I was in Florida last week at conference for work, and I got a lot of grief from some of my co-workers for slacking on my blog. Seriously, people…get a life! Just kidding J I know I’ve been bad about updating my blog. So, in an effort to get me back on track, I’m hearby announcing my catch up blog. I’ll give you a brief overview of my life in the last few months and then over the next two weeks (I promise), I’ll give you a bit more detail on some of my adventures.
So, as I was thinking about this catch up blog, a couple things popped into my mind. 1) French fries. You know “catch up/ketchup.” Mmmmmm. And 2) the Micromachine Man from the commercials in the 90s cramming as much information into a 60-second spot as humanly possible. So…feel free to think about French fries or read this blog as fast as humanly possible. I’m going to try to do both…
My apologies in advance…because this sucker’s gonna be long…
The hills are alive…and they totally kicked my ass
In July, I took a little trip to Tegensee with my friends, Mirjam and Silke. We were going on a little hike. One I was told would be nice …one where we could enjoy nature, breathe in the outdoors, take it easy…
After eight hours, multiple blisters, 50 gallons of sweat lost, one fall (not by me…weird, huh?) and aching calves, legs, booty, et. al…I’m going to have to call bull on that.
Don’t get me wrong, the hike was beautiful, but the hike was also challenging. Turns out that is what happens when you hike in the Alps. They mean business. There were only like 8-10 times where I thought I was going to pass out, so that’s totally cool, right? All worth it for this shot:
Plus, we saw a cow…and Silke pet it.
The 5th Season in Germany – Oktoberfest
Seriously, that’s what they call it. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Oktoberfest. I’ll post more pictures and stories on an upcoming blog, but here’s one shot to entice you.
Italia…oh, it makes me happy just thinking about it…
In October, Amanda, Craig and I spent a few days in Florence and the Chianti region of Italy. Again, more pictures and stories to come, but let me just tell you about the food for a second. Oh…my…God. Seriously, how are the Italians not like a million pounds. The food is unreal.
Vienna…you were gray and cold, but damnit, you were still fun…
Yes, it was cold. It was gray. But, my goodness, that city is cool. I spent just a long weekend in Vienna where I was able to catch up with my “cousin,” Katrina, her husband, Pauli and their little girl, Sophia.
Vienna also had some pretty amazing architecture. Here’s the Opera House, a view from the Belvedere (art museum housing Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss) and St. Stephensdome.
Christmas: Good job, Europe…not too shabby
Christmas is a hard time to be away from home. From friends and family. So, I just made mine come here J. I’ll go into more detail in another blog, but here’s the highlight reel:
1) Christkindelmarkts are totally the bomb
The glΓΌhwein consumed in this outing led to the following totally disgusting requirement the next morning: nachos and hamburgers at the Hard Rock Munich.
Scott, Elayne, Kimberly and I took it a little easier this time around…
2) When without a Christmas tree in London, you “borrow” from the hotel (Thank you Grand on Trafalgar)
3) My mom and dad are certifiably crazy. Please note: my mom is pretending she is stuck in the telephone booth.
4) Sometimes you meet semi-famous directors at a pub in London on Christmas Eve, and they tell you their innermost secrets…because they are completely wasted…
That little guy on the right is someone Andrea almost ran over before she arrived...
2013…Starting things off right.
For New Years, Elayne, Kimberly and Scott came to Germany. Let me just tell you, that we are lucky we were able to even exit my apartment on New Years Eve. Let’s just say, we were really excited to be together the night before…and we may have overdone it. But…that being said, we did make it out to the Tollwood Festival on New Year’s Eve. The festival takes place at the fairgrounds for Oktoberfest. Leading up to that day, there are Christmas markets in 5 giant tents. On New Years, they clear out the markets and have live music in each of the tents. We saw an amazing reggae band, a “classic rock” band and a really awesome DJ. Plus they had 360 degree fireworks.
Venice…we need to put a life preserver on you…because you are AWESOME!
Out of the blue, Elayne, Scott, Kimberly and I decided to spend a few days in Venice after New Years. First of all, more to come. Second of all, Venice is amazing. Third of all, January is the best time to go to Venice (1. It doesn’t stink, and 2. it isn’t crowded). The food and wine here is simply amazing. Not to mention the views are simply spectacular.
Is anyone still with me? If so, here’s my skiing story
I realize some of you may have had to take a break from this novel that I’ve written. I warned you at the top. Anyway, it’s well worth it for my skiing story.
So, I haven’t been skiing since I was 13. I’m from the Midwest, and the bottom half of the Midwest at that. We don’t ski. It’s just not what we do. The last time I went, my friend, Birgit ended up face planting into a shed. She was an “experienced” skier. Yeah…no wonder I haven’t been since. But, when you live an hour from the Alps, you are required to ski. And I’m glad I gave it another shot.
Jenna, James and I headed out to Lengrees, which is only about 1 ½ hours away from Munich (in traffic), one Saturday morning. Jenna was an amazing ski instructor, and by the time I was done with the bunny hill, I thought I was freaking ready for the Olympics.
And then I realized, I was not.
We went to the top of the next hill and I just fell over. Like, my body wouldn’t let me go down the hill. I physically just fell over. No one pushed me. I did not slip. I just fell over. There were moments when I thought…seriously, how am I going to get down from here. Would it be totally embarrassing to scoot down on my butt.
OK…so it really wasn’t that bad, but I did call a timeout after that. While Jenna and James skied for the next hour or so, I had a couple beers. I can totally hang at the ski lodge!
I am willing to give it another try, but if you go skiing with me, you have to 1) not laugh unless I am and 2) be patient. Or…just direct me to the ski lodge.
And that’s it…
Not really. There have been a lot of other things here and there. Like going to London another time with my friend, Jennifer, and meeting some fantabulous folks (one of whom actually doesn’t think the weird things that come out of my mouth are crazy…at least I don’t think so) and seeing Rock of Ages (TOTALLY AWESOME!!!). And going to the Starkbierfest with Jenna and dancing and singing for 6 hours straight…with feet firmly planted on a bench (due to the stickiness). And Girls Greek Night Out…which ended up in too many ouzos.
But, this will just have to do for now. Stay tuned for more on…Oktoberfest, Florence/Tuscany, Christmas in London and Venice.
