#TheOtherSochi and Scoots Birthday Fiesta!

We are truly grateful for recent adventures and celebrations shared with fabulous friends.

A group of our Charleston pals takes an annual ski vacation out West but planned an Alps trip this year so we could join them!  

Jon & Sabrina (above) were determined to find the perfect ski haus and organized our magical mountain vacation

Soldenalp, our private Ski Haus, easily slept 15 of us and was equipped with a theatre room, game rooms, and 2 bars with Stiegl kegs replenished daily by Gunther, a jovial Austrian.

Billiards & Foosball room above, another room to right had a ping pong table where I was victorious

 Many nights we cheered as we watched the Winter Olympics (free broadcast from Canada).  USA men's domination of "slopestyle" was great timing since we were "shredding" all week.  Paul coined the trip #TheOtherSochi which eventually led to #TheBetterSochi.

The conditions were perfect in Ishgl and I really enjoyed the sunshine and fresh powder. 

 Ishgl (so many consonants) was an interesting ski resort because it bordered Switzerland and offered wide open pistes (trails), posh dining spots, and hilarious apres ski bars.

Me and Sabrina (about to pour herself some bubbles)

The next day, our entire crew went skiing and boarding in St Anton, Austria.

Megano', Connor, Cara, C Paine, Paul, Joe, Mariel, Scott, Carly, Jamie, Roseanne, Sabrina, Ben, John, Meredith

Later, our group reunited at famous Moosewirts.  Moosewirts lived up to it's reputation as the prime apres ski bar with smoke machines, techno beats, and wild Europeans shooting Jager and dancing on tables.

Such lovely photogenic Euro photo bombers in the background - Cheers!

After fun filled exhausting days, some of us crashed early (even during dinner). 

Sleepy Sabrina and her romantic boyfriend on Valentine's Day

Our final day, was spent on the slopes of Solden.  

The views were incredible as far as the eye could see!

Scoots & Me both sporting helmets and feeling safe and warm

C Paine enjoyed reading the piste map and was willing to stick to the "blue" (easiest) slopes so we had fun skiing together and searching for fresh powder.

Me (on left) with C Paine aka Charlsie (right) thankful Solden was NOT crowded

After splitting up on the slopes, our crew always found each other at ski huts for refreshments like goulash, wieners, and carbs galore. 

Sabrina, C Paine (sporting patriotic sweater), Carly & Paul (a perfect pair thanks to my matchmaking expertise) and Jon

Our final apres-ski began at the Electronic Music Festival which had live DJs entertaining all afternoon at the top of the gondola (mid mountain).

Bottom of pic is a huge crowd of skiers and boarders partying to live music that we could hear from a distance

Scoots excited for mid-afternoon dance party in paradise

Mariel feeling the music

There were no casualties until poor John wiped out at the end of the last day. He tore 3 ligaments in his shoulder but at least he doesn't need surgery.

Jon remained in good spirits and was treated to many shots of Jager and Schnapps during apres-ski

The next morning, we went to the nearby Aqua Dome Spa.

Circular thermal baths above - 1 has sulphur water and 1 has salt water

Jon and Sabrina deserved some relaxation after the stressful day at the medical clinic

Jon, Sabrina, Connor, Mariel, and Roseann enjoying thermal bath

Steam rising off the hot salt water pool into the fresh alps air

Fun times with underwater cameras

Last weekend, Scott turned 33 so we invited our friends and all of our neighbors to come over and celebrate.  I was happily surprised that many of our neighbors actually came (since I left them hand written notes (dictated by Scott in German) that were a bit of a mystery to me).

Andreas (left)  lives in our building one floor above us and in the past year we have never met until the party

Another special guest was our pal Moose.  Moose (his nickname since birth when we actually weighed 15 ounces) entered our apartment wearing a bright red cape and fresh snazzy socks.

Moose shared his cape with Super Scoots (who made all the guests remove their shoes at the door)

 Our generous Italian neighbors, Antonio and Donatella, brought a huge tray of bruschetta and heavenly cheese which was made on his mother's farm in Sorrento.  Trying to communicate with a unique blend of Spanish and Italian was so fun that I forgot to take pictures of the Italians, high-school sweethearts, who we plan to invite over again soon.

We whipped up delicious White Russians, Vietnamese spring rolls (awkward looking but tasty), and Mariel brought her award-winning guacamole.

I introduced the Italians and Germans to a taste of "Merica" with Cracker Barrel's Vermont Sharp Cheddar Cheese

The birthday boy specifically wanted a "dance party" so we served lots of alcohol and moved the furniture around to create a "dance floor".

Notice the Wagners (from Tash's wedding) supervising from the couch

The dance party (and the birthday boy) was hilarious but not long-lasting.
Christine (just the HR manager at Scott's company) clearly amsued by his antics

Scott started the night "DJ-ing" from the laptop and ended his bday in the same spot.

Thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate and for all the lovely gifts.  We are excited to try the variety of wines, beer and "unique" bottles of booze.

Homemade schnapps from German Frank's distillery in his buddy's basement

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!