As much schnitzel as you can eat

Today was pretty chill. Up at 11 for breakfast. We unfortunately missed Cathrin before she left for Munich to pick up her man. This time Hans Peter didn't forget the fleishsalat and Andy and Amiele killed it. Gross. I love me some meat, pickles and mayo, but that stuff has a lot of mayo. Not sure how to days go by so fast and we don't do much, but it's OK and very relaxing. 

By the time we finished breakfast and packing it was 3. We headed to Gundlefingen's wine fest to see if they we selling schnapps. No schnapps but we did get some fresh squeezed apple juice and found not one menus but also a restaurant by Engler's! Next time I'll have to check the public records for my family history. We headed to Helen and Rudy's house for some coffee and sweets so say goodbye. To continue our eating spree we had lemon cake, cookies and mini Berliner's (small jelly filled doughnuts). 

After a short visit, we said goodbye (also to Amelie) and Heike, Hans Peter, Andy and me headed to the Oschen for the famous schnitzel (that's all they serve excepting night they have one other dish). I was excited. I've heard a lot about the food and atmosphere here. The restaurant is on the edge of Freiburg and we had to make reservations. We had beers and the eating started. They ask you how many schnitzel's you want to start with and bring you delish salad and German potato salad (with vinegar not mayo). It was soooo good. I could have just eaten that all night. Then they brought out the schnitzel. Holy crap it was amazing. It took everything to eat the two pieces I ordered because I had to try the fried potato salad with bacon and eat more of the vinegar potato salad. This was the grand finale. A great night of conversation and we went home for some schnapps. Heike poured the Williams (I don't care for the absinthe kind) and we sipped and talked about our travels. We are so grateful for Heike and Hans Peter for not only letting us stay in their house, but making breakfast every morning and taking us to dinner. They are truly wonderful people and lucky to have such a close family. It makes me wan to work on my relationship with my family. 

The next morning we were up at 8 for the final breakfast. We said our goodbyes and headed to Frankfurt, but not before we stopped at Hieldsburg to get some schnapps. We have several flights ahead of us and we land at 10 at SFO. So sad to be leaving but it's been a nice long vacation. We knew we had a nice break when the first week in Iceland felt like ages ago. 

The big fat Germany wedding

What can I say? Another delish breakfast at the Seigmann residence with the whole family. Cathrin gave Hans Peter a hard time about forgetting the fleishsalat which Andy was very much looking forward to. We are so relaxed we hung out in bed until we got ready for the wedding. At the Sonne by 130 to walk to the church with everyone including the bride and groom. We greeting their friend who we hung out with the prior day. "The flip flop guy" they called out to Andy now that he was in a proper tie and suit. LOL. They are all very nice people. We ate a pretzel to prepare for the long day. Is a German wedding, of course there are pretzels. Rahel looked like a princess in her dress. Her mom lined everyone up, family first then friends, and we walked to the only church in Vorstetten. 

It was a small church and very old. This was the first mass I've sat through since Paul and Lynnette's wedding. I didn't understand a word during the ceremony but there was a small band who played 'kiss me' in English which was a nice surprise. After the ceremony Cathrin gave us the card she bought for us to give to the newly weds and we quickly ran to the card to sign it. We missed the procession back to the Sonne where we had champagne. After some pictures and drinks, we went to a building where Andy's grandpa Rudy had his 90th bday. We had coffee and lots of cake and sat with Amelie, Gabi and Gutz. At first we had the wedding cake which was lemon and the other piece was a nugot. Well that wasn't enough so Andy got us a huge piece of Black Forest cake and it was delish! The schnapps in it was pretty strong, especially the cherries that were soaked in it. 

It was only 4 and I was getting excited for dinner Rahel said there would be a lot of food, bring it. The champagne and cake was making me tired, the coffee had no effect. Finally around 630 we headed back to the Sonne for the evening. It's a very old restaurant in Vorstetten that could barely hold the 68 guests and barely her dress. We sat across from Amiele and one of Rahel's step brothers and his girlfriend. The girlfriend looked pissed off to be there. She had bright red dyed hair and didn't engage with anyone. Andy assured me everyone spoke English so I tried to have a conversation with the couple. It didn't go so well. Whatever I can talk to Andy, wait, he's talking to the dude next to him. There was no way I would get in a word with the cackling girls next to me. By this point I've gotten pretty good at not partaking in conversation so I'll sit and drink my beer. 

Time for the food! Oh the food was amazing and a lot of it. First we started with a tomato soup, then came a huge slice of liver pâté with fruit and lettuce. Next were the main dishes (yes plural). First was the fish plate of salmon and monkfish in a truffle butter sauce, then came the beef. I truely could have stopped eating feet the fish but why when the food is so amazing? The dessert consisted of chocolate mousse, coconut and a strawberry ice cream. Of course we are drinking wine the whole time. 

The DJ gets started and they play some games throughout the night along with some toasts. They played the shoe game andRahel's dad gave a speech which made everyone cry. Later Andy translated that he was thanking her mom for rising Rahel and doing a wonderful job running the restaurant. I cried. Rahel's mom Ulrike is a very friendly and strong woman so I was very happy to hear her dad give her props. 

The night was long, we ate dessert around 1. We danced and drank and talked. It was smoking hot in there which promoted drinking water and I changed into my flip flops. At one point during our dancing, Andy decided to add some jumps to his moves which almost knocked himself out. No shit. He had maybe 3 inches under the hallway frame and hit his head hard in the solid wood. Me being the deeply concerned person I am, laughed my ass off while trying to make sure he was OK for the next 15 min. He was, more dancing. I went through several spurts of energy, finally around 415 I couldn't take it and we headed home. We said our goodbyes to Rahel who still looked stunning, and Timo, who was drunk and doing a poor impersonation of my laugh. Haha. They are wonderful people and I'm so happy for them. We got home around 445 with Amelie and passed out. So glad we were able to come out for the wedding, and truely unique experience. 

Flip flops and shorts at a wedding

I forgot how nice it was to sleep in a bed and its fantastic. Maybe it's waking up to a huge breakfast and coffee and getting to go to the bathroom in the warmth. Breakfasts in Germany are pretty special, lots of soft pretzels, meats, jams, fruit, juice and lots if coffee. Yum! We slept in until 9 and by the time we finished breakfast it was 11. 

We first went to visit Andy's grandparents who live across the street from his aunt and uncle where we are staying. They are so sweet. His grandfather had a stroke this year but is in amazing spirits all the time. So nice to be around although I don't understand a word they say. We then picked up Cathrin at the bus stations who just had an interview at GSK in Munich. We went to the Schlappen and got beers and flamcuchen, oh how I've missed it since our last time in Germany! Andy had to buy a shirt for the wedding so we went to the store and they measured his neck and waist. She asked him if he wanted to slim fit. At that point he had to say yes. Could he have said no, give me the fat fit? Shirt, check. 

Back to Vorstetten for dinner with his family at his grandparents house. His other aunt and uncle showed up so we had quite a large crew at dinner. More delish breads, meats and cheeses (and of course beers and wine). I tried to follow along in conversations, I'd hear a word I understood then try to piece  a story together. It's exhausting not knowing what anyone is saying for 4+ hours. His grandfather was amusing because he would make up words making them rhyme. His uncle said its ok I don't understand because neither do they. I was pretty tired drinking beer all day so I called it a night at 1130 and Andy stayed up until 230 talking to his cousin. 

The following day we had another amazing breakfast and took our time talking in the morning. It's so nice to relax and take it easy here. His family if very laid back so although I don't understand what's always being said I'm still very comfortable. We left for Marcelsheim France to visit his moms house and see the work she did. She had a patio added to the kitchen deck which will make a great place to eat breakfast in the mornings. 

We headed back to Germany to get ready to see Rahel and Timo. She invited us to her parents restaurant before her and Timo were married by the state, tomorrow is the church wedding. We didn't know what we were being invited to. Rahel said we could wear shorts and flip flops, no dress code. We thought her family would go to the wedding and we would just have some beers beforehand. We were so wrong. Everyone was dressed in suits and I had in jeans and tennis shoes, but Andy had on shorts and flip flops! We were so embarrassed. I said go change! I even brought a second dress just in case! Andy was sticking to his ground and didn't want to. It was pretty funny watching Andy around all the guys in suits. Then of course he was the person who sat next to the guy who married them, right in the front. Way to make an impression. 

Finally the pain was over and we had beers and dinner in the restaurant her family owns. Timo's sisters and friends were very nice. We talked to his friend Ben who is a forester in Germany and Timo's sister who is studying English to teach. Most people understand English which is a relief, but some are shy to try to speak it which I understand. We were supposed to meet up with the Seigmanns, Amiele was back in town, so I was stressing about the time. Finally they called the restaurant (everyone knows everyone here) and said they would just eat there so we could visit them. I felt so bad but they are very understanding. We had a great visit and ate more delish food. 

Family and delish food in Germany

Up at 630 to get out of the camp spot and on the road. Once again there was no one at the gate so we didn't have anyone to pay- we tried! We drove around for HOURS looking for wifi in Switzerland and let me tell you, there are NO Starbucks to be found. The only time we really needed one and nada. The plan was to visit Andy's cousin but of course we didn't have directions or any idea where she was. We did however start the day with a huge soft pretzel, that made things better. Sooo good. It helped offset knowing there would be multiple speeding tickets coming in the mail. 

Finally we found some wifi in a shady casino cafe, we got directions and headed off to the middle of nowhere in Germany. It was great to see Amelie. We went to a cafe in town (not a lot going on there) and drank our third cup of caffeine. Several nights of so so sleep and we needed all the caffeine we could get. Amelie took us to a very cool forest where the ground actually wiggled. There used to be a bog but it filled with first to make mud under the tree roots. Andy and Amelie were walking in front of me on solid ground. All of a sudden the ground they were walking on started to jiggle. I thought I was having an acid flashback. I stopped to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Amelie told us the ground was spongy but I didn't realize it actually moved! We jumped on it like a trampoline. So trippy!

Back in the car headed for Freiburg. It look us a long time because of several detours and deciding to take the scenic route. It wasn't too bad, we saw cool mountains made out of steep rocks and many castles in the cliffs. We finally reached Vorstetten (just north of Freiburg) and went to Andy's aunt and uncles house. They are very sweet and waited for us to have dinner although they didn't know when we were arriving. We got there around 8 and had a wonderful dinner of cheeses, breads, meats and fruit (and of course beer, wine and schnapps). It turned into a longer night than expected, those are always the best. I was exhausted trying to follow the conversations in German. I get some words and then try to piece the story together. After 1 we were definitely ready for bed. We get to sleep in a bed tonight! No putting the tent up in the rain for us! I predict a good night of sleep. 

Hiking in Switzerland with a thermal bath ending

Slept in until 730 this morning, much needed after a couple days of going and going. It's very nice to take it easy in the morning. A quick pack of the tent and we tried to pay for our spot but no one was there so we moved on to our secret (not really) spot in Vals. 

We got to Vals at 9am and got some coffee and pretzel rolls at the local bakery- yum! I paid in Euros since I forgot Switzerland isn't in the EU and now we have lots of Francs. We got a map and planned our hike for the day. I wasn't really up for the hike to the top of the mountain and neither was my foot which is still healing from our Iceland hike. We decided to take the gondola up the mountain and hike around but they went on break for an hour. How do these people always go on breaks? The US should take note, the Swiss are always on breaks and their economy is better than ours. Since Andy and I aren't patient, we decided to take a local bus up the mountain. 

The bus was 8 Francs pp (damn that's expensive) and hauled us probably 5km. We went through a cool tunnel built in 1970 that was nothing more than a hole drilled into the mountain with sealant on the walls. We had to wait for the light to turn green since it was a one way tunnel that was 2.5km long, the bus barely fit. The bus stopped at a restaurant and the driver told us the next bus back down the mountain leaves in two hours. OK, I guess this is where we walk. 

We walked across the dam. The lake was an amazing blue that really was bright when the sun came out. Up the hill for a bit, working the soreness out of our feet and calves. The sun came out now and the lighting up the steep Alps and small villages below, looking like something out of a movie. We started our ascent up the mountain, too steep for a car to make it. At the top it was a rolling path along grassy fields. The goats had large bells on their necks which sounded like wind chimes in the distance. 

The first town we got to was the top of the gondola. We continued walking to make sure we earned our meals. Up and up we went until my foot couldn't take it any more, plus I was ready for food. We started down the mountain headed for a small restaurant we ate last time we were here more than 3 years ago. Apparently Tuesday is the towns day of rest so there closed and we were sad. On a Tuesday?! Not to fret, we will find delicious food. On down the mountain to our parked car and we drove into Vals. We hopped in a small restaurant and ordered two beers immediately, Andy ordered the cordon bleu and I ordered the rosti with cheese ham and egg in top. It was soooo good. We walked 4.5 hours, not bad, we definitely deserved this. 

The last but not least stop was to the thermal baths! These thermal baths are pretty special and fancy. The walls are made out of dark stone and there are various rooms with different pools of water temperature. The main bath was 36C and went outside through a layer of stainless steel chains. Wen we were outside it just started raining, the cold water from the rain felt good vs the warm water we soaked our bodies in. Another bath was a hot 42C which felt like it was melting my skin off. The one next to it was a freezing 14C. Completely ridiculous, we jumped in the freezing water and then ran to the hot water. Not a good idea, the hot felt like magma after the numbing from the cold. The next couple times we did the hot water first, then the freezing. I could only be in the freezing water for 5 sec, just enough to dip my body in there. Andy went for the full body and head dunk. I couldn't do it. Once out of the freezing water, standing outside in the cool air feels refreshing and your legs tingle. It definitely wakes you up. There was another room that had fresh mountain water pouring into a well you could drink from with the brass cups. A truely unique and relaxing experience. 

Back in the car for a shorter drive tonight, only an hour or two to Lake Konstanz. On the way we stopped at Gieger Bar in Chur, Switzerland. The bar was designed by the guy who did Aliens. It was pretty cool, the floor was very detail as were several huge chair at the bar that looked like alien spines. We had beers and took pics. We drove around a bit looking for a camping spot at the lake. The first spot had nothing but old people in RVs that are almost permanent. With no one to help us, we drove to another spot which had the gate down. I was 10 and I guess that's closing time. We drove back to the first spot and the gate was down so we drove around it, set up the tent, went to bed- another long and fun day. 

More pizza, pasta, and San Marcos in Venice

Up at 630 after a night of thunder and lightning with just a touch of rain. The lightning was so cool, just what we wanted to see. Good thing Andy decided to put up the rain cover, it was so hot we weren't going to do it. We actually took a shower this morning and it was totally worth it. We were so dry and dirty from being in the ocean and hiking yesterday we decided to make ourselves nice and clean for Venice. I quick espresso at the local cafe and we were on our way. 

There's a direct road to Venice, you don't have to take a boat (we didn't know that) which makes it ever so convenient. We arrived by 9 and got lost in the maze that is Venice. No breakfast, I'm saving myself for lunch, but yes to some cappuccinos. We sat, enjoyed our caffeine, and took in the warm weather and the locals passing by (most tourists weren't there yet). More wandering around, more pictures, more dead ends, I couldn't believe I was actually here. Up and over canals, Andy took pictures of doors, I tried to see in people's homes. 

Finally we needed to find our way to San Marcos Cathedral so we asked for directions in an art gallery. We were so turned around, and we weren't buying a map. We followed the tourists to Piazza San Marcos through the winding streets. The piazza is huge, perhaps with old parliament buildings on the sides, thousands of tourists everywhere, and a huge line for the Cathedral. I had to pay €1 for material to cover my shoulders, other girls had to cover their legs. The Cathedral was like none I have seen before. So many types of stone and marble used for the walls and columns. The cathedral inside and out had mosaics everywhere, the ceiling walls and floor. We could only walk on certain areas of the floor because it was rolling from all the years of wear and the ground settling. The mosaics on the floor were like kaleidoscopes of designs. 

It was time for lunch so we got far away from the tourists and find a cute restaurant with a secret garden in the back. We were starving and so excited to eat! We ordered two (then two more) glasses of Pinot Grigio, it was perfect, not sweet a little buttery. Our app was melon and prosciutto, they piled the prosciutto on heavy and it was perfectly cured, so this is what real prosciutto tastes like. We then split the mushroom, artichoke and prosciutto pizza and the home made pasta with duck. I love how the waiters tell you the food is sized for one person. Andy and I can eat and we had a hard time finishing everything (but we did). It's hard to explain my happiness! 

We were getting tired and still sore from our hike in Iceland but we needed to do a little shopping. Andy got me a necklace and we found two masks from the guy who made the masks for Eyes Wide Shut. One is a leather mask with a long nose, the other is a plain one that we are going to paint when we get home. It was 3 and time to find the parking garage. Luckily we were close and actually knew where we were after a long day of being lost. Venice was amazing, so glad we made it here. 

Back in the car, a quick detour around Lake Como to see what all the fuss is about, and we stopped just before Lugano for one last pizza. It's a small town (in Switzerland but Italian influence just across the Italy border) with nothing more than a bright casino but there's a beautiful lake which we had the pleasure of viewing during our last Italian meal. I've had my fill of pizza in the last three meals. Now time for some hearty German meals. We made it o Switzerland and managed to find a littl campsite to crash for the tonight. 

Hvar today, Venice tomorrow (Andy's pun)

Slept like shit last night. Apparently there's a club on the other side of the camp's wall and they get the party started around 1am. Girls like to talk hella loud and shriek for no reason. Yeah I'm old. Shut up so I can wake up at 630 and enjoy my day. Anyways, up and at em. Headed to Stari Grand for a cappuccino and croissants. The croissants had Nutella and jam, and like a pro I got jam all over my clean shirt. I just put it on! Grrr.

No map but we head out for the town of Hvar around 730. Hvar is a beautiful old town with white stone walkways. We didn't want to pay for parking so Andy found a grass parking lot. Not long after we parked, any angry Croatian walked by our car giving us dirty looks and saying who knows what. Andy doesn't think he like Germans (German license plate) so he was showing hostility. I didn't have a good feeling about parking there, especially after we saw a car getting towed in Split from a truckliftin bit off the ground. The farmers market was open so we got half a k of green figs. They were the sweetest moat delish figs we've ever had. Most places are closed so we do an early morning hike up be hill to the castle. It wasn't a long walk and it had spectacular views of Hvar, the ocean and surrounding islands.

A quick stop at a cafe for $7 sweet tea and were back in the car. We checked out the scuba diving option but its a 5 hr trip and they were already booked for the day. We drove around Hvar looking for a secret swimming area but all we found was a fish dock and a hunting area that said enter at your own risk. Since you rarely get warnings, I took this one seriously and wanted to turn back, especially after Andy went down a one lane rocky road and scratched the side of the car on bushes. Umm, we don't have insurance...

Before we left I quickly read about a semi-secret beach and we passed by it on the way to Hvar so we hit it up ont he way back. We parked in one of the few parking spaces along the side of the road and walked down the rocky path to the ocean. It was a small cove with only a dozen people, a rocky beach with blue water. We were pretty hot by now so we jumped right in. It's cool and refreshing, just  what we needed! We hung out for over an hour, spending our time wisely until we had to catch the 2 ferry back to Split. I could have spent the whole day at the beach. We need to press on to Italy so off we go. At the port we had two large Bavarians (beer) and took in the last of Croatia. Way too short amount of time to spend on Hvar but I'm glad we checked it out. 

A two hour ferry ride back to Split and back on the road ($7 pp, $48 per car). We are trying to Venice either today or tomorrow am. I leave Croatia with a little more color to my skin and pretty relaxed. I will def come back and spend a little bit longer. There's so much to do, scuba, mountain bike riding, ride a scooter around the island or boat island to island. The people are pretty friendly (well maybe not) and it's cheaper than the rest of Europe, but probably not for long. 

We finally made it to Italy and stopped for dinner after 9 in Palmanova. We were starving and tired from the long day. Our first stop was a questionable place with old men sitting outside. After poor communication with the old lady, they were only serving panninis. No thanks. I needsome pizza. We pressed on getting hungrier and hungrier. It was a small town and not much seemed to be open this Sunday night. Finally a sign said Pizzeria and we said hell yeah! I've been so excited to eat some Italian food! We ordered a pizza for two, Andy had a beer and I had wine. The food was so amazing and so was the vino. The pizza had mushrooms and was huge! American size! We would have taken some to go but we were going to camp and eat more good food tomorrow so we stretched our stomachs and made it work. The toilet was India style. WTF?! I thought I was being punked so I looked in the men's bathroom and it was the same. That's news to me. 

After finding a campsite not far from the restaurant we paid up (only 25EUR) and left because the teenagers next to us were getting a bit rowdy. Andy was ready to camp in another cornfield but I wasn't up to it in a new country. He had been driving for 5+ hrs and needed to rest, we past the 2k km mark. It's going to be another long day tomorrow.