Mostar

After spending a bit of time in Croatia we set out on a road trip through the surrounding areas. The drive along the coast is really incredible. There were moments where we had to remind ourselves where we were, because it felt so similar to road trips we have done along the coast in the US.

- Getting from Dubrovnik to Mostar takes a few hours, but it's such a scenic drive. There are also several border crossings, first into Neum (Bosnia), then back into Croatia through Metković, followed by a more stringent and time intensive crossing into Bosnia. It was advantageous to speak German, which always makes me happy to not only have English to rely on.

- Once in Bosnia it was interesting to see so many signs where the Russian has simply been spray painted through. It was a very clear sentiment that the Bosnians are finished with that.

- The medieval Ottoman influence is visible in Mostar immediately after arriving to this picturesque city. If it weren't for the very distinct signs of war it would appear to be out of a fairy tale.

- We immediately walked over to the banks of the Neretva River. The water is mesmerizing and so crystal clear. That serenity was interrupted by a man throwing about 7 pairs of shoes out of his house into the water flowing below. Definitely strange. It made us wonder how the river stayed so clear if people used it as a wasteland.

- The Stari Most is one of the big tourist sites in town. Unfortunately bridges are often bombing targets during wars and this was no exception. The stones of the original bridge were supposedly made from a combination of horse hair, eggs, and wax paste.

- The food has a very Ottoman / Turkish influence and included Ćevapi / Ćevapčići, Kebabs, and Baklava. It was quite good, although my Grandma's baklava still holds out as the best I've ever had.

- Later in the day we'd also witness several young men being paid to jump off of the bridge. This seems to be a coming of age tradition for the men of Mostar. I have no idea how much money they made in doing this, but as they hit the water below it sounded quite painful.

- The bumpy cobble walkways on both sides of the bridge are filled with shops and restaurants catering to tourists. There was a lot of pomegranate inspired art work.

- Minarets decorate the skyline and the city remains to be divided down religious lines, even for the support of sports teams.

- We walked through the quiet nearby market and neighborhoods to observe the less touristy areas. Many of the buildings have deep scars in their façades. As we walked down a quiet street we were surprised to see a group of young boys shooting at each other with pellet guns. With the marks of war everywhere it seemed even more of a reality.

- Nature has reclaimed some of the ruins, which is interesting and beautiful to see. It's certainly a place of renewal and regrowth.

- Bosnia and Herzegovina is probably not the first place think people of taking a holiday, but it has a lot of natural beauty.

Next up... Međugorje and Kravica, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Electrolux Pop-Up Restaurants

Sadly Nomiya, the instillation restaurant atop the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, is closing. We were lucky to visit twice - once for Stefan's surprise birthday and to celebrate the 1.1.11 New Year. Both were unforgettable experiences.

Electrolux has started The Cube, a new pop-up restaurant venture in Brussels, which will run until 3 July.

After that it appears Stockholm and Moscow will be added to the mix.

(photos courtesy of: Electrolux)

Ohio's African Safari

A few years ago I went with my parents to visit The Wilds, a sanctuary in my home state of Ohio. This conservation center helps to educate people by giving them incredible a first hand safari experience in America's heartland. It's also partnered with the Columbus Zoo, which famed zoo keeper Jack Hanna calls home.

In addition to their safari outings they have recently introduced the opportunity to stay overnight in a yurt at Nomad Ridge. The Wilds encompass about 10,000 acres, which is ⅔ the size of Manhattan, so you might have to remind yourself that you're not in Africa.

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia is one of the jewels of the Adriatic. It's quaint and charming nature made us always want to visit, so that's just what we did over the holiday.

As my Italian friend Andrea said, he thought of it as 'a daughter of Venice'. That may be true if the canals are replaced with steps, because this is clearly a city of stairways. We kept discussing how difficult it would be to navigate the city with heavy luggage, children, wheelchairs, or injuries.

We rented an apartment through Airbnb, which was really nice. It always makes traveling feel less touristy and they have an extensive list of incredible properties. People can even list their own homes or spare rooms, too. If you'd like a $25 discount towards an Airbnb stay just leave your email in the comments or click the envelope on the right and I will send you one.

The good news is after trekking up and down the stairs all day there was an extra excuse to eat gelato - as if we needed one. We loved the gelato at Poklisar right near the harbor. They had one called Extra Black, which I think Stefan may have eaten every single day.

The old town is very simple to navigate and where we spent most of our time. At the harbor we'd watch the fish in the crystal clear water and fishermen would come in with their catches, occasionally even selling them to people waiting nearby.

Since it was Easter time the markets were bustling and there were Catholic processions through the city. My favorite details were the tiny candles that were lit all around the Old Town and the gorgeously decorated Easter eggs. On our flight over I read they give them their shiny luster with bacon grease.

The biggest tourist site is probably walking to the walls of the Old Town, which was made even more incredible by thick fog that swept through and added a bit of mysteriousness.

From above it's easier to see the marks of damage from both war and the earthquake that ravaged the city. At one of the gates there was even a sign showing where the city had been hit.

There is remaining damage along the Stradun. Pits and pock marks litter the marble ground.

It really made it clear at how Serbo-Montenegrian Army forces were relentless. There is a disheartening first hand account and video of the attacks here.

Many of the bright red terra cotta roof tops are rather new due to the attacks.

Fortunately the city was able to repair itself and rebuild rather quickly. Local lore challenges young men to stand on this owl spout facing the wall on one foot and take off their shirt for luck in love.

The city is romantic enough without the comical challenges. The light shines over the historical streets and Adriatic in such a magical way.

Italian influence can also be seen in the Baroque architecture, such as in the St. Blaise church where Pope John Paul II once celebrated Mass.

Dubrovnik is also a hot spot for cruise ship stop offs, although once the throngs of people leave for the evening it's very mellow and a great time to walk the wall or shop in peace.

This cute little pup had just come in from a day on the boat with his Dad. Another sweet one in town was Uje, a beautiful shop with local products. I especially liked their lemon olive oil in simple olive shaped bottles.

Doviđenja, Dubrovnik - until next time!

Frühlingsfest in Munich

The Frühlingsfest isn't as popular as Oktoberfest. With only 2 beer tents it's a much smaller scale, but it's still a lot of fun.

We visited with our friends Emily and Jeremy, who sadly are moving back to San Francisco soon. They will be greatly missed! It's still nice to pack in a bit more Bavarian fun before they say goodbye to Munich.

If you head to the Hippodrom, I highly recommend the spätzle with pears on it, but it's definitely enough to share.

The fest runs until May 15th.

The Balkans

We just returned from a wonderful trip to the Balkan area. Our travels took us to Croatia, Bosnia + Herzegovinia, and Montenegro.

It was very eye opening, because I vividly remember the end of the Second Yugoslavia and the Dayton agreement. Stefan kept saying, "These are the names of the cities I heard about on the news when I was young."

Each city had it's own character and charm. The dynamic between the countries was also very interesting. Border crossing was quite telling at what kinds of relationships the countries have. Signs on the streets reiterated that, too.


Along the way we visited several cities, as well as a lot of natural beauty. It's a region of contrasts, recovery, and hope. Next month we're heading East again. I'm intrigued to see the similarities.

More photos + info to come!

Rosemary Ginger Lemonade

One of my very favorite restaurants in all of Munich is Daylesford Organic. The food is fresh, seasonal, and organic. I also believe they have the best chocolate cake in the city.

Nearly every time I visit I get the Rosemary Ginger Lemonade. It's spectacular.

Here's how I make it at home: It's easy to use fresh ginger since the blender takes care of it and sieving it removes the fibery bits or stop by the Asian grocery for some in a jar that is great to have on hand for cooking and baking, too.

The restaurant doubles as a shop with various spices, sauces, wines, and seasonal products. Additionally they have rosemary scented cleaning products, which are biodegradable and make my kitchen smell lovely.

Shop House Southeast Asian Kitchen

If you live in the US, or Washington DC in particular, it looks like there will be a new restaurant worth trying - the Shop House Southeast Asian Kitchen. It's the creation of those that brought the world Chipotle, which we are still patiently waiting for here in Munich. Don't forget to send them an email!

The types of food will take influence from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries. I can hardly wait!

If only Washington DC was on our travel route this summer. Friends + family in DC, let us know what you think and hopefully we'll get to visit you soon.

Paulaner Brewery Tour + Free Beer

I've always thought the breweries here should offer tours akin to those offered at the champagne houses in Reims. Last year I read about the sightseeing beer tour, which pays a visit to Spatenbräu.

We're bigger Augustiner and Paulaner consumers, so I filed it away as something that might be fun when we have visitors.

Today I booked a Paulaner tour, which includes a tour of the brewery, beer taping course, tasting of 3 beers, a brotzeit, and a 2 course meal. The discounted offer is good for the next week with random dates from May through October.

Is it sad that I will be proud to hang my beer taping course certificate?

Another date to mark in your calendar, if you're in Munich, is 23 April. This is the day of the Reinheitsgebot anniversary for the purity law that went into effect back in 1516. The city celebrates with 1000 liters (Maß) of beer for free.

To be part of the celebrations make sure you're at the beer fountain at Oskar-von-Miller-Ring 1. It will probably be a little chaotic since it's on a Saturday this year. Prost!

Bunnies

These Lindt chocolate displays always make me happy to see all of those metallic bunnies in a row. This year I've even seen white and dark chocolate available.

Ethnic Restaurants

It's been way too long since I've written about places in Munich. These are a few restaurants worth checking out if you live here or are passing through. They all have a great ambiance and unique, but delicious food.

Milagros • Pavesi Picnic • Nomiya

Looks like I'll have to take Stefan out for a date night! It's difficult to decide if we should visit something new or a familiar favorite.

The Great Wall

(This post is a follow up from our trip around the world. I will be writing a recap for each place we visited during our 4 month trip. Prior to Beijing we also visited India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Macau).

We signed up for a tour of the Great Wall through our first hotel. They had two options - a private, yet inexpensive shopping tour, or a private tour that was about 5 times the price. We didn't really have plans for the day outside of visiting the Great Wall, so we figured why no go the cheap route, because we'd have the same amount of time at the Wall either way.

- Our guide and driver picked us up and we set out for the famed Great Wall, which is about 40 miles from Beijing. We chose to visit the Mutianyu section, which proved to be a good choice, because there weren't many people around, but first there were a few other things to visit.

- Along the way we stopped at a Jade shop, which stressed that it was government owned, so we could expect only the best at reasonable prices. The sales assistants were like shadows, which really didn't make me want to spend time looking at anything.

- In order to subsidize the cheap tour we later learned it was required for us to stay in the shop for a designated time so our guide could get a sign off that she was indeed there. It was really interesting for me to see how the tour world works elsewhere and actually an interesting look into China.

- Not everything was shopping related. We also visited the Ming Tombs, which aren't visited by the Chinese who have a bit of superstition about death and graveyards. We had to say in Mandarin 'I'll be back' and then something that sounded like 'lo lie lee', meaning 'I've come again'. I was just excited to learn some Mandarin so I could greet the driver telling him I've come again. He laughed a little bit, but probably only out of kindess.

- The drive to Mutianyu took roughly 1.5 hours. Along the way we noticed many gray brick buildings in the small communities. Occasionally there would be a bright splash of color from pennant flags hanging over an area, but outside of that most of the color was from cabbages on the ground or the last few persimons lingering in bare trees.

- We stopped for a delicious Chinese meal at a small local restaurant before making our way to the bottom part of the hill, which was really steep. We walked through the various vendors selling sometimes hilarious souvenirs such as panda hats. There was also the option of taking a toboggan back down. Definitely kitschy and unexpected.

- Once we arrived at the top we were in awe that we were standing on the Great Wall. It was our year for visiting monumental ancient architecture with our visits to the Pyramids in Egypt to the Temples at Angkor Wat - and now the Great Wall.

- It's absolutely incredible to see how the Wall effortlessly weaves around the mountains like a ribbon. Some areas are more dilapidated, while others have been refurbished.

- Thankfully there were even times where it felt as if we were alone so we could really take in the scenery. Getting out of Beijing's smog ridden air was also something we appreciated.

- The last stop on the shopping tour was a tea ceremony, which was fun and informative. We were told the differences between the teas and able to sample oolong, jasmin, lychee black tea, and a very old Chinese Pu'er tea.

- Our hostess had an old tree stump style table the also had a small terra cotta figure soaking in water. Stefan asked what it was and then she told us a 'pee pee boy'. We, of course, were puzzled. She proceded to show us how it worked - if she boils water and it is hot enough to use for tea she can pour it over this figurine and cold water comes out.
As she demonstrated she held it up and I got sprayed in the face. We both remained composed and I continued drinking my tea, but I am sure she got a great laugh out of that after we left. They also gave us one with the teas we purchased.

- As we sampled the various teas I asked her if the oolong was 'monkey picked', because I know they have been marketing some teas that way in the US. She looked at us oddly and then said the pu'er tea was sometimes called monkey picked, because the women look like monkeys when they are picking it. That was definitely not what I was inferring, nor did I know this. I'm sure the look on my face was pure astonishment.