Laura & Carson's 1st German Beer Fest and Castle Country

Spring is "fest season" and a glorious time to live in Stuttgart!   Laura, a friend from Charleston, and her fiance Carson recently came to visit us after running a marathon in Vienna.  

We drove to the medieval town of Tubingen and to see historic buildings and have a local feast.

Laura (aka "Tomko") & Carson 

This was Carson's first trip to Europe and he had been passionately studying German prior to arrival.  He proclaimed, "Iche habe braune harre!" to every German he encountered.

Carson has brown hair. Here he sits with his lentils & wurst (aka Frank & Beans)

Stuttgart is considered a part of the Swabia region.  Swabia's traditional cuisine is maultaschen, a homemade ravioli (stuffed with meat or veggies).

We dined at Mauganeschtle (above) because of its reputation for over 20 kinds of homemade maultaschen

Veggie maultaschen sampler platter- pine nuts & herbs, roasted eggplant, white asparagus and goat cheese, fried onions

We played "snack, snack, pass" (sharing our massive meals). The group favorite was the daily special: spargel & shrimp maultaushen. 

It's spargel (asparagus) season in Stuttgart and Germans eat it with almost every meal (in fact, I am eating some now as I type)

Next stop was the Hohenzollerm Castle, which dates back to the 13th century and was renovated by Prince Frederick William IV of Prussia in the 1800s.

Hohenzollern Castle "rises majestically on the mountain peak of the Swabian Alb"

We hiked up the path and paid a small fee to enter the castle grounds.

Laura, Carson, Megano & Scott enjoying a brisk day at the castle

Laura's knees were not in great shape post-marathon

Tomko and her knight in neon sneakers

We celebrated Easter brunch at our favorite neighborhood Argentinian cafe.

Traditional breakfast- eggs, prosciutto, cheese, potato omelet, olives, fruit and quark (like a cottage cheese & yogurt hybrid)

After brunch, we brought "Larson" to Fruhlingsfest (Stuttgart's Spring Beer Fest).

Scott and Carson appear to be dressed the same but Carson is wearing a t-shirt that resembles German leather lederhosen 

We shared a table with a friendly group of French fellows.

I forgot their names but I invited them to come back and stay with us anytime

At Fruhlingsfest, wild debauchery (and cleavage) is encouraged!

Friendly police lady holding a breathalyzer (I bet her name is Helga)

Scott inquiring about the breathalyzer (turns out this "polizei" charges 3 euro to measure your blood alcohol level)

Baby Germans (I could not believe they were old enough but the legal age is 16 so perhaps I'm the old one... OYE VEY)

Amazing pic shot from Tomko's GO-PRO camera while it was submerged in a giant mass of beer!

Bear hug while dancing to the Dirty Dancing theme song

Matching hats and future hangovers

True LOVE (sad to be missing their upcoming wedding) & notice Laura's gorgeous t-shirt (aka dirndl knock off)

Our delicious meal eventually arrived at the table and was quickly devoured.

Chicken galore, salad, and cheese spatzle (my favorite - like homemade mac n cheese topped with crispy fried onions)

Carson shouting "Ich haber braune harre!" while Scoots clenches

Carson's German vocabulary became more limited as the afternoon progressed and eventually he just yelled "ausgezeichnet" (English translation= "excellent") as he lifted tiny German boys onto his shoulder.

Frightened German lad pointing to the ground but Carson holding on tight

After this pic, we left the fest tent and went to ride bumper cars

We are so thankful that Laura and Carson included a visit to us in their pre-weddingmoon! 

Scott has been working out of town a lot but at least this comes with a few perks.

Perk #1- Energy efficient chick magnet

I didn't want Scoots to get to lonely so I took the train and met him at the Ramstein Air Base where he was working. We enjoyed an All-American night (shopping, movie and Mexican food) at the huge base shopping mall. 

 The next day, we drove to the Romantice Rhine River Valley.

The legendary Romantic Rhine Route is a 586 km stretch following the Rhine river.  

The windy road passes almost 40 castles and fortresses along the hilltops.

Ferry boats run from town to town making this an easy place for tourists to travel

The Rheinfels Castle (below) was built in 1245 and was once the largest and most powerful fortress along on the Rhine. 

Napoleon had Castle Rheinfels blown up so now only 1/3rd of the original structure remains

Castles and vineyards surround the river as far as the eye can see.

Next time, we shall ride the ferry and sample some local wine

We even found a beach but it was no Sullivan's Island.

Scoots at the forest beach where we enjoyed a peaceful stroll along the river

Everyone in Stuttgart seems to be uber excited about the World Cup.
They even have soccer balls on their yogurt jars.

Germans love yogurt and soccer but Sangria flavor might not be ausgezeichnet 

Bonjour! Spring Skiing, Biking Burgundy, Glorious Gardens...

Since returning from Sri Lanka, we have spent a lot of time in France.  In late March, we went to Les Portes du Soleil, the largest ski complex in the Alps, with 13 resorts between Mont Blanc, France and Lake Geneva, Switzerland. 

 Scoots said conditions were a bit soggy but still fun and beautiful

We enjoyed our first trip to the French Alps where Scott snowboarded around the entire area while I hiked and explored the cute town of Chapel.

By the afternoon, friends were skiing in t-shirts and Scoots needed sunscreen

Back in Stuttgart, we went to our first German Michelin restaurant called Gastoff Krone with the Nashs, our "foodie" friends.

1st course - herbaceous goat cheese and white asparagus crostini (not the correct German name of dish)

Perhaps I should not use the word "foodie" to describe our friends since Urban Dictionary defines foodie as "a douchebag who likes food."  Merriam Webster keeps it simple as "a person who enjoys and cares about food very much."  Who doesn't care about food?  One day, I hope to learn a word to replace the noun "foodie."

Back to the meal... we were given a unique red pepper sorbet to cleanse our palates and then Scoots' lamb chops arrived at the table.

Lamb, polenta, and POPCORN (popcorn was unexpected and perhaps unnecessary but Germans love ALL things corn)

The highlight of this meal was the succulent cheese course followed by the warm chocolate souffle.

 Scoots and Mike enjoying their desserts and port wine

I have had a few weeks off work since German schools shut down around Easter so I went on a quick overnight road trip to Amsterdam.

Our hostel was an old houseboat (centrally located, really low budget, cozy (bunk beds for gnomes))

Finally, I discovered a legit Mexican spot in Europe- Los Pilones! Fresh lime juice margaritas and homeade salsa!

I believe Los Pilones is totally authentic because Mexican guys (to our left above) are good friends with the Mexican chef

A coffee shop near central station that I highly recommend

The beer gardens recently open in Stuttgart so winter must be over!

Far right is our bud Damien and his pup Miko - Dogs are welcomed at all beer gardens and many indoor cafes

Scott and I drove about 3 hours to the Alsace region of France and stayed in the cute village of Colmar.  

Scoots on the canal - area of Colmar known as "Petite Venice"

Rick Steves' describes the city center as a "fantasy of steep pitched roofs, pastel stucco, and aged timbers."

we should have brought the tripod

We strolled around gardens with futuristic statues and eventually got lost in a strange neighborhood outside the city center.  

Megano's accent was worthless in France and it would have helped to know more than "Merci'" (I missed Laurie).

The next morning, we headed West to Beaune in the Burgundy region of France to cycle around the vineyards.

The bike path was peaceful and safe with well marked signs so we couldn't get lost

Prior to the ride, we purchased local treats at Beaune's open air market.  We tried samples of cheese, orange flavored bread, and "pizza" olives.

Fresh baguettes, goat, sheep, and cheddar style cheese, salami infused with figs, heirloom tomatoes, kumquats, plums, strawberries, golden raisins and wine.

We rode from town to town along the bike path and stopped to enjoy our picnic among the grapes.

Everything tastes better dining al fresco and everything seems to taste better in France

We cycled from Pommard to Volnay to Meursault.

Colorful door and old vineyard wall

In Montrachet, we came across a mid evil festival with free wine tastings.

  More cheese sold at festival - Pictures above of real happy goats = genius selling strategy 

We could have easily cycled for days since the "veloroute" goes for miles around vineyards, castles, and historic villages (Nos Grands Vins track).

Me heading back to our "hotel" to get ready for dinner

I felt like a real artistic "blogger" during this photo shoot- Scott's blue eyes and sweater matched the pretty door

Happy frau and Scoots at dinner

While consuming mass amounts of cheese and bread, it seemed like risotto would be the perfect entree choice during my vacation feast.  Ordering risotto is a brilliant decision because it is not easy to cook from scratch (just ask Cindy:).

Risotto with escargot and giant prawns, notice the pretty flower garnish on the right

The next day, I drove West (Scott went back to Stuttgart/work) to the Loire Valley to visit Patricia and Lionel, long time family friends (many weekends shared at soccer games).

Their home (above) is a gorgeously renovated 16th century building 

Their property has beautiful landscaping and old wine caves.

creepy dark wine cave

me in wine cave nook

Patricia & Lionel live near the cute town of Chinon and many majestic castles.

Château d'Ussé was one of several castles that inspired Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

Next, we drove to Villandry which was built around 1536 and is considered the last great chateaux built on the banks of the Loire during the Renaissance.

The ornamental garden

Maintaining the symmetry of the gardens requires constant care and each year 115,000 flowers and vegetables are planted in the gardens.

Heart shaped gardens - LUV!

According to the brochure, the 4 quadrants above symbolize tender love, passionate love, fickle love, and tragic love.

Villandry has a vegetable garden, herb garden, sun garden and a lake.

Near Villandry, we found vending machines filled with baskets of fresh produce (apples, carrots, beets, cabbage...) from local farmers.  Friendly French people helped me buy some juicy ripe D'Anjou pears from the machine. 

             French people might be on to something...No Cheetos (preservatives) but lots of fruit, cheese and fresh bread 

Patricia and Lionel were wonderful hosts and I am so happy I had the chance to spend time with them and experience French country life.

Me & Patricia in front of their home, under a massive array of sweet smelling wisteria

I would like to end this blog with some amusing affirmations...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/jessicas-daily-affirmation

(If you have not seen this video, it's 50 seconds of joy- thanks Aunt Donna!)