Oktoberfest - Munich, Germany - Sept 17, 2011

Day two of Oktoberfest:
Well i'm guessing everyone who had way too much fun the day before was asleep because we were able to walk right into a tent sunday morning around 10am.

People started showing up maybe around 1pm that day =) note for next year! So we grabbed a table at the brewery where we thought they had archery contests...it was a lie!! People weren't doing a whole lot until around 11am..just straggling in.

We were almost bored until a large group of 11 italians showed up and shared our table and consumed the table behind us. Then the fun started. They were from Udine, Italy - close to Venice. They were hysterical. Not a ton of english but enough that between my little italian and their little english we could chat. They taught us a new game that definitely made you think. There were a lot of numbers being thrown out and yelling.  I actually won one of the rounds and beat Franco who was the leading champ. Of course the italians played  to 21 and we just played to 5 so i'm thinking I would definitely loose if we played more. I won the round below by yelling out 4 and we both had 2 fingers out...YAY me!

They were all so nice and so fun. They made Oktoberfest for us! When going to Oktoberfest you need a large group, just two people isn't nearly as fun. Probably around Noon till when we had to take off at 1:30 is when the party started so to speak. The band started playing, we were all singing and dancing together. I'm guessing it's customary to dance on the tables and benches during while the bands played because young and old everyone was up there singing their hearts out. We of course didn't know any of the words but still attempted to chime in when we could. Also, I think All germans and most tourists were dressed in the traditional lederhosen and the girls were in the dresses. They were all adorable and funny.

 We were having a lot of fun with our new friends but the train waits for nobody and we still had to hike back to our hotel and get our luggage. So we said our good byes and exchanged our e-mails for pictures and took off for the train.

I'd have to say that I loved hanging out at Oktoberfest. No matter what, there is something for everyone to do. You can participate as little or as much as you want, and people watching is outstanding where ever you turn. I think we will definitely go again next year with all our friends.

Oktoberfest - Munich, Germany - Sept 16, 2011

I had no idea what to expect at Oktoberfest in Munich. All I knew was everyone at Adam's Office said it's an experience that you have to do once while you live here. So Adam and I took a chance and booked train tickets online. We arrived saturday morning as everyone else was walking to the fair grounds. Not so easy to maneuver around. It did help we were going the opposite direction as EVERYONE else so our trams were very empty. our hotel, Flemings, was great! Small room with a fully glass shower inside the room...therefore do not...I repeat do NOT attempt to share a room with other people. It would be weird hahahaha.

We took off from our hotel and headed down to the fair grounds. Basically I would compare it to the Bethalto Fair in that the Bethalto fair would be about and 1/8th the extravagance that the Oktoberfest fair is. There are rides for the kids everywhere, kind of like a small disneyland. It was huge!! Tons of German food everywhere. Horses and carriages that looked a little like the Anheuser bush clydesdales, and of course the 14 enormous tents for the brewery's in Germany.

Adam and I were able to weasel our way into a tent to see the commotion but all the tables were reserved so we ended up walking around this building, that is the size of a warehouse...seating about 4000 people, and then walking out. I kind of took the initiative on this and decided that if we were going to have to wait 3-4hrs to get a seat then it's not worth and and lets see the city. After getting some amazing brats we headed out to walk around the city. They had some great architecture, city halls, churches, and theaters that you just can't find in the states. After wandering the city streets for awhile and getting ourselves nice and hungry we found the Hofbrauhaus restaurant. It came highly recommended to us by our friends that had just been there last month. At 6 oclock the place was packed and you couldn't wait for a table...you had to find your own seat and then the waitress will show up. Also, note for anyone traveling over here, it is ok to join a table that has enough seats for you. We joined a family of 3 and thats how we made it in. Adam got the pork knuckle which was so good and I got the half chicken. We both devoured our meals and got an apple strudel for dessert to share. Because you just should in Germany!!!

We hung out for awhile because a lot of the locals were getting crazy in their lederhosen and we enjoyed the show. Adam really wanted to head back to the fair grounds 1. to see if we could get in a tent and 2. to get pictures of the fair at night. Well as soon as we stepped out of that metro station on came the rain. In about 2 minutes we were completely soaked! AND the station that we came out of decided that they needed to close some of the doors because so many people were trying to get out of the rain. So we walked to the other end of the fair and around to the other metro station. It was completely empty. And that was our first night at Oktoberfest...cheers...now On to Sunday!

 This is City Hall...They have the best buildings in Europe!

He's Baaack

Well I survived my first night without Adam, alone in our apartment. Adam had training all day tuesday in Brunnen and then stayed the night and got home in the evening on Thursday. So whats a girl to do when the husbands away... Play with her friends of course.

I had the pleasure of helping a good friend pick up her dog from the airport. They flew over their Golden Doodle and she arrived wednesday morning. It was a unique experience. First of all our bad luck with moving and picking up stuff in the rain continued. We woke up to a nice downpour that morning. So people the curse is true...never have us help you move or pick up anything...it always rains! So we finally located the right offices at the airport which is a cargo area. We had to hit up 3 different offices, the shipping office, then the vet, then customs, and then finally back to the shipping department to get the dog. It surprisingly went very very smoothly. We caught a taxi home with this giant dog crate, an 80ish pound dog and us two girls. After they got settled I headed back to our house for a huge cup of coffee, thank you Adam for my new addiction by the way! Then later that night back over to April's for a much needed chick flick and dinner. She made a new spin on Grilled cheese and tomato soup which was awesome.

Grilled cheese:
Baguette sliced
Brie cheese
Salami
Soak white onions in apple cider vinegar and place between cheese and salami

She assembled the grilled cheese and cooked them, then threw them in the oven to stay warm and make sure the cheese was melted. Amazing sandwiches!!!

So Adam made it back thursday night and we got to walk by the lake and relax together and then breakfast this morning!! Adam and I both had been wanting pancakes again...but not any kind of pancakes. My spin off of the pancake pantry pancakes we love so much. I've improved the recipe so now I can give it to you.

Cornmeal pancakes:
1 cup cornmeal - if it's not finely ground then add a cup of hot water to it and let it sit for 10 min to soften
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup milk - I added another tablespoon or two to make it a little runnier, Adam likes thinner pancakes

Before hand I cooked up bacon, sauteed diced green peppers, and cut some chunks of white cheddar cheese.

Put a ladle full of pancake batter in skillet, put a couple chunks of cheese in the center of the pancake, then a spoon full of the diced green pepper, and lastly two strips of bacon over the green pepper. Putting the bacon over the cheese and pepper helps keep the cheese gooey and doesn't burn next to the skillet. Then flip the pancakes over to brown the top of the side with everything in it...and then enjoy.

I like regular syrup on mine, but adam puts salsa and sour cream on his.  It's whatever you like.

Enjoy the recipe, it's one of our favorites. We are heading to Munich first thing Saturday morning for Oktoberfest so we will have lots of pictures and stories when we get back!

Cooking and Playing

Well Adam and I enjoyed a nice weekend in Zurich. I think we've established our favorite Zurich Summer activity...swimming in the lake and laying out at the park at Enge ( pronounced in gay). Friday night was my night to cook dinner and have our meat of the week. I took a recipe from the pioneer woman this week called Steakhouse Pizza...not gonna lie..it was Amazing!! I made a few adjustments though. Instead of her traditional dough I found a wheat dough pizza recipe. I finally...after 2 months of looking have wheat flour to make wheat breads. So I had to try it out. The dough was amazing.

The Dough:

• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/amazing-whole-wheat-pizza-crust/detail.aspx

The crust was perfect, chewy on the inside and crisp on the bottom...the way adam likes it. The dough was really easy and didn't cause a huge struggle as you attempted to roll it out which was really nice. The pizza toppings from the Pioneer Woman were fantastic. Adam's not a huge Balsamic Vinegar kind of person but he did like it. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/09/steakhouse-pizza/

Saturday we went to Letten...our favorite swimming hole on the river and hung out with new and old friends. We relaxed, jumped in and floated down the river, and enjoyed the sunshine. For dinner  that night we found a place that would play ESPN America so we could see some of the college football games. So a huge group of us went to...wait for it...Hooters...to watch football. The game was a blow out..Oregon vs. Wisconsin. But the wings and friends were great.

Sunday was again another lazy day laying out by the lake at Enge. Swimming and relaxing just the two of us. Our quality time together. We've learned that here in well possibly Europe but mostly switzerland that we've witnessed, people don't prepare ahead of time to go swimming. Meaning people just show up and change into their swimsuits at the park. They cover themselves with as towel as they are doing it but it's really strange. Sometimes there is a towel mishap but those are all to often the people that nobody wants that to happen to =) It's very very weird. Great weekend, possibly the last weekend of summer for us here in Zurich. The weather will probably change to fall soon enough and we are ready for it.

Family Bonding!

We just had 2 more guests arrive. Adam's sister Amanda and her husband Scott stopped by our place after a youth camp in Germany. Apparently word got out that we charge a fee for staying with us...so now we are enforcing it for all people hahahaha =) I'm glad they brought our peanut butter when they did Adam and I were halfway through our jar Debbie and Dave brought us!!

Ok Ok back to our fun! After we dropped off their luggage we headed over to our now favorite swiss place. Favorite for swiss food that is! The restaurant is Zeughauskeller, and they have the best Rosti's here. Adam and Scott went the manly route and shared meat cooked on a sword. It was a lot but oh so tasty. After dinner we walked around old town and introduced Scott and Amanda to the best ice cream ever, Movenpick! More walking around to attempt to work off dinner and ice cream...but mostly just to bed after that.

Monday: we decided to sleep in  a little this morning, we all know what Centrifuge church camp was like, sleep is necessary after coming away from that. We showed them around town for a little while and then stopped by the grocery store for snacks and barbecue supplies. We then headed to the lake to barbecue in the park and enjoy the nice weather. I think by 3pm we had finally gotten everything going and were eating the ribs and brats...late lunch. While waiting of course we snacked on the healthiest of snacks, potato chips, my homemade chocolate chip cookies, yummy sugary drinks =) all good for you! The meat was delicious, Adam our awesome barbecuer did a fantastic job. Between the 4 of us we put down 2 racks of ribs and a brat each. There were 5 brats in the package so adam took one for the team and ate 2, he's a good man! We packed up after we stuffed ourselves and hopped into the cold lake to swim. Amanda and Scott were awesome and got in even though it was freezing! Adam and I made a couple of laps to the boat dock and back and headed in. Lucky for us Amanda and Scott were distracting the ducks and swans with bread so we could get out. The swans bite at each other and the other ducks when people are giving them food. I didn't want to be anywhere near that!!

Dinner that night was really bad! We were so stuffed from lunch that we just ended up going to get ice cream again at Movenpick and walking around old town and Niederdorf. It's a really nice walk at night when everything is lit up. It's a great strolling city, especially when it's around 65-70 in the evenings!

Tuesday: We all got up early and headed to Uetliberg. We wanted to introduce Amanda and Scott to hiking here in Switzerland. They did a great job!! It is definitely not easy hiking up here. We stopped for snacks on our way back to downtown and loaded up in the bus to Kilchberg. Kilchberg is where heaven is...that is Chocolate heaven! We went to the lindt chocolate outlet store for some awesome deals. You know I never ever have buyer's remorse there..weird?

After Kilchberg we came back to our apartment to rest and relax. Hiking will drain you big time here. We eventually made our way to getting cleaned up and went to Adam and I's favorite restaurant here in Zurich...Da Michelangelo. The best italian place. I was highly impressed by our eating skills here. Everyone ordered the full size portion of pasta and consumed the whole thing. I wanted to try pizza and yep it was gone too. We were pretty stuffed after dinner but somehow made room for dessert. We shared some Luxembergli macaroons, and mini dark chocolate ice cream bars. Then we all went to bed because we couldn't even think straight we were so full.

Wednesday: Sadly this was our last day with them. We had to leave for the airport mid morning. We were going to have breakfast together, but we weren't hungry...go figure!! We got them checked in and said good bye at security. Our last guests for the year unless we get a wonderful surprise. We had so much fun with our brother and sister, we are sad to see you go but looking forward to seeing you at Christmas!!