of a challenge to my open-mindedness.

What are your preferences for pizza? Anything you've seen that made your stomach turn over? I'd love for you to share your thoughts and experiences!


Photo Credits & Disclaimer: all photos are from advertisements for Joey's Pizza in Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany. Joey's has not sponsored or endorsed this blog in any way. I have not actually tried any of the mentioned pizzas.

Summer Travel - First up: Munich

Summer is here! Well, sort of. The calendar says it's summer. And finally the schools have capitulated and released our kids for six weeks. The weather...well that's still holding on fiercely to a cool rainy spring program. Nonetheless, with the young ones out of classes, it's time for our travel season to begin! First up: Munich.

My oldest two children are getting a bit cheated this summer. They have to spend the first three weeks of break in a different kind of school: intensive language camp. They moved to Germany as high-school aged teens and were dumped into a traditional Germany college-preparatory in the manner of "sink or swim." Although they were made to repeat a year of school in the name of "catching up" with the language, it was evident at the end of the academic year that they still needed a lot more help improving their vocabulary and strengthening grammar. Understand: they did amazingly well under the circumstances, passing all of their classes and maintaining in some cases better grade averages than their German peers. But they want to and can do better. So we enrolled them in a program through the Humboldt-Institut that offers 30 hours per week of intensive German language training to kids aged 15-18 years old. The camp operates out of a Youth Hostel in Munich, so we drove them there this weekend to drop them off.


It was a great chance to tour the beautiful city, spend quality time with my girls before their camp started, and visit with two of our former YFU exchange daughters. Despite grim forecasts, the weather in Munich cooperated beautifully for our visit and both Saturday and Sunday we were graced with a fair amount of sun and moderately warm temperatures (low to mid 70'sF or 22-25C).

Since Saturday was the first day of Summer Break for North-Rhine Westphalia, we set out by 3:30 am to beat the anticipated heavy traffic. It was well worth it, as we made the drive straight through in about six hours, arriving in time to meet our Italian daughter, Tamara, for breakfast (she had taken a bus up from South Tirol, also getting in about 9:30am). We indulged in scrumptious Nutella-filled French toast at the lovely Richart Cafe in Marienplatz - I highly recommend it! - with perfect views over the square to the Town Hall with its famous musical clock tower (Rathaus-Glockenspiel). After breakfast, we got out in time to watch and listen to the Glockenspiel which plays for about 15 minutes every day at 11am (and a few other times each day during the summer). 

We then spent the next 4-5 hours walking off the gluttonous meal while devouring the magnificent architecture of the city. We visited the Asamkirche, the Frauenkirche, the Residenztheater, and the Stadtsoper, among many other places. The pictures here don't do these incredible structures any justice - you must see them yourself!

By mid-afternoon, we needed to rest and were prepared to take in more delicious tastes and sights, so we returned to the city center and snagged awesome seats on the terrace of another Richart establishment: the Cafe on Markt in the Viktualienmarkt. Here we sampled traditional Kaiserschmarrn (cut-up sugared pancakes with raisins and apple sauce). Yummy! Must. Do. More. Walking.

Next we headed to our hotels to check in and clean up (we'd now been up since 2am and were starting to turn a bit Zombie-like). We walked out to the Best Western near the main train station (Bahnhof), where our Italian daughter had a room, and then trekked clear to the other side of town where my family was staying at the Marriott Residence Inn closer to Ostbahnhof (east side of town).  Both hotels were very nice and I can recommend both, although I was a little more comfortable on our side or town. The area around the main train station is diverse and lively :) 

After showers and fresh clothes, and band-aids on our blisters, we decided to drive to the Englischer Garten and substitute Beer and Pretzels at the Chinese Tower for dinner. I'm afraid the pictures from that evening escapade are not suitable for publication ;) Needless to say, we all had a great time!


Sunday we were up and at 'em early again, as we had breakfast reservations at another amazing Marienplatz restaurant: The Glockenspiel Cafe. Ok, after this trip, I need to join a gym, because I'm not sure the intense kilometers of walking are enough to cover the calories we consumed! At least my half avocado filled with shrimp salad and accompanied by massive amounts of fresh fruit was a healthier option than the French toast with bacon :) 

Again, this place should not be missed on a visit to Munich - but do make reservations; they serve the breakfast menu until 4pm, but also have lunch and dinner menus. We chose to sit outside, since we'd already witnessed the Glockenspiel - but if you want a view of the Town Hall (Rathaus) then ask for a table inside.

Right after breakfast, we went over to St. Peter's Church (Peterskirche) and spent the best Euro and a half per person you can possibly invest in Munich! After a vigorous workout climbing more than 300 narrow wooden steps to the steeple pinnacle, we were rewarded with the one of the most beautiful panorama views in Bavaria. On a clear day, you can see from St. Peter's beyond the other church spires to the majestic Alps.

It was incredibly windy at the top, and we were rather winded from the climb, but after catching our breath, we snapped some breath-taking photos! (How many cliches can I use in one sentence?)

Reluctantly we eventually made our way down from the tower and headed back to the Englischer Garten. On such a beautiful day, we knew we'd find surfers at the Eisbachwelle. I'd never seen river surfing before and thought this was pretty cool. On our way there, we gawked at the naked sunbathers and stopped to take free lessons in  slacklining from a few kids who were practicing in the park. All new and fun experiences!

Detouring through Hofgarten on our way back, we were serenaded with a fantastic solo Cello performance.  That was easily worth another Euro investment :) We also visited the Ludwigskirche, where our German exchange daughter from summer 2000 was recently married to her Swiss love.

Finally, we met up with a group of friends at Munich's oldest continually-operating cafe: Luigi Tambosi near Odeonsplatz. Here we lingered for a few hours over Aperol Spritzes and other cocktails, just enjoying the balmy weather and the company of good friends before delivering the girls to language camp and driving back to Mülheim.

The entire stay in Munich was less than 34 hours, but we managed an impressive array of sights, sounds, tastes, and experiences. Still, there is much more to be discovered and I'm looking forward to returning in a few weeks when camp is over and my brother is visiting with his family, as well!

Anyone have suggestions for my next Munich adventure?

Destination: Bruges, Belgium

Bruges: Venice of the North

For Ascension (Christi Himmelfahrt) we had a four-day holiday weekend and took advantage of the extra time to explore the region. On this occasion, we headed for Bruges, Belgium. This UNESCO World-Heritage Site has been on my wish list of places to visit since we moved to Germany. But I must confess, I had no idea prior to booking our trip, that the day we planned to arrive is largely regarded as the most beautiful day of the year to visit the medieval city! It was incredible good fortune that we were there for Ascension Thursday, the day the city holds its 700-year old annual Procession of the Holy Blood, a tradition also protected by UNESCO and said to have begun in 1291.

Each year, as many as 2,000 people and hundreds of animals (including camels and herds of sheep), participate in this parade, during which scenes from the Old and New Testament are acted out. In the second part of the procession, the precious relic of the Blood of Jesus (brought to Bruges by Derrick of Alsace, Count of Flanders after the second crusade in 1150) is reverently carried through the streets by prelates in a golden shrine and worshiped through the procession by members of the noble brotherhood of the Holy Blood.  Having grown up in a Catholic school, and being familiar with all of the Bible stories depicted during the procession, I was especially in awe of this spectacular event. But I think even most non-Christians would admit it is an amazing production.

Belfort: 13th Century Carillon

The procession begins around 2:30 in the afternoon and winds its way through the city streets for several hours, with music, dancing, elaborate costumes and floats, and magnificent religious artifacts. We stood watching from one place for over two hours and witnessed most, but not all of the procession pass by uninterrupted during this time. I have never seen such a spectacular display and am anxious to return another year, better prepared to rent front row seats in one of the city squares, in order to have an optimal view of the entire parade and all the performances throughout it. This year, my vantage point did not allow me to capture very good photos, but there are plenty to be found online elsewhere.

A 575 year old home

Other Attractions
Bruges, known also as a "Venice of the North" for its 14km of canals, is certainly worth visiting any other day of the year, as well. In fact, the day after the parade, with the crowds thinned out a bit, we were able to view more of the historic architecture, tour the magnificent churches, enjoy a romantic horse-drawn carriage ride around the city, and sample some of the famous Belgium waffles and chocolates. Yumm!!! I also tasted traditional Flemish beef stew and a baked dish made of endives wrapped in ham and cheese (both of which I loved!).

It was amazing to see the houses originally built for poor tradesmen, now beautifully preserved as homes for the wealthy - willing (so I was told my our carriage driver) to pay as much as 200,000 Euros for a 25 square meter home! I would have loved a peek inside. I can't imagine what life must have been like in these homes over 500 years ago!

Michelangelo's Madonna and Child

In the Church of Our Lady, you will find one of the few works of  Michelangelo outside of Italy: a beautiful sculpture of Madonna and Child: Madonna of Bruges. And the Basilica of the Holy Blood is a magnificent Gothic-style church with a Romanesque chapel beneath it.

There is also a medieval hospital museum, art museums, a diamond museum and a brewery tour that we did not get to on this visit and which I understand are great attractions. Good enough reason for me to plan another visit soon! Oh, and I must pick up more of the delicious chocolates I brought back from Stephan Dumon!

Hotel Haeneveld

I understand now why finding a room in the city this week was so difficult, but as it turned out, we were very lucky to land upon the quaint little Haeneveld Hotel and Restaurant located in Jabbeke, 10 km outside Bruges. Here we booked the last three available rooms for our family of eight (the grandparents were traveling with my husband and me, and our four kids). I had to write to the proprietor ahead of our visit to ensure that we could have two extra beds put into one of the three double rooms we reserved. (For my American readers, most European hotel rooms only accommodate two people and rarely have space for extra beds). The proprietor wrote back promptly, happy to accommodate the request. We corresponded by writing in English and when we arrived, she also spoke perfect German - as did everyone we encountered in Belgium (Dutch is the official language of Flanders, but everyone seemed fluent in English and German and almost all restaurant menus were in at least 4 languages).

When we arrived at Haeneveld, the lobby and restaurant were beautifully lit with many candles. Dishes of chocolates awaited us on the counter and in our rooms (and gummy bears, too :) ). The hotel offers eight guest rooms above the restaurant/banquet facilities of this renovated farm. A generous breakfast buffet is included. All our rooms had amenities more typical of a larger chain hotel than a country bed and breakfast: stocked mini-fridges, complimentary water, bath robes, hair dryers, and little touches like nail files and sewing kits. There was even a shoe polish machine in the lobby area and a table of books and magazines to borrow! The furniture was dated, but the rooms were very clean and the service was above and beyond!

When we went down for breakfast, we found the owner had brought in and set one of the larger round banquet tables to seat all of our family together. She offered us each tea or coffee, and continued to refill our cups throughout our leisurely meal. She also brought warm milk and hot coco for the kids. She asked us about our visit, where we wanted to go for the day, and offered suggestions for attractions and parking. When we expressed interest in also visiting the beach after dinner, she suggested the best spot for viewing the sunset. And indeed, we tacked on a lovely visit to De Haan - a lovely location on the North Sea about 10 km from the hotel. Even if rooms were available directly in Bruge, I would chose to stay here again. The location between the historic city and the beach is convenient and we felt perfectly at home!

My entire impression of the trip to Belgium is very positive. Everywhere we went in and around Bruges, the people were very friendly and helpful, despite being overwhelmed with tourists. At no point did any service personnel appear irritated or impatient with us - on the contrary, they seemed to enjoy showing off their city and were happy to have us as their guests. This might seem like an obvious attitude for a city that thrives from tourism, but in my experience, there are plenty of places that seem to resent their tourist-based economy rather than embrace it.

Bruges, thank you for your wonderful hospitality - I look forward to visiting again soon!