Romantische Strasse

And speaking of Germany... After leaving Munich we spent the day driving along the Romantic Road, a motorway connecting 27 medieval towns. It wasn't feasible to try to stop in even a handful of the towns so we chose just three.

Our first stop, Landsberg am Lech, was just a bit south of Kaufering, where we had been staying. Landsberg is a lovely walled town dating back to 1800BC. We spent the morning exploring, taking in the buildings which are hundreds of years old and are mingling with more current things like satellite tv disks and IKEA delivery trucks.

We chose a little restaurant right on the river and had lunch outside, enjoying the sunny fall day.

And then it was off to our next stop- Augsburg. Augsburg is the 3rd largest city in Bavaria so we had to narrow down what we wanted to see. We chose to visit the Fuggerei which is called the oldest social settlement in the world. It was established in 1521 as a neighborhood for the needy. Rent for one of the 140 apartments is still just one Rhine gilder (.88 Euros) a year and three prayers a day for the founder and his family.

It's a really interesting settlement, the alms houses are the originals and one is set up so you can see how small they are inside. Since there was no electricity back when they were built each door has a rod which activates the door bell and the handle of each rod is unique so people could feel which one was theirs. The whole neighborhood is a little town within the city and is walled off with private entrances for the residents.

After enjoying a beer in the Fuggerei cafe we were back on the road to our final destination of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This is perhaps the most popular of the towns along the Romantic Road as it is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Germany.

We were staying 2 nights at The Burg Hotel which is built right into the town wall and has amazing views of the valley. We had been warned about the day trippers who clog the tiny streets so we were looking forward to having the town emptied out during the evenings. That evening was spent dining outside under huge trees with glowing gas lamps. Not the best meal of our trip but great atmosphere.

We spent the entire next day enjoying the town. We climbed the tower at the Rathaus. This was the scariest view ever. You climb up a rickety wooden spiral staircase and literally have to crawl out the hatch onto the bell-tower walk. The circular platform holds 4 at a time and is barely wide enough for one. But the views were gorgeous!

After lunch we walked the city's wall- you can go almost completely around Rothenburg although for Dayne it was a bit uncomfortable as the ceiling beams were just shorter than he is tall which meant he had to cock his head!

 

Rothenburg is also known for their Criminal Museum. It's filled with all means of implements for torture and punishment including chastity belts,  drunk tanks, racks and weapons. We got quite the education in medieval torture.

And, although it's not as grand as the Glockenspiel in Munich there is a clock and sundial on the outside of the "Councillor's Drinking Room" where every hour two figures appear at the chime drinking steins of beer. 

We took advantage of the lovely terrace at our hotel, some leftover gin and cheese from the house in Kaufering and had aperos at sunset outside.

The other big attraction is the Night Watchman's tour. This takes place at dusk when the watchmen use to go around lighting the gas street lamps and locking up the entrances to the city. Although a bit hokey there is a lot of history and it's quite a fun walk. It just so happened the night we went was the largest attendance he'd ever had, what happened to all the day trippers leaving at night?

After the walk we had a delicious dinner at Zur Holl which is in the oldest original building in town, dating from 900.

The town is just impossibly cute and we were really glad we decided to stay a couple of nights to take it all in.

The next morning we drove to Frankfurt to catch our train to Hamburg. I drove 180km on the autobahn. It was a serious thrill, and this was in a crappy Opal rent a car. If only I'd had my Saab!!

Lovely photos of the Romantic Road area here.

More to Munich than Beer and Lederhosen

In 2 days it will happen again. Huge kegs will be tapped and millions of people will gather in massive tents to sing and drink and party. Oktoberfest! I'm thinking back to last year when we were just 2 of over 6 million who celebrated the 200th anniversary of this event.

But of course there is more to Munich than just Oktoberfest. Bavaria is a stunning region with lots to see and do. We spent one day driving out to see the castles in Schloss. On the way we stopped at Wieskirche, litterally the church in the meadow. What had started out as a tiny little chapel for travelers to worship in has grown into a much larger church, but still in the middle of a meadow.

On to Schloss to see the magnificent, if somewhat crazy, castles of Hohenschwangua and Neuschwanstein. You buy your combined tour tickets, which are timed 2 hours a part. We visited Hohenschwangua, had some lunch and beers and then took the horse and buggy up the mountain to the fairy castle of Neuschwanstein. Our horses were so slow that we were late to our tour and luckily were let in to another- the last of the day. As we left the castle doors were locked behind us!

One day we took the train out to Dachau. When we got back in town we climbed to the top of St. Peter's tower where we got our first real look of Munich and how large it is. We had beers at an outdoor bar in the Marienplatz and were treated to the show that the beautiful Glockenspiel puts on. And also the show of all the tourists who jostle to see it in action.

We really loved exploring the Viktuallenmarket with it's many stalls and vendors selling fruits, meats, liquors, seafood, plants, etc.  And the area had lot's of restaurants with tables in the sun to choose from for lunch.

We visited the crypt where the royal tombs are kept in St. Michael's Church, saw the Devil's footprint outside the front of the Frauenkirche, walked up the grand Maximilianstrasse to see the theater and opera and even stopped in the Odeonsplatz where the Nazi's first gathered and demonstrated before sitting and taking in the beauty of the Royal Gardens. And then we had cocktails at the famed Schumann's Bar, not beer but delicious classic cocktails.

But on our last day the lure of Oktoberfest was too strong and we headed back to the Theresienwiese. We wandered around the rides, had beers outside at the Lowenbrau house and finally entered the Augustiner Tent.

We made friends with Otto who let us share his table, a table he has had a standing reservation at for 13 years. He explained that his wife had passed away as had many of his friends but he continued to come and enjoy the music and the beer and remember the fun of his past. Other family members joined him as the night went on and he let us stay all evening with them. And this time we ate our roast chicken early. The rest of the evening we hoisted steins and sang and danced. Prost!

More photos of Munich and the area here

Summer Camping

Oh summer I miss you and you've only been gone 1 week! As with every year, a weekend favorite of ours is to go camping. This year we broke in Dayne's new tent down at Moss Creek Campground which is basically across the river and up in the hills from Hood River, OR. This is a long drive for a Friday after work (6 hours with traffic!) but we had a reservation so we didn't worry about rolling in after dark. It did lead to the "I can't wait to see this in the light" situation that we've had so many times in so many places. This turned out to be a very pretty (and quiet as the weather had threatened to be horrible) campground.

 

Saturday was gorgeous so we jumped in the car and headed across the gorge and up to Mt. Hood. We'd never been and were interested in seeing the Timberline Lodge. Built in 1937 the lodge really evokes that rugged PNW feel. The mountain and the surroundings are stunning! Sunny summer day and snow on the ground? Cool!

As we enjoyed a bit of happy hour back at our campsite later we saw and heard an owl in the trees above us and then a deer walked thru the grounds by our site. Yeah! Wildlife spotting :)

Our plan was to visit Mt. St. Helens the next day on our drive home but the torrential rains finally arrived so we skipped the "two mountains, two states" plan.

On our second camping trip friends Matt & Jen came along and we picked the much closer Cle Elum River on a hot sunny weekend. Jen and I went out earlier in the day and landed a nice camp spot right on the water. The boys arrived in time for happy hour.

We spend most of Saturday on the "yachts" floating around the river, spying herons, ducks and huge osprey.

And of course no trip to Cle Elum is complete without a stop at The Brick in Roslyn, WA's oldest continuously operating saloon complete with running spittoon. Roslyn has a little farmer's market on Sunday that we hit on the way out of town also.

Back at our waterfront site we watched the sun set and fended off the mosquitoes, Matt especially put his foot - or should I say thumb- down on those little pests and then watched as the sky filled with stars!

Oh summer! Oh camping! Can't wait to do it again next year!

All camping photos here and here

Friday Harbor, On Saturday and Sunday Too

One of the many nice things about riding the trains around Europe is I have time to catch up on some posts. Other nice things about the trains in Europe... THE TRAINS IN EUROPE!

On a very sunny & beautiful weekend in July Dayne & I left Seattle late in the afternoon and drove north to the Anacortes ferry dock. Securing a place in line for the next ferry (2 hour wait in the summer) we left our car and walked up the hill to where there use to be a restaurant and bar. Closed. Wtf? How are you the only resto/bar in the ferry area and you can't stay in business?

Back to the car and with 2 hours to wait we busted into the Thomas Keller fried chicken I had made & pasta mango salad Dayne had made (well we made them to share with our friends that evening!). Dayne also had a case of booze he was carting up for the festivities so a "trunk tiki drink" was crafted to go with our meal. Seconds were made on board the ferry which we dubbed "The Elwah"

Upon arriving in Friday Harbor we checked into the cute Bird Rock Hotel before meeting our friends at host Mark's fabulous house over looking the Sound. Being the last to arrive to the party we tried our best to catch up!

The next morning Dayne and I enjoyed a very nice breakfast of fresh scones, fruit & yogurt on the patio of the hotel. We then wandered around town, doing a bit of shopping (cute boutiques!), checked out the farmers market & scored some rare(ish) DeLille rose at the grocery store before heading out to Mark's for lunch.

Our friend Wayland had made amazing roasted duck sandwiches with cashew butter & jam (which I've forgotten which kind). Rose was poured, the potluck of cold salads, fried chicken, etc were put out and we sat on the deck enjoying the views. Ahhhhhh.....

Camp counselor Mark had arranged for us to tour the San Juan Distillery in the afternoon (he's good like that) so we loaded in the cars as he and his brother stayed behind- secretly putting the finishing touches on that evenings extravaganza & the raison d'etre of the weekend, THE DINNER PARTY.

SJD tasted us through their ciders and their gins, explaining the uniqueness of their products. We all found something(s) we liked and especially enjoyed the passion and sincerity these guys bring to their products.

We all met back later for Mark's big event. A culinary feast! Mark had been working for days (weeks?) on an amazing menu combining molecular gastronomy, local/in season ingredients & wine from his fantastic cellar. Mark took the dishes inspirations from sources such as "Alinea", "Modernist Cuisine", "Ideas in Food" and his own tinkerings.

10 course and dessert all flawlessly paired with beautiful wines. As someone who throws a dinner party from time to time let me just say this was a huge feat and a huge success! We're lucky and grateful to have been included.

Some of my favorite dishes of the night were:

- exploded Delice de Bourgogne & strawberries
- bacon, apple, salted caramel
- champagne grapes
- smoked quail w/ cherries, asparagus stuffed w/ garlic caper cream

But really my favorite thing was spending time with such great friends, some for whom this food was quite new and interesting. And of course our wonderful wonderful host!

After glasses of 1905 D'Oliveras Verdelho Madeira (ok I'm kind of just rubbing it in at this point) we all left to sleep off the food coma. The next morning those of us who don't own a home on the island met for lunch before buying some bottles of Rosie and heading to our ferry.

Sometimes it doesn't have to take too many miles to transport you to a relaxing mini break (I even bought a magnet!). Good friends and good food (especially when made by the former) is a special get away in it's own.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

IcelandAir Sega Class

I've cashed in some miles to meet Dayne in Europe while he works for a month in London. I'm sitting in the first class of Iceland Air which is basically like being in first class on Alaska Air - same plane I think, absolutely the same configuration.

But there are differences of course. Before boarding I was able to sit in the first class lounge which they share with British Air. Free wifi, free wine or cocktails, snacks, etc. Your basic first class lounge & very relaxing to hang while waiting.

Once on board I was welcomed with a glass of champagne, fuzzy blanket, pillow (don't see those anymore) & a Bally toiletries bag with some little treats. I plugged my electronicals into the jack in my seat. Next came the complimentary to borrow noise canceling headphones. Oh yeah, this I like!

We take off & it's happy hour. Gin & tonic for me accompanied by a dish of spicy peanuts/wasabi peas/soy beans. Shortly there after menus in leather covers are passed out announcing the evenings meal- salmon sushi rolls, steak with red wine reduction sauce, cheesy risotto, green beans, cheesecake with berry coulis & a chocolate truffle. A Barossa is poured in my glass. With the exception of the overcooked steak this is all very good & makes for a hearty meal.

The wide seats recline about the same as the seats on Alaska Air (they really are the same planes) only these have foot rests also making it much more comfortable to grab a few z's.

In Reykjavik it was a quick transfer as the airport is quite small. My flight to Paris was 3 hours and there were 3 of us in the 1st class cabin, the rest was empty! Total relaxation as I spread my stuff out, had a little omelet for breakfast and then took a 2 hour snooze.

When I went to pick up my bag I noticed that they had them marked so that they came off first also. Handy. IcelandAir certainly isn't super swank and the seats in Saga don't have massage settings like some but I was happy to have the extra comfort and will look forward to my return flight in Saga Class also!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Paris, France

24 Hours Lummi Island

For Valentine's Day this year Dayne gave me an overnight & dinner at Willows Inn on Lummi Island, it had been in the press a lot since the sous chef from Noma made his move there. Due to a number of things we needed to postpone the getaway but finally went a couple of weeks ago. We drove up on a Sunday morning & returned the next day, both making it home in time for 3pm conference calls.

Everything on Lummi is tiny it seems, starting with the 20 car ferry, which on our sailing held just 6 vehicles. It's a short 8 minute trip to the pretty island, population 800 (which I really think might be a high estimate!). The drive to Willows Inn took us past the only other restaurant on the island, the post office & lovely waterfront homes. The Inn itself is unassuming, rustic even, with a large front porch looking out to the water.

Dayne had rented us electric bikes which we took out while our room was made up. These were so fun, I'd love to get one at home! We did a loop around the island, stopping to take in views of the sound, Mt. Baker, multiple deer, the beaches and have lunch at said other restaurant.

Arriving back at Willows we wandered around checking out the grounds, the other rooms/cabins, the bocci ball court and the hot tub. It's a perfectly quiet and lazy way to spend a day.

We had the Sans Souci room (extra credit if you know what that means without looking it up) which was very comfortable & even had a cute little stove/fireplace. I will say the room also could stand an update, especially the bathroom, nothing serious but telltale signs of wear and tear could easily be handled.

Happy hour at the Inn starts at 4pm, these people have class, and although there were no advertised snacks we were offered some very nice marinated cheese & bread to go along with our drinks (the white sangria was especially refreshing, the cocktail made with sorrel looked hideous).

The main attraction here is the dinner of course. We were seated in the spare but comfortable dining room and a selection of fun amuse dishes were delivered. These little bites definitely set the stage for the tone of the entire menu. A wooden box arrived which when you lifted the lid smoke escaped revealing beautiful bites of salmon. A basket filled with fresh from the garden lettuces and radishes (sprinkled with "dirt") was delicious dipped in a pot of green goddess.

The dinner progressed with every plate looking like it had been on it's way to a garden/flower show. Edible plants of all types not just for garnish but holding center court with gorgeous selections of seafood. Everything local, most everything picked that day. 11 plates total, some 1 bite some a bit more, paired with wine. And they kicked this in at no extra charge:

Additionally we ran into 2 friends of ours just there for the night and a romantic little get away, we ran into them 2 days earlier in Seattle too. Goes to show what a small world it is even on an island.

The next morning we had breakfast back in the same dining room. House made English muffins, poached eggs, bacon and hollandaise sauce was included in our room charge.

Additional photos of food and fauna here




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Happy 4th of July!

I love the 4th! I think it's my favorite holiday (which is saying a lot since there are no presents involved!). Even as a kid it was the one day that my parent's seemed happy. Dad loved to set off fireworks and mom loved to bake and have a potluck.

Dad and I would go to the grocery store parking lot fireworks stands and I'd try to talk him into buying the biggest box of boom on the shelves. I'd get to light things like Magic Black Snakes, Smoking Log Cabin and Sparklers. As I got older and we would go out to the reservation to buy our fun I'd get to set off bottle rockets out of Pop Shop bottles (cream soda being my favorite). All the neighbors would put their fireworks together so it seemed to last all night.

In high school there were parties and treks out to Coeur d'Alene for the big show on the lake. When I moved from Spokane to Seattle in college there were more parties and big shows in Bellevue, Lake Union and Elliot Bay (I miss the Fourth of Jul-Ivars). When Dayne and I met we would head to his friend's houseboat every year for a BBQ and show watching from the roof.

Last year we were in Paris for the 4th. Obviously there were no fireworks or flag cupcakes but we did have a lovely day. First up was a delicious brunch at a friend's house. Next came a really enjoyable afternoon spent picnicking at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont with more friends we don't see very often. And later we partook in delicious cocktails in the American style cocktail bar Prescription Cocktail Club.

My perfect way to spend the 4th is a half day at the beach followed by a party and then viewing of a big show. We'll be back on a Lake Union houseboat with friends tonight and it's sure to be a great time. The sun is shining, there will be drinks and grilling and when those big pyrotechnics go BOOM I'll be feeling like a kid again!

I hope you all are spending the day exactly how you like it too! Happy 4th of July!