We recently returned from an amazing trip to Charleston, SC for a few wedding celebrations.
As we entered the Atlanta International Airport, employees hovered along the corridors, cheerfully greeting us like southern family, "Welcome home y'all." I don't recall ever having such an enjoyable experience in the customs area. Perhaps, spending the past year among quiet lean Germans made me appreciate jolly meaty Americans. South Carolina's 80 degree weather was also a welcomed change - paradise at last!
As we entered the Atlanta International Airport, employees hovered along the corridors, cheerfully greeting us like southern family, "Welcome home y'all." I don't recall ever having such an enjoyable experience in the customs area. Perhaps, spending the past year among quiet lean Germans made me appreciate jolly meaty Americans. South Carolina's 80 degree weather was also a welcomed change - paradise at last!
Charleston has more quality restaurants per square mile than any other city so I had to prioritize my dining experiences. The premier outing to Xiao Bao Biscuit, a remarkable spicy "Asian soul food" spot downtown was divine!
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| XXB with Lou & Hope (Koening too), Stripes and crutches theme night Another memorable meal was at The Boathouse on IOP for at Bryan & Meg's rehearsal dinner. |
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| Me & Jamie excited for some fresh seafood- succulent mahi mahi, stoneground grits and green beans |
We also celebrated Alicia & Brian's engagement at Megan C's stellar house downtown.
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| Incredibly excited for our upcoming Austrian Ski Haus Trip with Sabrina & John (above right) & "fam" Feb 2014!
Boone Hall Plantation, with it's marsh views and weeping willow trees, was an idyllic setting for Meg & Bryan's wedding day.
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| Gorgeous bride and her dad (many gals were gawking at this handsome man in uniform) |
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| Tash, Me, Lou and sweet tea cocktails |
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| Beauteous Carolina sunset on the marsh |
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| Scoots and Frau |
Friend, Leon, Megano'
The best part of visiting Charleston was seeing friends and family and their beautiful offspring.
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| CC Inc. and Jess's & John's creation - aka baby Walt |
Holly Mataosky (Scott's cousin) with princess purse
 Jack Scheerer- my 2nd cousin rocking his new Euro tanktop
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| I also got to spend my birthday night out in Charleston with my parents and my in-laws Sis & Skip. A newly opened bar (to us), The Craftsmen Kitchen & Tap House was our first stop. |
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| Ira and Skip have the palates of JV cheerleaders -slurping fruity cider beers and vodka Sprites Later, we enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at Hanks. |
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| Scoot, Sis, and Special Seafood Tower We also celebrated the upcoming nuptials of Tash & Mike! We feasted on pulled pork, mac n cheese, and roasted oysters at Tuxburry Farm. Can't wait to see the real deal wedding in England in a few weeks!!! It was truly wonderful reuniting with close friends and family. Special thanks to Mic, Julie, Jamie, Logan, Hope & Kenneth for letting us couch surf at your lovely homes. Thanks Mark & Deb for hosting a pre-Thanksgiving/B-day party! We really appreciate it! |
Before flying back, we stopped for one last "only in America" meal at The Early Bird Diner.
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| Honey mustard drizzled fried chicken & syrup soaked cinnamon waffles |
On the way to Germany, the flight attendant seemed perplexed as she looked at our seat numbers. When she winked at me, I wondered if she planned to move us to a spacious Emergency Exit row. Eventually, she awkwardly approached and said, "Are you Mr. & Mrs. Shank (pause) with the special Asian-Vegetarian and Hindu Meal requests?"
Of course we are! At that moment, I learned how it felt to be racially profiled.
Of course we are! At that moment, I learned how it felt to be racially profiled.
When we got back to Stuttgart, the Kutchers came to visit as the finale to their Euro Honeymoon. Bryan is often adorned in colorful tapered pants and considers himself a trendsetter in Charleston so he was thrilled to shop and embrace his Germanic metrosexual roots.
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| Kutcher's favorite store - he claims the selection is better in Europe We skipped Thanksgiving traditions, like boring unappetizing turkey, and had a delicious German feast then bounced to the local Christmas markets. |
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| Meg & Bryan - Snow in foreground, Weihnachtsmarkt in the background |
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| Scoot's bundled up in warm Peruvian hat (from Logan's travels) The most famous xmas drink in town is Gluwein. I have always been partial to the traditional (warm red wine sweetened with cloves and cinnamon spice) and this year discovered a white gluwein (white wine, egg nog, liquor of some sort and vanilla) that is tasty but dangerous (see next blog...). |
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Scoot's grumpy because: A.) he hates gluwein or B.) we were taking millions of photos Kutch ice skated with this penguin to keep him from busting his tuchus The next day, we rode the train for about an hour to historic Heidelberg, Germany. The famous Heidelberg Castle is a majestic ruin from the Renaissance period. |
Shloss Heidelberg was built sometime between 1294 and 1303
The Heidelberg Tun is an enormous wine vat with the capacity of 57,000,000 liters of wine.
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Scoots was thirsty and didn't realize 136 oak trees were destroyed to construct this massive wine barrel |
Scaffolding is soo hot right now in Germany
On their last day, the Kutchers drove with Scoots about 4 hours south to the glacial area of Solden, Austria.
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| Solden has ginormous slopes so I stayed home to protect my teeth |
Ski season just commenced and they were all thrilled to snowboard in the Alps.
Meg, Bryan, Scott
High up on the slopes, Scoots and friends discovered a huge stage with an Electronic Dance Party DJ!
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| Newlyweds! |
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| Dancing dinosaurs To see footage from this random mid- day dance party click here: https://vimeo.com/80725843 |
They drove back after a full day of "bombing" down the mountain and we had dinner at our neighborhood Portuguese joint, Beja.
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| Grilled Prawns and Seafood Stew |
We had a wonderful time with the Kutchers and look forward to their next Euro trip/visit!
