Garmisch, Neuschwanstein Castle, and tiny towns in between

Hotel in Garmisch

Cameras strapped around our necks by day and kickin it with locals by night, Tres and I always manage to find a way around places the most fun way possible. In the daytime on vacation, you can find us snapping hundreds of pictures elbow to elbow with people whose zipcodes are miles away, just like ours. But at night, we are likely to end up with a friend or two, preferably whose zip code is right where they are sitting. We love locals!

Day number three, we hit up the tourist traps (which are most of the time reason for going on vacations in the first place... take that, Anthony Bourdain, you douche), and by night we were at a local hotspot. Neuschwanstein Castle was our tourism outing for the day, and like I mentioned, it was more than worth it.

Eating halfway up the castle... me wanting Tres food. Nothing new here.

I'm no historian, but I learned enough about King Ludwig to be pretty certain we would have been big buds back in the day. I am referring to BEFORE he went crazy and AFTER he built those two splindid castles. Attending a party on that mountain top in that lux would have been quite fabulous. Probably more fabulous than I would technically be invited to, but since he no longer exists, I can dream!

Castle tour down, I conquered my fear by walking across (umm... a fourth of the way across) Mary's Bridge. Tres talked me into it and the view was worth it, so close to tears I did it. We had another tourist take our picture, and I watched in horror as she climbed on top of a step on the bridge and leaned over backwards to get our picture "Just right." Nu uh, no mam... I almost had a heart attack for the gal, and at the time almost told her I could do without the picture. But wow... it really turned out to be one of the best from the trip. Thanks, brave lady for risking your life.

The "near death" picture. Oh, so worth it!

After picture snapping with the best of em, we hopped back in the family truckster and headed to the brewery we heard about right outside of Garmisch. Technology took over with the German GPS, and soon enough, we were on the top of a mountain where the "main road" ran out. Confused and about to be on our way down, we were still asking ourselves where the heck the brewery was. Out of no where, a man with an ax appeared. No big deal. We were a family of five on top of a mountain the in middle of Germany, and a stranger with an ax (and very thick beard, might I add), was walking towards our car. This could have very easily been the scene from a sick horror movie, but luckily the guy was extremely nice and gave us correct directions. In English? Nope. Thank goodness my family understands and speaks decent German.

The brewery turned out to be in a quaint little village that you can just vision the perfect Christmas ever taking place there. Beautiful cobblestone streets, tiny shops, interesting restaurants with little bistro tables set up outside. It was divine! As was the beer tasting. We tried them all and had a blast doing so.

Another car ride later, we were back at the hotel, and me, Tres, and my brother were on our way to dinner by foot. It was late, and at this time of night, we questioned any restaurant being open. But there's always a Local, isn't there? I say Local not in description of a person but as a restaurant. Maybe "Cheers" would better describe what I'm talking about. You know, a place..... "Where everybody knows your naaaaame... and they're always glad you caaaame!" The bar we came across was called Local, which funny enough, back home in Memphis, our favorite restaurant/bar is also called Local. We did not walk but RAN in the door.

The inside was better than the out... 80's music playing, people speaking both German AND English, and the best smell of burger I smelled since our layover before leaving the states. And the smell proved itself. Those burgers were so good we were back two other times on the trip for more! We met a few folks, discovering the restaurant was owned by an Irish family. And I thought a hamburger was an American food. English, German, Irish... who cares. If I go back to Garmisch, I'm immediately stopping there for lunch or dinner. YUM!

Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein

Did you know that in one day you can see four countries?! Here in the U.S., it's difficult to see four states in one day, but in Europe, you can see it all!

So on, day number FOUR, we went for FOUR, taking a FOUR-country tour: Germany (of course), Austria, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. While it was a blessing and a blast to see a little bit of all these places, I would have liked to spend more time in each of them.

Switzerland is hands-down the most beautiful place I have ever seen in Europe, and I hear the food in Austria could make a Victoria's Secret model want to eat, so the little time we spent in these two places was a tad disappointing, but I don't think I would ever make an entire trip out of them either. So, all-in-all, it worked out for the best!

Our tour guide was hilarious, and the best part is... she had no idea how funny she was. She was old, grumpy, smoked about 10 packs of cigs in the 12 hours we were with her, and told the best stories in the heaviest German accent. If only I could type the pronunciation, you all would be laughing as much as we did!

My favorite snack when traveling through Europe (pretzel, butter, and salami...yum!) And so German!
Real Swiss beer
Her response after a near-death, extremely terrifying experience on the top of a mountain we asked her to take us to the top of was: "You VANTED it.... HAHAHAHAHA!!!" I can still hear the cackle... makes me laugh every time I think about it. And I can't forget to mention, her idea of German people's everyday way of living: "It's just a VAY of life!"
Enjoy the pictures... Switzerland is magical.


Lunch in Lichtenstein
My lunch... white fish, risotto, with a tomato basil sauce

Dachau & Munich, Germany

Pictures tell a thousand words. Sure, what a way to start off my next blog post about Germany with a cliché. But in this case, a cliché, and the pictures of course, are the only way to describe both Dachau and Munich. It’s been three months since I was miles over the Atlantic, and on any trip with a significant amount of time passed, it’s easy to forget in details. Until you look at pictures.
We started our first full day with the family off in “the family truckster.” You will hear me refer to the family truckster on more account than one. .. more like every post, but it was a big part of our trip because we spent a lot of time in there. Dad driving, mom in the passender side, and me in the back-middle with a husband on one side and a brother on the other, driving across the great country of Germany. Believe me, if there’s a city or town in south Germany you are wondering if we saw, WE SAW IT. No doubt.


A little over an hour of the first day, and the family truckster had us from Garmisch to Dachau. The experience of walking through and collecting images of a true concentration camp is more than words can say. And that’s where the pictures come in. Shock, sorrow, fury, disbelief are only a few of what one feels when visiting such wretched grounds, but history is history and we got to see it up close and personal.
It’s impossible for me to ever visit a piece of history and not daydream about what happened right where I am standing. I nearly get in a trance trying to imagine actual people – not characters – that experienced the “stories” I have grown up hearing my entire life in history class, through books, and in movies. Visiting Dachau may have been as real as it could get.
After such despair, we needed a little pep in our step, and Munich was just the right stop. A big city with beer and good food, and Tres and I were in our element. The old buildings, beauty, and traditional German food of the city were added bonuses. We walked around, drank beer on the streets, and ate brats and sauerkraut like we belonged there. The wake up call was in the first restaurant we showed up at where English was very limited. Thank goodness for dad and brother. Did I mention they speak German? Yes, pop is pretty fluent, as he lived there for several years and brother is not so bad himself, as he’s taken classes and the time to learn. I will tell you, nothing feels more uncomfortable than not knowing a language in a huge city.

Later that afternoon with several beers thrown back, there was only one place we hadn’t been: Hofbrauhaus. No crazy people or tents lining the streets needed… for fun gal like me, I may as well had been at Octoberfest! And when the music started playing, the people got a little louder, and the waiter brought me a beer in a glass almost big enough to wear as a hat, my October party pants were on… right in the middle of June!

Dare you ask my favorite city in Germany? I think you know the answer. And if we ever go back to Germany, the arrival letters will go from FRA to MUC!

Frankfurt, Germany

Walking the streets... All alone

Imagine walking through a city cleared out just for you as your plane lands. No other people – just peace and quiet as you walk the streets. All you see are beautiful, ancient buildings towering over you with fresh flowers in the windows, and all you hear are stone water fountains flowing as you pass them with the pitter-patter of your feet behind them. That much quietness in a big city seems nearly impossible at any given time of the day, especially in the largest financial Centre in Europe. But the morning we landed in Frankfurt, Germany, the people of the fifth largest populated city in the country were all in slumber. Of course I was just kidding when I said it was cleared out just for us, but as for the town being asleep as we went on our first exploration, that was no joke.
Bull of Frankfurt Yum Yum... German Festival Food

Our flight landed in Frankfurt right as the sun rose. Me, Tres, and my brother, ready to take on the country of Germany. However, my parents’, who’s flight was supposed to land before ours, were stuck in Atlanta. As soon as we landed, Tres received a text saying they were eight hours behind us. The initial plan was to meet them, hop in the car, and head south to the mountains of Garmisch, but we learned as soon as our plane touched down, that wasn’t going to happen.

Drinks on a fun patio just as people started to wake up in this city... haha

So the plan changed. And before we knew it we were walking off of a subway into the gigantic city of Frankfurt, dragging our luggage behind us. Sure, we could have set up camp at the airport until 5pm when my parents finally landed, but instead, we decided we had a fun city to explore. So bags and all, off we went, into the city. The quiet city, that is. The Friday night party must have lasted until 4am with the entire city of Frankfurt invited because on Saturday morning, there wasn’t a person on the streets.
First view of a German country-side from the drive

For the first several hours we walked, admiring the unique, longstanding architecture of the city. Finally, a few shops started to open up, and though the party was assumed to have lasted all night the eve before, it wasn’t long before the beer was flowing again. As we walked, we stumbled upon none other than a German festival – right in the center of Frankfurt. Carnival food and beer on the streets are two of my favorite pastimes, and when the smell of sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, and German beer started seeping through streets that were completely uninhibited just hours before, I was in my happy place. We had clearly arrived… we were officially in Germany!
Eating pizza and drinking beer after a long day and drive... sleepy

The day was spent eating German festival food, drinking champagne and beers at every cool restaurant patio we saw, and walking the finally busy streets of Frankfurt, luggage still being hauled behind us. Exhaustion set in later than afternoon, and we took the subway back to the airport to wait on my parents. I took an hour nap in the most comfortable position a person could possibly be in laying on a lobby seat in an airport. Finally around 6pm, my parents were landed and we were in our “family truckster,” a Volvo station wagon, driving across the country of Germany. We arrived in Garmich, ate a quick dinner composed of pizza and more beer, and went to bed.

Spending the entire day in Frankfurt was a treat, and there’s plenty more Frankfurt stories where that one came from because we weren’t quite done with it just yet!

July 14 post below… sad! Two months later… I’m back!

One of many things we have been doing: Dinner on our balcony... has become more common with good weather

Today was a dreary, rainy day in Memphis. I like nothing better on an ugly day than to go to the gym for a workout (because there’s nothing better to do), take a hot shower, and relax on the couch with Tres. Well, today I decided to do something a little different. So, as I sit here in my comfy, cloud of a housecoat with my feet propped up, I am blogging. Different? Yes. Why? Because I haven’t done it in months. Not because I haven’t wanted to, or because I am lazy, or because I have nothing to write. No… simply because I lack time. Seriously.


Time is so precious to me. So, when I’m working all day with a workout to follow, then I go to school two nights a week, then I have homework that includes more writing than I’m sure anyone does on their blogs, then I cook, then for heaven’s sake, when it’s finally 9pm, I just may want to have a little fun down the street at a local restaurant or bar or sit on my couch and watch mindless television, so with all that… I choose not to blog. Did I mention I write and write and WRITE in graduate school? I am a journalism major, so it’s no surprise, but geez, when you write that much in school, you just may decide to not do it in your spare time.

So, that is my confession. My excuse. Whatever you want to call it.

Most recent pic of us... in North Carolina at a wedding

But the conclusion to this post is not a “farewell, I’m too busy to blog anymore post. It’s a “Hey, friends, I’m back to blog consistently.... can I get a whoop whoop” post!!! At least that’s the goal… to get this Southern Kind of Love back to being documented!

TN - Cinci game last weekend... our most recent excursion


Next month, Tres and I will be celebrating our One Year Anniversary, and today I got to thinking about how much fun we’ve had our first year of marriage. We have done a lot, experienced a lot, and traveled a whole lot, yet, I haven’t written much of anything. This made me sad, yet it inspired me!

So what’s long overdue? I’m just going to include the highlights:

• My new job and the change of no longer working with my husband in the same office
• Trip to Europe: Germany, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Italy
• Trip to Vegas… this will be a good one
• Weekends in Memphis… oh the fun Tres and I have living downtown in this awesome city
• Redecorating: The new Enemy (the old one… wedding planning)
• Anniversary trip plans to New England: Portland, Boston, Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod

Our decor inspirarion... we both agree on this. That could change as often as my blogging habits though... haha

Looks like I’m going to have my work cut out for me! Luckily, Tres and I are in Memphis this weekend. Hopefully football, fun, redecorating, and dare I say, homework wont distract me. We shall see!!! Wish me luck, bloggettes!

Vegas

Well I have managed once again to not write a blog post about one trip before going on the next one. I SUCK AT BLOGGING!!! Honestly, I just don't have time anymore. I sure wish I did but work, school, travel, and all the fun on the side is killing me :)

I promise to post about our trip to Europe soon enough, but until then, we will be in Vegas. I am thrilled about this trip!!! We are meeting friends, staying at the Mandalay Bay in a fantastic suite, we have a Cabanna booked for the pool, and of course have great restaurants already listed out!!!

I look forward to sharing it... Sure ya do, Andrea!!! Sure ya do!!!! I'm sure that's what you are thinking. But at some point, the Vegas and the post-poned European excursion will be posted!!! I need more time in each day :) I have plenty to write when I return!!!

Travel To Do List

After recovering from my European Vacation with Tres and the fam, I didn't have the time to post about this last week, but I wanted everyone to know I finally wrote something I have been wanting to write for a long time... A Top Travel List. Let's just call it:

Andrea's Travel To-Do List

I was lucky enough to have a friend of mine, Nicole, invite me to guest blog on her fabulous online diary while she was off to New York City, so what better to write about than travel?!

Take a read here, and stay tuned to my blog for exciting posts on my trip to Germany and beyond!

Exciting Changes... Positive Outcomes

It's been awhile since I've blogged, and thanks to a friend (Living.Learning.Loving) who recently asked me to guest blog for her, I feel guilty for writing for other blogs and not continuing my own (haha), so I thought I would recap the last couple of months and why I have been so distracted.

First big day at training

The big change: I have a new job! To be honest, the opportunity literally came out of nowhere, I applied, got interviewed, and got it. While it was not a part of the plan I initially had for my life after leaving my other job (I had actually planned on going to school full-time with a potential Graduate Assistantship), it was a blessing in disguse from God and it was the first time in a long time that I actually felt spoken to on a decision I had to make. It was like the series of events leading up to it all happened so the opportunity could position itself just perfectly for me to take it on. IT WAS MEANT TO BE, and because I knew that, I have taken it and ran with it.

Congrats flowers from hub when passed my big work exam
With all that said, the past couple of months, I have been completely consumed with my new career. I am now a pharmaceutical sales rep for Arbor Pharmaceticals. While the new job has been the most exciting thing to happen in my life since Tres and I got married, it has also been the most time-consuming and hard working I have been since then. I went through nearly a month of traning - at home for a week and two weeks in Atlanta, and as of two weeks ago, they set me free to shower doctors with the positives of our awesome products. No home office, no bosses, no new colleage friends - just me all alone running my own little business in North Memphis. The first week was the most nerve racked I have been since college cheerleading tryouts circa 2002. And to add it it, I was lost and confused half of the week... where am I driving? Who am I looking for? Am I saying all the right things? Am I doing what they trained me ovr 3 weeks to do? SCARY and LOST does not even describe it, but when week 2 came around, I felt like I had done the job all along. Learning something new is always going to be difficult, but you have to believe you can do it. And remember, time makes everything better. This coming week will be week 3 for me, and I am starting to feel like I'm completely in my element!

And no celebration complete without champagne!

Ok, so what else has been going on? TRAVEL and FUN. Whether it's going on or in the works, me and Tres are always taking the time to visit new places and do new things. Since I last blogged here's what our weekends have been like:

Destin

Work had to be done here in Destin, but we always find time for a little bit of fun and FOOD of course. Check out our fun pictures from the weekend:

Memphis and Atlanta

Tres jumped on a plane to Atlanta for a wedding to hang out with his best guy friends. I had planned to go, but when my girls called and said they could all make it to Memphis the same weekend (this never happens... we are all always too busy), I stayed in Memphis to show them a good time. We had a great brunch on Saturday at mine and Tres favorite spot Local, hip hopped around the city and Beale Street all day, and went to dinner at Itta Bena. And the best part of the weekend was Sara surprising us, telling us the exciting news she had been hoping for: She's preganant!!!!!





Louisville - Kentucky Derby

This was honest to goodness one of the best weekends I've had in a long time, and there's a story behind it. Ok, so after I got this job my luck felt out of control. It was just the little things that kept happening that Tres and I were like, why is all this fantastic stuff happening to me?!?!?! Ok, so when we went to the Derby, Tres was like it'd be funny if your horse wins!
So, to add to the story, I tell Tres often and bug him about my dream vacation to South Africa. Since I can remember I have wanted to go there, and I always tell Tres we never have to go on another vacation ever again if we can just go to South Africa (he knows that's not true, which is probably why we haven't gone... haha). Ok, so the night before the Derby we are hanging out with our friend, Dan, and he tells me that his sister just got back from a trip to South Africa. I start freaking out, and Tres told him, "you should have never told her that." I make it worse by asking him to pull pics up on Facebook of her trip, and torture myself by dreaming even more of a vacation there. Tres had just been in Orlando for work the week before, and while looking at the pictures, Tres says, "I was just at Animal Kingdom in Disney World and those pictures look like they came from the safari ride." He was being funny, giving me a hard time, of course. :)

To wrap this story up (I promise there's a point), we get to the Derby and there's a horse named Animal Kingdom!!!! I say, OMG Tres, I am betting on that horse, and if he wins you HAVE to take me to South Africa very soon. The horse was low on rankings and it winning was a shot in the dark. Well, if you watched the Derby, you know how this story ends: THE HORSE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Animal Kingdom, MY HORSE, won!!!! So I guess in next year or two... or maybe more (haha), you all will be reading a post from me in South Africa. Hehe :)


New Orleans

Tres grandmother turned 90 YEARS OLD last month, and we traveled to NOLA for her HUGE, black tie birthday celebration. I was in Atlanta for training and had not seen my sweet husband in a week and could not wait to get on a flight to New Orleans for the event. The only catch was, I had to fly back to Atlanta for more training after the party, so I literally touched down in New Orleans for under 24 hours and had to fly back to Atlanta right after. Most exhausting two days of my life, but being at such an important family event and seeing my husband for just a few hours was so worth it!





Austin

My sweet, beautiful cousin graduated high school in Austin and I would not have missed it for the world. She is like the sis I never had. I can remember holding her in my arms as a skwormy 9 year old when she was born, and seeing her as a grown woman graduating high school was such a special time in life. I am so proud of her, and I cannot even begin to express the fun I had with "my gals" (the ladies of my family) in Austin! My mom, grandma, aunt, and cousin had the best time together... read more about them here. This was also a quick trip, as I was only there a day and a half and had to head back home to prepare for the first week of my job, but another family event I wouldn't have missed for the world!!!




Germany
Italy
Austria
Switzerland

TO BE CONTINUED... We leave in 4 days!!!!!

To say the least, we are very busy, but as it has been, especially since the day I met my sweet husband, life is also very grand!!! More posts to come! Thanks for the little push to start blogging again, Nicole!