24 June 2007
Let's go to Croatia!
Why not? There hasn't been a war there for like 10 years. And they're advertising the hell out of their Tourist industry all over CNN Europe.
The drive down was interesting, but also kind of crappy.
It rained a bunch, but the Alps were gorgeous.
Photos were taken while i was busy passenging... my gentleman driver, Der Hannes:
We drove past castles in Austria
and through these Alps in Italy
In Italy the traffic was crazy. It was raining like hell, and a dark 10pm when we decided to stop for the night. Údine was the town we stopped at. Údine is all traffic circle roundabout things, with vague signs and sometimes they even point in the wrong direction to confuse the non-Italian-speaking visitors. Oh, I can tell you that makes it more fun. Did i mention we were also hungry?
After going through 173 roundabouts, getting dizzy and throwing up, we found a cheap hotel for the night. When we asked the owner dude where to get food, he said the kitchen was already closed, but we could take crackers and marmelade from the breakfast buffet.
Which we did, but then we walked out and found the most delicious pizza joint in the world. My pizza had pepperoni, some kind of marinated mushrooms, and a smoked semi-hard white cheese, in addition to the usual tomato sauce and mozzarella.
The next morning we took off as early as we could, after a little brioche and espresso in the dining room decked out like the inside of a ship. We drove further South and the weather broke a little bit. In Triéste we stopped at a scenic lookout and i got my first view of the Mediterranean.
They were not nice cats, but they live there, so we left them in peace after a few pictures.
After driving through Slovenia, we got to Rovinj, Croatia.
We found a vacation condo, and stayed with an old woman named Maria who spoke only Croatian and German (she was a guest worker near Stuttgart in the 60's). Two bicycles came with the apartment, so we had transportation for getting around town.
Our first full day there, we rode up and down the coast a bit to get the feel of where we were.
We played on the rocks a little, and sunned..
squinty
Then there was some wandering into the old town of Rovinj, with its slippery stone streets.
its laundry on the line
and general charmingness.
We walked up to the big church on the hill, but as I was wearing shorts, it was not permitted to enter.. but the way up was gorgeous..
Nets. but not internets.
Happy Fishercats
yup, i managed not to pee on my shoes or fall down. but it was a struggle.
Outside, though, the town was gorgeous..
The drive down was interesting, but also kind of crappy.
It rained a bunch, but the Alps were gorgeous.
Photos were taken while i was busy passenging... my gentleman driver, Der Hannes:
We drove past castles in Austria
and through these Alps in Italy
In Italy the traffic was crazy. It was raining like hell, and a dark 10pm when we decided to stop for the night. Údine was the town we stopped at. Údine is all traffic circle roundabout things, with vague signs and sometimes they even point in the wrong direction to confuse the non-Italian-speaking visitors. Oh, I can tell you that makes it more fun. Did i mention we were also hungry?
After going through 173 roundabouts, getting dizzy and throwing up, we found a cheap hotel for the night. When we asked the owner dude where to get food, he said the kitchen was already closed, but we could take crackers and marmelade from the breakfast buffet.
Which we did, but then we walked out and found the most delicious pizza joint in the world. My pizza had pepperoni, some kind of marinated mushrooms, and a smoked semi-hard white cheese, in addition to the usual tomato sauce and mozzarella.
The next morning we took off as early as we could, after a little brioche and espresso in the dining room decked out like the inside of a ship. We drove further South and the weather broke a little bit. In Triéste we stopped at a scenic lookout and i got my first view of the Mediterranean.
Also at this scenic lookout, we found the Wild Cats of Triéste
They were not nice cats, but they live there, so we left them in peace after a few pictures.
After driving through Slovenia, we got to Rovinj, Croatia.
We found a vacation condo, and stayed with an old woman named Maria who spoke only Croatian and German (she was a guest worker near Stuttgart in the 60's). Two bicycles came with the apartment, so we had transportation for getting around town.
Our first full day there, we rode up and down the coast a bit to get the feel of where we were.
We played on the rocks a little, and sunned..
squinty
It was really day 2 that we spent any time on the beaches. It's still funny for me to swim in saltwater.. i'm used to not seeing the other shore, and it still being freshwater.
Then there was some wandering into the old town of Rovinj, with its slippery stone streets.
its laundry on the line
and general charmingness.
We walked up to the big church on the hill, but as I was wearing shorts, it was not permitted to enter.. but the way up was gorgeous..
One of the things i liked best about this harbor town was the fresh fish. Calamari wasn't just like deep fried rubber bands, it practically melted in my mouth.
Nets. but not internets.
Happy Fishercats
sunset on the oldtown
I really liked Croatia, the people were laid back, it was really cheap, and everyone spoke German. Hannes doesn't so much speak English, so we chattered away in German the whole time. It was funny, there were a few English couples around, and they really stuck out like sore thumbs with all the Croats speaking German to the other tourists.
We drove home all in one day, it took about 8 hours of driving, through 5 countries. We stopped in Italy for pizza just South of the Austrian border. This was in the ladies room, instead of a toilet..
yup, i managed not to pee on my shoes or fall down. but it was a struggle.
Outside, though, the town was gorgeous..
Labels: europe, travel, vacation
19 June 2007
House warmed? Check!!
Saturday, 26 May, 2007
Tiki Housewarming Party. Einweihungsfeier.
What a weekend. It started with a visitor unexpectedly cancelling on Thursday, I ended up working an extra day (when i would have been picking him up from the airport). Then i was running around with my head cut off trying to get ready for the party. cleaning, shopping, basting the chef... it was tough work!
When the first guests came, there was still a case of sparkling water in the front hall, and i was working on the bean dip. heh. they were good enough to haul up the last of the supplies while i put together a 4 layer dip.
ok, and i'm not usually one to blog about cooking, because really, that's not one of my gifts. but MAN! the bean dip was a hit!! it was just canned refried beans, some sour cream, a couple jars of mediocre salsa, and shredded mozzarella cheese as topping. i couldn't even find orange cheese over here. all in all, i'd say it was an unispired layer dip. but when the guests came it was DEMOLISHED!! i was ecstatic.
i also grilled up some satay, made guacamole and assembled a fruit salad.
but on to the peoplepics! Matthias brought a taste of Michigan for me - Bell's Oberon!!
Mark wanted to taste what i claimed was "good american beer" because he didn't believe it existed. ta-da!
ok, he wasn't terribly impressed, but he said it was passable. me, i was giddy.
speaking of Mark, he brought me a traditional german housewarming present - bread and salt!
gemütlich.
some of the guests chilled out in the living room
fréderíque, patrícia and irene
many of the guests took refuge on the balcony, because it was cooler outside.
Patrícia learned the updraft joys of skirt-wearing by standing near the fan in the kitchen. stefan also partook in some skirt-joy.
a good portion of the former-michigan-residents crew was in attendance.
christian nitsch, alex and matthias schnapp
and a lot of people came in festive clothes.
jörg, hannes, mark (who normally eschews color completely) and joachim.
we met mark's elusive girlfriend katja, who likes ska concerts, but doesn't want to waste her hearing on punk (which is probably why i hadn't met her before)
near the end, there were some absurd statue of liberty photos taken... not quite sure how that started, but for your viewing pleasure:
and then there was a little kitchen dance-party
before the real experimentation began:
i had a great time, and was really glad to be able to host everyone. superthanks to everyone who was able to make it. especially the great folks not pictured (because someone was a little tipsy and less-than-focused on party documentation).
Lula and Mischa brought a tasty Spanish Tortilla, Fréderíque and Denis brought a lemon torte, and a sweet little plant i'm trying not to kill. Ben brought a little japanese maple, which will have to be watered when i'm on vacation, so i'd better get integrated quick!
matthias and alex also brought a beermug from their favorite potter, which i now use almost exclusively! beer comes in 0,5L bottles, which are larger than my pint glasses. but the beer fits perfectly into the mug, which is pretty and nice in the hand and mouth interfaces as well. :)
Sandrine and Nadine came decked in flowers, bearing candle torches.
My landlord and his girlfriend made it, although the people living directly under me weren't available for comment. Many guests also brought bottles of wine, which will be enjoyed to their fullest (even though i may not always remember who brought what.. alcohol may have been a factor, but thank you. :D ).
Stefan and Patrícia, whose social interaction is nothing short of fun to watch
brought a lovely chocolate mousse, and helped with lugging, toting and guacamole prep.
Tiki Housewarming Party. Einweihungsfeier.
What a weekend. It started with a visitor unexpectedly cancelling on Thursday, I ended up working an extra day (when i would have been picking him up from the airport). Then i was running around with my head cut off trying to get ready for the party. cleaning, shopping, basting the chef... it was tough work!
When the first guests came, there was still a case of sparkling water in the front hall, and i was working on the bean dip. heh. they were good enough to haul up the last of the supplies while i put together a 4 layer dip.
ok, and i'm not usually one to blog about cooking, because really, that's not one of my gifts. but MAN! the bean dip was a hit!! it was just canned refried beans, some sour cream, a couple jars of mediocre salsa, and shredded mozzarella cheese as topping. i couldn't even find orange cheese over here. all in all, i'd say it was an unispired layer dip. but when the guests came it was DEMOLISHED!! i was ecstatic.
i also grilled up some satay, made guacamole and assembled a fruit salad.
but on to the peoplepics! Matthias brought a taste of Michigan for me - Bell's Oberon!!
Mark wanted to taste what i claimed was "good american beer" because he didn't believe it existed. ta-da!
ok, he wasn't terribly impressed, but he said it was passable. me, i was giddy.
speaking of Mark, he brought me a traditional german housewarming present - bread and salt!
gemütlich.some of the guests chilled out in the living room
fréderíque, patrícia and irenemany of the guests took refuge on the balcony, because it was cooler outside.
Patrícia learned the updraft joys of skirt-wearing by standing near the fan in the kitchen. stefan also partook in some skirt-joy.
a good portion of the former-michigan-residents crew was in attendance.
christian nitsch, alex and matthias schnappand a lot of people came in festive clothes.
jörg, hannes, mark (who normally eschews color completely) and joachim.we met mark's elusive girlfriend katja, who likes ska concerts, but doesn't want to waste her hearing on punk (which is probably why i hadn't met her before)
near the end, there were some absurd statue of liberty photos taken... not quite sure how that started, but for your viewing pleasure:
and then there was a little kitchen dance-party
before the real experimentation began:
i had a great time, and was really glad to be able to host everyone. superthanks to everyone who was able to make it. especially the great folks not pictured (because someone was a little tipsy and less-than-focused on party documentation).
Lula and Mischa brought a tasty Spanish Tortilla, Fréderíque and Denis brought a lemon torte, and a sweet little plant i'm trying not to kill. Ben brought a little japanese maple, which will have to be watered when i'm on vacation, so i'd better get integrated quick!
matthias and alex also brought a beermug from their favorite potter, which i now use almost exclusively! beer comes in 0,5L bottles, which are larger than my pint glasses. but the beer fits perfectly into the mug, which is pretty and nice in the hand and mouth interfaces as well. :)
Sandrine and Nadine came decked in flowers, bearing candle torches.
My landlord and his girlfriend made it, although the people living directly under me weren't available for comment. Many guests also brought bottles of wine, which will be enjoyed to their fullest (even though i may not always remember who brought what.. alcohol may have been a factor, but thank you. :D ).
Stefan and Patrícia, whose social interaction is nothing short of fun to watch
brought a lovely chocolate mousse, and helped with lugging, toting and guacamole prep.
room for living
I've been travelling a bit, so there are more stories/pictures forthcoming, especially croatia and the mad fairytale of füssen.
but right now: living room additions.
art! picked up in rovinj croatia
the artist is Austrian, but his Serbian wife, runs the gallery.
and my neeeeeew sofa! italian leather, leck mich am Arsch.
it took 3 months to get here, but it finally arrived on the backs of 2 strong (swearing) delivery men.
when I haven't been travelling, I've been cleaning and organizing and sorting sh*t out. you wouldn't believe what a pain it is to not have built in closets! I've been building armoires and stuffing them full. yarnstash drawer pix will also be forthcoming.
anyway, now the sofabed is now in the guest bedroom, and one can walk through the room to the window, and access the bookshelf.. brilliant!
but right now: living room additions.
art! picked up in rovinj croatia
the artist is Austrian, but his Serbian wife, runs the gallery.
and my neeeeeew sofa! italian leather, leck mich am Arsch.
it took 3 months to get here, but it finally arrived on the backs of 2 strong (swearing) delivery men.
when I haven't been travelling, I've been cleaning and organizing and sorting sh*t out. you wouldn't believe what a pain it is to not have built in closets! I've been building armoires and stuffing them full. yarnstash drawer pix will also be forthcoming.
anyway, now the sofabed is now in the guest bedroom, and one can walk through the room to the window, and access the bookshelf.. brilliant!
03 June 2007
Mid May StalagMites
May 12, Hannes and I went for a Sunday drive, about an hour to Pottenstein in the Fränkische Schweiz (Franconia's Switzerland). My tourbook for Bavaria says Pottenstein's Teufelshöhle (devil's cave) has the best and biggest stalactites/stalagmites in the area.
We parked at the cave and had lunch at the trout farm/smokehouse.
fish, brötchen, meerrettich (horseradish):
Then into the cave. Bears came into the caves to die 80,000 years ago, and many couldn't find their way out.
but the rock formations are the real highlight.
it takes 13 years to deposit a millimeter of calcium on these things.
on the drive back i couldn't help but stop by a little bridge over this river. it's spring water, so we froze our feet off in it. but definitely worth it.
we were happy campers.
We parked at the cave and had lunch at the trout farm/smokehouse.
fish, brötchen, meerrettich (horseradish):
Then into the cave. Bears came into the caves to die 80,000 years ago, and many couldn't find their way out.
but the rock formations are the real highlight.
it takes 13 years to deposit a millimeter of calcium on these things.
on the drive back i couldn't help but stop by a little bridge over this river. it's spring water, so we froze our feet off in it. but definitely worth it.
we were happy campers.
