Raclette

While raclette is a traditionally Swiss meal it's still very popular here during the Winter months and great for gatherings.

Even though we've only had snowfall a few times it's still a nice excuse to get out our raclette grill for some Alpine comfort food.

The raclette cheese is the important part. It's stinky, nutty, and surprisingly quite mild, but it melts beautifully and works really well with an array of ingredients.

I'm sure it's due to tradition and the lack of fresh produce, but many of the accoutrements are canned and preserved. We try to add fresh things when possible.

Whenever I think of Switzerland I hear Stefan saying "all Americans go to Interlaken, which people here don't visit."

I'm also reminded of when we visited Zürich while we were back in college. That was a quick way to feel extremely broke. 

Saalbach-Hinterglemm

Right after Christmas we headed to Austria for a fun getaway with friends.

Spectacular views of the Alps

Serious snowboarding

Lots of aprés ski glühwein

Fantastic sledding

The perfect skiing weekend

This is exactly how Winter should be.

Starnberg

It's no surprise one of Munich's swankiest places has some incredible views.

Aren't the Alps spectacular? We certainly don't visit them often enough.

Auer Dult

Stefan and I went on a bike ride where he reluctantly joined me to the Auer Dult. After last year I was pretty fortunate, but the carney foods always work in my favor to win him over.

There are so many beautiful details hiding amidst the oddities. I love the covers on these old books. They would look beautiful framed or as a large collection.

I know Stefan was counting his blessings again that we took our bikes and couldn't buy any of the whiteware. I'm always impressed by the large variety and how inexpensive things are. The fish saucier was one of my favorites, but I never really make any sauces, so it would be pointless for me to buy it.

Since this is the largest crockery market, I always look for cookie jars for my Grandma that collects them. There are plenty of 'Rumptöpfe' - which are used for making a fruity liquored punch, however it's really difficult to find a cookie jar. There are so many beautiful designs, but I guess I'll have to commission one of the artists if I want a cookie jar.

As we walked around Stefan slowly gained a bit of excitement once he saw the antique maps, which we both love. I searched through the large box and came up with one of the Alps, where Stefan grew up, and another of Mid-West America, where I'm from. They are both from 1862!

I'd like to frame them to make a collage of important places in our lives. It looks like I'll have to track down Iceland and the Maldives as well.

If you're in the Munich area, the Auer Dult runs until the 3rd of May.

There are also the Jakobi-Dult from 25 July - 2 August, and the Kirchweih-Dult from 17-25 October.

All are located at Mariahilfplatz, which you can get to by taking the U2 Frauenhofer / Klenzestraße, Tram 27, Bus 52 or Bus 152.

Walchensee

Today we joined some friends for a nice hike and a day at a hidden treasure that is only one hour from Munich. The climb was a bit intense and it was kind of our friend Timm to over estimate our abilities, however it was much more strenuous than anyone anticipated.

Stefan and I climbed about 1/3 of the way and then decided we would rather spend our day enjoying the beautiful lake and noticing the little details along the way down as opposed to speeding to the summit.

I am so astounded by the beauty of nature and love to look a little bit closer and see the details that everyone misses along the journey. We noticed a snake, two salamanders, a rather large and nicely camouflaged frog, many beautiful wild flowers and a hard to miss, yet adorable, dog who was climbing up that mountain with some serious stamina.

The flowers I always seem to pay close attention to. I'm not sure what they were, but they were very beautiful. I love seeing nature at work and how it is so mysterious and complicated. The insects were at work and the animals were blending into the surroundings - it was just fascinating to observe.

The flowers were quite unusual and striking. Here are some of my favorites from the day.

Stefan and I made up stories along the way stating that there was a mammoth toothpick that had been carved out by woodpeckers and the spiders occupying a fence had their own apartments, which faced the river and since rent was so high for the view not all of the spaces were occupied.

We saw what eerily looked like the face of Frankenstein made from moss, stone, and other detritus.

After hiking back down the mountain side we walked past a family of cows and went to the lake and enjoyed the fantastic views.

There were plenty of wind surfers and a lot of activity at the lake. We could not get over how crystal clear the water was and the turquoise water reminded us of the Maldives.

The mountains surrounding the lake really added to the ambiance and of course having someone wonderful to share the day with never hurts either.

I've been thinking about getting a sailing license which would be a wonderful way to spend the weekends.

Why wouldn't I when we could enjoy views like this? Now I just hope it fits into our schedule!

Zugspitze

Today we spent the day the Zugspitze, or I should say the foothills of the mountain. Unfortunately weather wasn't so great on the top of mountain so we were unable to take the gondola up. Instead we had a beautiful day at the Eibsee. It was very much a geologist's dream. There were so many interesting ice shelves and natural processes going on all around.


My favorite area was the Frillensee. It was a tiny serene little lake tucked away and surrounded by mountains. What was really fascinating was how the ice had formed a hollow shelf that Stefan loved to throw other pieces of ice down to create a shattering sound.

Randomly there would also be areas of shattered ice that he called pockets of diamonds. There were little natural treasures around every corner. Everything there is so beautiful, even on an overcast day.


The ducks were also very sweet. They walked on the ice, very close to people probably in hopes of being fed. I was happy to test out my mom's new camera and it's underwater function to catch a few photos of the duck's feet in the water. Stefan was wary telling me 'I wouldn't go that close to the water with the ice' to which I responded 'I would'. I am happy that I did - the photos are really cool.


I also loved the shots of the ducks on the water. You can also see the rocks that were thrown on the ice behind them. It's a really neat effect thanks to being able to submerge the camera. My camera has an underwater housing unit, which we used in the Maldives last year. I think they are ingenious and will get one like my Mom's once mine dies.


My Dad and I enjoyed making everyone anxious by climbing down the mossy cliffs and looking at everything up close, or going near the ice on the edge of the water. Sometimes it's funny how similar and inquisitive we are. Once again the day was magical. Being in nature, enjoying the serenity and calmness, as well as spending it with people that I love dearly is just a beautiful thing.

Allgäu + Neuschwanstein

Today we went to visit Stefan's parents and then stopped off at Neuschwanstein.

Stefan's parents had some beautiful crocus that were blooming in their garden. I was happy to see some bees swarming about, since I keep hearing how they are disappearing more and more. It's great to see little touches of spring cropping up. I'm a sucker for pretty little details.

It was also fun to see our parents together again. I found myself taking on the role of translator when conversations diverted into German. It reminded me of how times were when I didn't understand much. My mom was particularly interested in how long it took me to understand and learn where things were in the city - those are the small details that I can't pin point a time, probably because they happen gradually and also because I didn't spend tons of time dwelling on the small things.

We had lunch together - leberkase and potato salad and then set off for the mountains. The traffic was ridiculous due to the Bavarian Easter holiday. There was one tunnel towards Austria and when the traffic becomes chaotic they open it for 10 minutes per side while the traffic backs up on the other. I could not figure out why people were so overzealous to leave. I thought it would at least be more practical to leave the next day to avoid the rush. Evidently many Bavarians disagreed.


Thanks to our trusty maps and my Dad's navigating skills, we made it to Neuschwanstein and had a pleasant drive through some small villages. Initially we weren't sure if we'd make it up to the castle before the sun set, but fortunately we did and the site was just beautiful. I was impressed with how quickly we did make it. I had fun telling the stories I know about King Ludwig II and about the tourists, which you can read about here.


I must say the the castles were more beautiful than the previous times I have visited. Perhaps it's due to being there with fewer tourists or the beautiful day - complete with a sun set over the Alps, but something was more wonderful there. I also love how Hohenschwangau seemed to glow as it became dusk.

We finished our evening up with a traditional Bavarian 'brotzeit' - an array of meats, cheeses, and assorted fruits, vegetables, and breads. It was a great night and a joy to spend it with family.

plus one

One of my biggest pet peeves about German work places, or perhaps it's just my husband's company, is that they often have get togethers and parties only for their workers. In Germany, there is a large divide in work and home life. One of Stefan's co-workers has a girlfriend that refuses to do anything work related and everyone knows it. I'm the exact opposite.

While Stefan is one of few people in his office who is even married, it's a bit disheartening when he's working crazy hours and then there is an event to also attend - sans partner. On occasion I will join them to a Bayern München game, the beer garden, a rare Thursday night out or a going away party.

My view is that I want to support him and be involved in his life, so I make the effort to go to the random events that are plus one, or even just plus one Emily. Just as things are easier for me to put a face with a name, it probably helps them to know who I am and get to know me. On occasion I will bring in some kind of 'feucht' (moist) American baked good to the office, simply because I get bored and want to bake - who needs an entire batch of cookies or cupcakes?

With a husband that works long hours it is sometimes difficult to not be a bickering wife, which is the last thing I want to be. No one wants to put tons of time in at work to come home to unhappiness. I try to find ways to recognize his efforts and do small things like putting notes in his bag or suit pockets or picking him up at work.

Leave it to this weekend, when I am gone, for their to be a ski trip in the Alps that actually includes a guest. There are about 175 people going! Despite the laughs I know we'd share on the slopes, Stefan always finds a sly way to make me smile by telling me I'm his 'plus one for life'. That's good enough for me.