Venetian Vacation

Our long venetian weekend, to celebrate our anniversary, started with a 6 hour drive down to Italy. Despite having a car we haven't taken enough road trips and with Italy so close it was definitely the best choice.

It also meant we could stop at the grocery to load up on wine, cheese, olive oil, and balsamic to bring back on the way home.

The drive is wonderful... through the mountains, vineyards, and past ancient towering churches, castles, and fortresses.

In Venice we stayed at the Al Ponte Mocenigo, and let me tell you it lived up to its reputation. It's really an incredible place with beautiful rooms and a great location in Santa Croce.

Here are some of the things we saw and did:

beautiful animal masks

carnival masks

intricate door handles

decorated walls

quiet scenes near the canal

Catholic saints

ancient narrow walkways

gondolas

gondoliers + their stripes

green glowing canals

rush hour at Riva Degli

Pont della Pagila

bridge of sighs

Saint Mark's Church

Saint Mark's Lion

Torre d. Orologio antique + now

pigeons of the past + present

piazza san marco

san polo + the markets

pretty windows

lots of immigrant workers

ca'd'orio

campo san stae

Doge's Palace

Oksana Mas art work

Grand Canal palaces

local cuisine at the water front

vaparetto rides and gelato

It's sort of strange to visit a city after having already been before. I think back to the first time we went and how mesmerized I was. I'm certain I even said something along the lines of "If I ever win the lottery I definitely want a place here."

Being a more seasoned traveler I notice similarities of places we've been and want to compare places even though they are all unique. All of those experiences make me view the city a little differently.

If you like Venice, you'd probably also like Marrakech or Essaouira, Dubronvik, and Palma, Mallorca. They all share those narrow ancient walkways that make it easy to get lost.

Having waterways as streets sets Venice apart. It also takes a while to get around and is oftentimes quicker to simply walk.

Tijuana + Venice

Once, many many moons ago, Stefan and I went to Venice.

Believe it or not it was not the first international adventure we took together that title goes to... Tijuana, Mexico. Seriously.

Poor Stefan was a grad student worried about getting stuck in Mexico and we had to get special permission from the University for his visa. He took me to San Diego for my birthday and we decided to take a day trip down to old Tijuana for our first lesson in international travel together. We simply walked through a turn style into Mexico and that was it.

We enjoyed Mangoritas, attempted to find nice silver and leather products, but instead bought tequila, kahlua, and vanilla for my Mom and aunts. This was all before the no liquids on the plane rule. We were astounded that pharmacies advertised all of the drugs they sold over the counter, which are more controlled in the US.

It's sometimes difficult to remember how much we went through to finally be together. Looking back I see how our love for traveling started from the get go.

Our first trip to Venice was during the time we spent two years dating long distance. We drove down to Italy to camp at Lago di Garda. I learned people set up camp at campsites for weeks or even months. Some people had fierce campers and RVs, while people like us had a simple tent. I had never seen campsite bathrooms and showers that were so nice.

We made our way to Venice and it was magical. Sure, there's some of the tourist kitsch, but it's such an incredible and unique place. We drank tons of red wine and enjoyed the food that draws visitors in droves.

We vowed to return to those romantic canals and so that's where we went for our 5th wedding anniversary!

Celebration

Stefan and I are finally able to enjoy some cake and champagne.

I used the cake mix my family sent and added some Bavrarian creme so the blueberries would stick. I could use some work on cake decorating, but at least it tastes good!

And I love champagne! We always have bottles chilling in our fridge.

I'm not a sommelier, but I get really irritated when people called sekt or sparkling wines champagne. True champagne only comes from the champagne region of France. Since we visited Reims last year, it reminds me of our trip.

As Dave Matthews said, "Celebrate we will, for life is short but sweet for certain."

Mad Libs Surprise

I really wish they made a Mad Libs for occasions like this. You know - the children's fun game where you enter nouns, verbs, and adjectives to make a funny story.

Instead I wrote a hokey poem with delightful photos to accompany it in order to surprise Stefan when he comes home.

Hopefully after the 10 rhyming clues (11 if you count the last happy anniversary message) he'll be able to guess what I did while he was away and where I will be taking him.

It's probably difficult for Stefan to go away on business, because I always do something exciting while he is gone... movies, dinner, anything but moping around. Lucky for him, I don't forget him while he's away. As he would probably say, 'I'm just testing things out to make sure they're OK.'

And test I did!

I spent my anniversary at... Allianz Arena! Yes, the beautiful structure that also is home to Munich's soccer teams. Can you believe it can hold 69,000 spectators and it's typically sold out?!

Stefan loves the soccer, I love the architecture - and we both win! It just so happens they now offer tours, including a VIP tour. I went to purchase tickets, only to find out the women selling tickets were entirely aware of what I was talking about, but since I didn't want to book it as a group they couldn't help me.

After going all the way out there (OK - in Munich time a 15 minute subway ride is a long time), I was just in time for the everyday English tour. So I had to make sure I was giving a worthwhile gift.

So what does a VIP tour of the arena entail you might wonder... he (we) will get an up close behind the scenes look at the inner workings of his favorite soccer team - FC Bayern München.

Not only will he get to walk through the dressing rooms, but he will also get to sit in the coaching dug out, and hang out pitch side. He'll also get to check out the press room and feel what it's really like to walk out onto the field. Of course this isn't during a game, but it will be exciting for him nonetheless.

And because I love to share, I graciously took the honor of taking photos for those unable to be in Munich: This is where the players, practice, change, get massaged, and rinse off, before they get paid way too much money.

And wouldn't you know it... there I am on the field.

For more information you can read about tours and visits at Allianz Arena.

Celebrating my day

Today I went on a little bit of an adventure. Some bits will have to wait until Thursday, so I don't ruin the surprise for Stefan, but let me just say he's going to be fantastically excited... I am too!

Last year, for our anniversary, I came up with the novel idea of going to Reims for the champagne tours. This year I kept it more local.

We're not really gifty - we'd prefer the time together or a trip somewhere, but I do love throwing a surprise into the equation! A surprise is always more exciting than the 2nd anniversary gift of cotton or china.

Outside of planning surprises my day was spent very productively, and entailed taking a lot of photos, reading on the subway, and buying some much needed chocolate.

What I can write about today is a great discovery - Obacht' ('watch out' in English), which is in the former space of servus heimat in the über touristy Platz'l. Both shops sell similar items, however Obacht' has the most precious Münchener Kindl Matrjoschka's (those sweet little Russian nesting dolls).

Marion, one of the shop's owners, also told me they are getting a dirndl version at the end of the month, which she had a sample of behind the counter. Now I face the dilemma of figuring out which one I just have to have. I also couldn't get enough of her dog that was lounging about the store and gave her some serious eye rolling when she asked him to move.

Happily enough, right across the street is Stolberg's chocolate shop. I tried not to over indulge, but every time I walk in I have to try something new. They always have a large assortment and new flavors... and chocolate makes me happy.

I can hardly contain my excitement, but I have such a fun surprise!

$36.88

My family sure knows how to make me cry. While I was in the shower I heard the buzzer downstairs, so I quickly got dressed and knew if it was important they would make their way in and ring our bell. I still had my hair wrapped in a towel when I saw it was a delivery man with a package from America.

Inside the box were two cake mixes and a frosting, along with a happy anniversary card from my family. Sent for a ridiculous $36.88. How incredibly thoughtful. It really warms my little heart. And anyone that knows me, knows that I do love cake.

Fortunately I have some frozen blueberries from our blueberry picking expedition (we went again this weekend and they were sadly closed for the season) so I can attempt to make something similar to our wedding cake. Last year when we were home around that time, my family even had the top of our cake replicated for our first anniversary - how sweet are they?

It looks like I will be baking on Thursday so Stefan and I can celebrate with some cake and champagne when he returns.

Thanks Mom, Dad, and Meem! I miss you and love you so much. ♥

2 ♥

It’s amazing to think of all that we have accomplished in the five years of knowing each other and two years of marriage. We've been fortunate enough to see each other through many highs and a few lows. We've visited many places that most people only dream of. We've chased and caught many of our dreams, and best of all we've done it as a team. What's equally fantastic is this is only the beginning!

While it is unfortunate that we must spend our anniversary apart this year, one day is livable when I think back to our history. It simply comes with the territory. When you meet someone so unbelievable there isn't a question as to what you do to build a strong foundation together.

Before we were married we survived two years separated by an ocean and a 6 hour time difference.

Those two years were filled with so many visits, phone calls, letters, and reuniting airport hugs that they would be impossible to count. I believe it made our friendship, communication, and feelings stronger. We learned patience, trust, and what a blessing each and every day is.

There wasn't time to take things for granted, and now that we've been through so much we don't let a day pass without showing and telling each other that we are thankful and appreciative.

We made the conscious choice to stick through struggles and invest ourselves wholeheartedly in the relationship, while also taking the time to invest in ourselves and our futures.

Looking back I wouldn't have it any other way. I truly believe distance is a wonderful challenge for a relationship and if it can withstand that, there isn't much you can't make it through together.

Stefan's humor, charm, work ethic, and sincerity are just a few of the things that I admire about him.

I also appreciate that he loves me for being me, and never once asked me to give something up or change myself to fit his agenda. What would have been easiest was if one of us dropped everything and gave up a bit of ourselves to be together, but we gained so much more in the long term by taking the road less traveled. The unorthodox approach was a testament of our strength and dedication to each other, and now the reward of being together is that much sweeter.

Rather than wallowing about how unfortunate it is that we must be apart (after all, we have two weeks together as soon as he's back), my friend - the ever wise and eloquent Lane, made a fantastic suggestion. She said that I "should celebrate the fact that I'm still my own person, the person that Stefan loves so much".

That opens up a lot of exciting things... perhaps I want to cook something spectacular and enjoy a quiet evening with a great movie, or take myself to a museum. If the weather is nice I could head down to the Isar river banks and read, sketch, and simply enjoy the sun. It's rather exciting when I look at it like that. It's a wonderful day to celebrate life, love, and happiness - all for simply being myself and having found a wonderful person that loves me for who I am.

I am excited and blessed to have such a fantastic partner in the adventure of life.

2 ♥ - 1 day

I don’t know where the time has gone. 2 years ago we were sitting at rehearsal dinner (which was held at the suites of a baseball game), with wedding jitters, knowing the next day we’d be getting married.

We invited our friends and family to the game, which was a more laid back celebration - and a first for many of the Germans. It was nice to visit with everyone that traveled so far, and to squeeze a few extra moments out of the memorable weekend that was over before we knew it.

Since then we've laughed, we've cried, and I've realized that the sport seasons never end... they only roll over into something else.

I will save all of that sappy stuff for tomorrow, but I will say I wouldn't want to be married to anyone else!

chilly weather

Lately we have been having constant rain. You'd think we lived in Seattle. I'm really kind of enjoying it though. I've always been one for rainy day accessories - umbrellas and rain boots are just wonderful, and I don't think there is anything more precious than a child in their wellies and rain slicker. When I was kid, we were allowed to go outside and play in the rain if it wasn't storming. We called ourselves 'puddle ducks'. It's been a puddle duck kind of week although the temperature is slowly rising.


I'm also enjoying the colder weather because it has me thinking about our upcoming trip for our 2nd anniversary. Last year we did the romantic thing of heading to Paris + Reims, however this year we have some adventure up our sleeves... we are going to go to Iceland and Greenland!

We figured it's a once in a lifetime kind of trip and we might as well check out both islands while we are there. I am a little sad that we will most likely miss the Northern lights, but we'll have plenty of daylight since we're visiting in the summer. We won't be far enough North for the midnight sun, but I'm still happy there are more options with the long day light hours. It's fascinating just how much day light really tricks your body. When we went to Stockholm for New Years it was dusk at 3:30PM and we definitely felt tired around 7PM.

The funny part is that my in-laws are also heading to Iceland in August. We just found out they booked their trip, although they are going towards the beginning of the month and we are going towards the end.

(photos of Iceland by Ragnar Th. Sigurðsson, photos of Greenland from Greenland tourist information)