Scott's lil bro & Megano's lovely mum came to visit!

Winter is flying by!  It's surprising that we have been enjoying mild (even sunny) conditions while our loved ones face frigid ice storms all over the US.  Last month, Scott's brother Steven joined us during his first European voyage. 

Brotherly love in front of majestic Alps 

Steven spent a weekend with us in Stuttgart and then travelled to Munich and Amsterdam.  He joined us the following weekend to snowboard in the Alps.

I strolled along the beautiful river in downtown Innsbruck (above) while the guys snowboarded

Innsbruck has become one of our favorite Alps towns.

Main pedestrian street with cute shops and cafes

I just read Michael Pollan's book "Cooked."  It's an informative non-fiction about the history of cooking methods and evidence that cooking enhances overall well-being and family dynamics.  The chapter about fermentation was fascinating so I was eager to eat unpasteurized cheese (while common in Europe, it's often prohibited in the USA because of sanitary guidelines - Sadly, the FDA doesn't recognize bacteria's healthy benefits) 

In Austria, I ordered the "Raw Sour Cheese" appetizer at the brewhaus

Brothers slurped down a few beers but claimed my cheese was reminiscent of stinky feet

Brothers posed with window display for "Super Sexy Snow Outfits"

We enjoyed local Austrian beers and befriended a jolly British bartender.

Stiegel beer - refreshing Austrian classic

Steven ordered the absinthe and was advised to light it on fire.

Look of fear in bother Steven's eyes

Next stop, Die Wilderin, thanks to local advice from our new bartender friend.

Die Wilderin had a creative menu with seasonal specialties at reasonable prices.

Rabbit meatballs with an succulent dipping sauce

Crispy and flavorful wild mountain sheep strudel

Scenic brother pic taken for Mom Sis

My mom arrived shortly after Steven returned to Pittsburgh.  We drove a few hours to the famous medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  It's a popular tourist site because it's one of the only places in Germany that was not demolished during WWII.

The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" means "Red fortress above the Tauber"

 Rothenburg is surrounded by a huge wall that was built during the 13th century and we climbed to the top for great views of the countryside.

  Fortunately, Cindy also loves long walks so we explored the entire fortress. 

During WWII, the US military was aware of Rothenburg's historic importance and beauty, so the army generals were ordered not to use artillery when taking Rothenburg.

Cindy admiring the architecture and about to convince me to go to a museum.

Historians consider Rothenburg to be "the most German of German towns." 

A plethora of cuckoo clocks and Christmas stores lined the streets

 Many Nazi ideologists lived in this town and they expelled all of their Jewish citizens in 1938.  Lately, my students and I have been discussing the topic of "prejudice" and how different races and ethnic groups are often labeled and mistreated.

In picture above, you can observe a group of people living up to their cultural steretype of "photo obsessed tourists."  In fact, I often relate to these happy people and their love of photography and spicy foods.

The "Kriminalmuseum" or torture museum was very educational.

Torture chair appears rather uncomfortable

In medieval times, one punishment was wearing a "schandmaske" or shame mask.

This mask symbolizes "sexual lack of restraint" - I imagined many of my dear friends sporting this moustached mask 

Some devices were used to torture two people at the same time.

Neck violin was used to punish "quarrelsome women"

A real "drunk tank" was on display!

My mom reminisced about Catholic school as we read the posted list below:

Travelling with 3 people is better than 2 so pictures are not always solo

We also took Cindy to the Austrian Alps and detoured to Innsbruck on our way to the Tirol valley.

Die Wilderin was so delicious the first time that we went back for another exquisite meal.

Smoked fish dip with a pea puree and fresh brown bread

The next day Scott went snowboarding and Cindy spoiled me with the most amazing Spa experience on EARTH at the Aqua Dome.

Refreshed and rejuvenated in Solden after glorious spa day

Scoots is snowboarding on mountain in the distance

We woke up at the "Gasthaus" to a snow covered vehicle and headed home.

Cindy and Me

We love when family and friends come to visit and are super excited to drive back to the Alps this week and hang out with our Charleston friends!

Go USA!