Oberammergau, in pictures

We spent a short time in the charming village of Oberammergau, famous for its woodcarving and for putting on a Passion Play every ten years which involves pretty much all of the 2,000 residents. It's a lovely, charming place.

It's a very religious town, and this cross, which looks very tiny from here, rests high upon the cliffs that surround the village.

They also have the world's cutest trash can.

Next up: Schloss Neuschwanstein, Mad King Ludwig's fairy tale castle!

Munich, in pictures

The first stop on our grand tour of Germany, Austria, and Slovakia was Munich, and we just happened to be there for the first day of Oktoberfest. I highly recommend it.

Uncle Eric was making friends at Oktoberfest.

Just plain having fun.

Dad goes on the crazy flying swing ride with Emily.

The world famous Munich glockenspiel.

Mom and Dad at the Linderhof Castle gardens.

And back to Oktoberfest!

Full disclosure: I did not finish this.

Weird cheese platter that I ordered. The Germans love their onions.

Okay, guys, I swear Uncle Giz is not meaning to flip anyone off here. He's just trying to balance a spicy bratwurst. At least I think so...

Nutella crepes! (They were beyond delicious.)

Mr. Corn

Mr. Bratwurst

Mr. Blue Hair who likes to jump in front of the camera.

Next up: Oberammergau!

Ikea, once again, stuns with its brilliance

Quirky little souvenir

Whenever I leave the country and I'm sending some postcards back home, I always throw in one for myself. It makes a cool little souvenir. You're reminded of how much fun you were having when you wrote it, and you get a stamp and postmark from the country you visited, all for the price of a postcard and stamp.

I think one of the aunts first suggested this to me in Italy, but I can't remember which. Any takers for this good idea?

Beef Noodle Soup

This weekend is supposed to be cold, rainy, and dreary. That's just the thing for me because my plans for the weekend are to sleep in, remain in my pajamas for as long as possible, and get cozy with my DVR.

And the perfect companion to a cold, dreary, DVR-cozy weekend? A big pot of soup. So, on the last day of the month, I give you September's Meat Meal: beef noodle soup.


The first step: carrots. Lots of carrots.


After handling all the ingredients, my hands smelled like celery and black pepper, which reminded me of stuffing, which made me think of Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, bonus.


There is a big old piece of beef at the bottom of this pot. You'll have to take my word because I couldn't bear to photograph it. Maneuvering it into the pot entailed much squealing and shrieking. I'm sure you can imagine.


Perfect. Lots of carrots, al dente ditalini, and a sprinkle of Romano cheese.

There and back again.

We are back and I'm not sure how, but I seem to be back on Eastern Standard Time already. I'll post more later, but I can tell you that much beer was drunk at Oktoberfest (and that's not the only thing that was drunk), we had a snowball fight at Hitler's teahouse (serves the old creep right), and Melis and I marched across the garden fountain at Mirabell Palace just like the Sound of Music kids did during "Do Re Mi" (but we were not dressed in drapes).

Linda and I had some homemade Slovakian brandy in an antique shop in Bratislava, Dad and Jimmy smoked Cubans, and my mother sampled lots of Viennese chocolates.

Also, the potato salad is amazing. I can't wait to go back.

And we're off!

If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.

-Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey