Lovebirds in Lucerne

Due to moving to Germany four days after our wedding, we did not plan our honeymoon before we left. Between the jet lag and our yet to be determined travel plans, we didn't want to come in with anything set in stone and miss out on trips with friends. Deciding on a location was difficult. The possibilities were nearly endless given our proximity to new and exciting places. Initially, we thought hot beach like location, like the Canary Islands or Monte Carlo. However, the temperatures were not ideal at mid to high 70's. If you go somewhere like that, it needs to be warmer for full enjoyment. 

After some brainstorming, we decided on Switzerland. What better place to honeymoon than in a gorgeous, peaceful country with mountains and lakes at every turn. The harmonious vibe correlated with how we wanted to begin our married life. I did some research on various cities and locations before coming across Lucerne, and ultimately our honeymoon spot, Palace Luzern.

Palace Luzern. Taken from our boat tour later that week.

Germany has a holiday "Unity Day" which fell on Friday, October 3rd this year. Tom had that day off and we utilized that time towards our honeymoon. We left late morning on October 2nd and drove the three hours to Lucerne. There is a particular toll pass required to drive most highways in Switzerland (or face a $250 fine) and we fortunately pulled off to purchase one from a gas station just before we approached the border! 

From the second we arrived, the service at the Palace was outstanding. We were given a full tour of the hotel and shown around our room. We had a corner room which allowed us a lake and mountain view. This also meant twice the balconies and twice the opportunity to take in the scenery.

View from our front balcony

View from our side balcony.

When we booked the hotel we hadn't mentioned we were on our honeymoon, but when the staff found out they promptly send up a handwritten card. It was a very welcoming gesture. Every morning there was fresh fruit set out to enjoy and free bottles of water. Essentially, my idea of heaven.

The Palace Luzern is a luxury hotel and spa. Meaning they had a really top notch spa area with free access to their steam room, sauna, and relaxation room, as well as appointments for massages, facials, any all other spa treatments (sadly, not for free!).

The Lion Monument commemorates Swiss Guards who were 

massacred during the French Revolution.

We noshed on a few snacks, settled in, and hit up the concierge desk for maps of the area before exploring the city. Our first stop was the above Lion of Lucerne. The monument is lovely with the pool of water in front and the beautiful lion sculpture behind we tossed some Euro coins into the water before continuing our journey.

Many of the shops were beginning to close for the evening, making time that much more relaxed. I loved this tree shaded path above.

The Kapellbrücke, or Chapel Bridge. One of my favorite sites.

We made our way through the pedestrian walkways that meandered through the store fronts, I was peaking in as we went along and totally found the dining room table I want some day. I can seek out items I want to purchase even when the shops are not open! As we approached the end of the pathway, we found ourselves overlooking the Ruess River. 

Upon our return from dinner, we discovered there were literally chocolates on our pillow and our room was prepared for the evening. The shades were drawn, slippers were set out on either side of the bed, and the bedside lights were on and dimmed. We had no idea what to make of such detailed care, but we had fun with the amenities provided.

The lounge downstairs had a bar reminiscent of the past with dim lighting, leather covered low sitting chairs, and small intimate tables. Before turning in for the night, we ventured into the bar and had a drink before bed. They have a pianist each evening and he played everything from classical, to Adele, to John Legend's "All of Me".

Friday morning we enjoyed the endless hotel breakfast before going to the spa. The sauna was a perfect start to the day, and we got there not too long after it opened at ten. Post sauna, I hit the gym for a while, taking advantage of their treadmill and free water! 

We ate lunch in town and boarded at boat cruise of the lake. The morning had started out foggy and overcast, but the sun was breaking through as we boarded. I was fascinated with the way the fog was literally melting away as we listened to our audio guide and took in the panoramic view.

Interior of Hofkirche

Hofkirche

I had worn shorts and a sweater that day, a rather chilly choice as the day wore on so I did need to change before we went to dinner. As we walked toward the hotel, we stopped into a near by church, The Hofkirche St. Leodegar. It was built in the sixteen hundreds and structure was detailed and overwhelming. I really love churches in Europe. They have such a rich history, and this church was actually built on the base of another church. There was truly a connection to centuries of stories and culture.

Dinner reservations were at seven that evening and the restaurant was just across the river. The fall festival was being set up to open the following morning so we wandered through the booths and abandoned rides before taking in the view and reflections on the water. We again chose to spend a few hours in the hotel lobby/bar listening the magnificent piano music before turning in for the night. Our room was again prepared for the evening, this time with caramel cookies on our pillow!

Saturday we booked a private spa. This allowed us two hours of secluded spa time and a half hour couples massage. I was determined to get a massage while we were there and this was my chance! We arrived at our appointment to be shown a gorgeous locked off area covered in rose petals with a sauna, steam bath, hot bath, fresh fruit, water, tea, robes, and private balconies overlooking the lake. And in case they forgot anything? You could just call them or order room service. Naturally. To say it was an indulgent, luxurious experience would be an understatement. 

To me, the Swiss are extraordinarily skilled at two things: chocolate and watches. So we went shopping in town to look at both. There was a really cool stationary store that caught my eye, I love my pen and paper organization habits and nothing excited me like a crisp new notebook. The store was amazing with notebooks of every color and size, we ultimately left without buying anything, it was rather overpriced. After checking out a candy shop and the Lush Cosmetics store, I found the perfect chocolate shop up the road. I got a whole plethora of truffles: dark chocolate, coconut, caramel, Bailey's, and amaretto. Plus some others I'm sure I'm forgetting. All of them were amazing, but the coconut was a let down, too sugary tasting. Since my shopping list was complete, we explored as many watch shops as we could find, which was a lot. There was a multi-floor store dedicated to designer watches of all price ranges. I checked out the 44,000 CHF Rolex, but was super careful not to touch!

For dinner that evening, we ate at the restaurant in the hotel. We had time to kill before our reservation and took in the view from our room while waiting. The sun was beginning to set and the colors were beyond brilliant as it went down behind the mountains.

The following morning, we ate a late breakfast/early lunch at the hotel cafe. We took one final stroll through town, taking a picture by my favorite bridge on a beautiful and sunny day.

From the moment we drove into Lucerne, we both fell in love with the city. Yes, it is touristy at places, but everyone is so friendly. We spent fifteen minutes talking to a small shop owner about our lives and the country and living abroad. You don't have those connections in every place you travel. We plan on returning to Lucerne before we leave Europe, and now have an amazing retreat to return to later in life. For our fifty year anniversary? I vote a trip to Palace Luzern!

It's (Literally) Like Rain on your Wedding Day

I did an earlier post about my wedding planning process about a month ago. Now that our pictures are in, I want to share them. While I absolutely believe food and atmosphere are the top priorities of a wedding, hiring a talented photographer is not far behind. I received the full copy of the pictures after we had been in Germany for a few weeks and it was so fun (and funny!) to go through the pictures of all of our friends and family. I absolutely love the photos.

The week leading up to the wedding Tom (repeatedly) told me rain was expected that Saturday. Okay... What am I going to do about that? At least I went into the day knowing rain was a possibility, but as the sun came out while my bridesmaids and I were getting our hair and make up done the morning of, I assumed we were in the clear.

My lovely mom zipping my dress up.

Once hair and make up were complete, we loaded up in the limo van, hopping over puddles leftover from earlier rainstorms and were on our way to the 1:00 pm ceremony.

My brother walked me down the aisle, and he did a great job. The aisle is notoriously long and while I didn't want to take five minutes getting to the front, I didn't want to run up there either. He takes cues very well and knew when to slow down a bit for my short legs.

We were married at Queen of All Saints Basilica on the far north side of the city. We had a catholic ceremony without a mass and it was really beautiful. One of my cousins is a flawless opera singer and she was kind enough to sing before and during the ceremony. Her vocals were absolutely beautiful.

Once the ceremony was through, we took a handful of pictures with family and the wedding party in front of the alter. I knew some guests were waiting on us to do our send off with bubbles, so I rushed everyone out saying we could do lots of pictures outside. Because, you know, the sun was out and I was looking forward to taking advantage of the church's beautiful outdoor space.

As we settled into our getaway Audi (Thanks, Julie!) and pulled away, a huge boom of thunder came through. We were in a convertible, driving away from cover, and it was going to rain. Tom was a life saver and quickly figured out how to put up the top, we made it back to our limo bus with the wedding party and photographer and were closing the doors as a torrential downpour (no exaggeration) came through.

What is a wedding party to do in this situation? We had three hours until cocktail hour, a bus full of people, and no real game plan. First stop, liquor store. 

One of our lovely groomsmen took one for the team and sprinted in and out with some beverages for the group. Thankfully, the bus was fully stocked with water as well, which is what I sipped on while we drove around. Our attempt to get into the Chicago Botanical Gardens was not successful as they were not letting people in during the storm. A brilliant idea came from the Best Man. He knew of an area by the lake where there also might be some cover if it rained. 

As we approached, the weather cleared. My long train was not going through the water (imagine how heavy it would become!) so my MoH bustled my gown before we even left the vehicle. This made me late to pictures, and I do not like to be late! So, naturally, I ran to catch up. Not always the smartest idea on wet pavement in heels, but it did make for an entertaining picture!

The photographer captured some amazing shots before the rain set in again, this time it was a lighter drizzle! We sent the wedding party to the bus while Tom and I did additional pictures in a covered area. The rain made everything so wonderfully vibrant and green, I even love how the wet road looks in the pictures. 

A lot of work had occurred since breakfast, and I was quickly becoming hungry, borderline hangry (so hungry you're angry) to be exact. I am a planner and had made perfectly portioned healthy snacks for all of us. Almonds, trail mix, fresh fruit, water, yum! However, in the rainstorm turmoil, they were left in another car. We all needed food, and soon. After some brainstorming, we called ahead to a bar near to our venue. The place was called Tommy Nevin's, I had not heard of it before but they were open, available, and we put in our order over the phone so I was greatly looking forward to my first visit!

I did not want red anywhere near my dress so I had a vodka tonic while 

the girls had vodka cranberries.

I have no idea how I got up there, but it made for a great picture!

We ordered hummus with vegetables and pita bread, sliders, and drinks. The food was delicious and the patrons and staff were very congratulatory to us, albeit a little confused. It's kind of fun to go to a totally normal place in your dress and just relax, to be able look around at some of your closest friends and family laughing and having a good time during an unpredictable day. I will certainly remember that moment for years to come. 

Around 4:45 pm we left for the venue, the Hilton Orrington. Since our cocktail hour didn't begin until 6:00 pm, we hung out at the bar on the first floor of the hotel and it really grew into quite a gathering of all of the wedding guests! Once cocktails began in the smaller ballroom, we all made our way up and I made a beeline for the bacon wrapped dates. 

Dinner was at 7:00 pm and we made our super skilled grand entrance before it began. We decided to slide in from behind the wall for a dramatic effect. They're dancing in from the side of the staircase??? Who knew! Really, I was glad to simply make it down the staircase without face planting.

Salad was delicious and a healthy necessity post bacon wrapped dates. Tom didn't ruin my face or dress while cutting the cake, proving he is a smart man. My entree was the basil and pine nut salmon, but the other options were pesto and arugula french chicken and root vegetable risotto. Everyone's speeches were really heartfelt and touching, including Tom's thank you speech before our first dance. 

Picking out our cake flavors was one of my favorite parts of wedding planning. I gave the bakery, Bittersweet, a rough idea of the design I wanted and told them to put their own spin on it. I think it looked quite lovely, and it tasted amazing. We were both served the German chocolate cake with creme cheese, but we also managed to get our hands on the almond cake with salted caramel and vanilla bean brulee. The second was a huge crowd favorite.

Tom's suspenders came down once the party began, maybe they were impairing his awesome dance moves. The floor was flooded with dancing, laughing, and singing people until midnight. We played our final song "The Parting Glass" and the group demanded an encore. Luckily the staff and DJ were in a jovial mood and allowed everyone to rock out to "One More Time" before leaving for the night.

A year and a half of planning went into this wedding and I find it hard to believe it's already over! I am unbelievably grateful to have had such supportive friends and family to get us through the process, and the curve balls that came our way the day of! I was truly able to enjoy my wedding day and have vivid memories of every last detail, even though it feels like it flew by! Every wedding is beautiful, but mine was my absolute favorite and the ideal beginning to my life with such an amazing man. 

Wonderful Wasen

Want to know what's better than Oktoberfest? The Stuttgart Beerfest, or as it is otherwise known, the Wasen (pronounced vah-zin). After allowing ourselves a couple of days to recover from the debauchery of the previous weekend, we attended the local Wasen. Our area is very residential, but across the river is an area called Bad Cannstatt which is more commercial. Grocery stores, a mall, restaurants, and the Mercedes-Benz Arena provided the backdrop for a greatly impressive festival.

An illuminated view from the bridge.

Tom's company had a table reserved in one of the restaurant buildings, we had the building name but I was unable to find the location online before we left. This left us wandering around in the dark, walking slowly and leering at each place we passed. I am sure we were quite a suspicious site. We were eventually successful, naturally it was one of the last places we looked at the back of the festival. I was expecting a smaller, but decent crowd inside, especially on a Tuesday evening. Imagine my surprise when we walked into a room overflowing with people, every table packed with standing participants a la Oktoberfest. 

Tables are numbered and signs are hung in plain sight on each aisle to aid in navigating the chaotic scene, we knew our table number and located Tom's coworkers. After joining them on their bench, I was able to gain a better view of the area. Some patrons dressed in traditional lederhosen and dirndl, but the majority were in everyday clothes. A stage was set up against the main wall and a series of bands provided live entertainment for the night.

At Oktoberfest, we were there with friends and coworkers from back home so I was able to talk easily to everyone, a real novelty for me lately. Initially, I felt worried about not being able to understand anyone, but fortunately Tom works in a very international office. This means they all speak English in order to be able to converse with one another. I caught a lucky break on that one and enjoyed conversations with people from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Greece. You don't get that kind of opportunity every Tuesday night!

 This gent was one of the singers for the evening.

Music was playing constantly and everyone there was having so much fun, not just because of the beer either. There was a sing along where words were displayed across the big screen, in German, I did not do well at that part! The second band to come on did amazing medleys of pop songs (in English!) like "I've Gotta Feelin'" and some Britney. The true high point was when "I Will Survive" came on. Oh. My. Gosh. I was in heaven. Sometimes men can be fickle and try to act too cool to sing along. Oh no, not these fellows. I was surrounded by hundreds of people, men and women alike, belting out some Gloria Gaynor at the top of their lungs. I've included a brief vocalization piece below: 

The Wasen was such a blast. It is going on through Sunday and we are going to venture over, even if it is to just pick up some treats. I have been so pleasantly surprised with how many festivals and city events are held throughout each area. Attending things like this makes it easy to soak up a great deal of German culture without being too overwhelmed. At one point, one of Tom's coworkers leaned over and told me: "This is German culture right here." gesturing to the room full of singing, laughing, drinking, and dancing people. If that is true German culture, we picked the perfect place to be for the next five months.

Rise and Shine, it's Oktoberfest Time

Oktoberfest is portrayed as the Beerfest superior to all other festivals of beer. We woke up at 6 am the last Saturday in September and took two trains to Munich to see if that was, in fact, true.

Lederhosen and a dirndl are the traditional garb for Oktoberfest, but we decided to do our own recreation of German wear. Arriving at 10:30, the grounds were busy, but relatively empty for such a notorious event. More than just beer stands filled the area, rides were set up in the back and off to one side. There were also food stands of all kinds, restaurants, and games. We made our way through the buildings to a tent where Toms coworkers grabbed at table at 7 in the morning. I made it about five steps into the area with my precious bottle of water before it was swiftly ripped away from me by a very enthusiastic security guard.

Every table was maxed out with people, there were benches for sitting but it was standing room only. People at the table behind us also tried to creep over in our space. This led to some very awkward booty bumps and a struggle for more room. A stage set up in the middle of the room enabled bands to set up and sing for entertainment. Trumpet and saxophone players accompanied the performers. Classy. People watching made for easy entertainment and on occasion I would recognize a song being played! I felt so cultured!

Beer was served by the liter, and the waitstaff would bring them by the armful. I was so nervous they would drop all the glasses or slip! I definitely did not finish my entire beer, but it was quite good! Vendors brought around treats, rolls, and pretzels bigger than I've ever seen.

We were forced out of our table at noon when it was reserved by another party. Trying to peruse and wait out groups for another table, five of us got separated from the rest. This lead to us standing in the aisle ways with huge wooden trays of food flying overhead until we migrated to relative safety next to a sectioned off area. Some locals standing nearby engaged us in what can only be described as an incredibly interesting conversation about world history and politics. Nearly an hour later, and after surviving a very long bathroom line, we moved on in an attempt to reconnect with the rest of our group.

The outside was a completely different world from when we last saw it that morning. Crowds were everywhere and those liters of beer were beginning to do people in. Families with small children were in attendance, not something I'm so sure I would have done myself, and couples of all ages were forcing their way through the lines. I found an almond stand and got my favorite cinnamon almonds for a snack as we wound our way around.

Before leaving, we picked up a souvenir and located some water! We encountered one more member of our group, but abandoned the rest as we went in search of a pub and, for me, some healthier food.

All of our trains were departing at different times, (we took a day trip as hotels were probably booked up months in advance) so we settled on a local restaurant for dinner. The restaurant was a "multimedia cafe" which essentially meant their salads were named after James Bond films and their desserts after Harry Potter books. It was awesome.

We didn't have a reliable lay of the land, but were able to navigate our way back to the main station by following the crowds of people.

While waiting on our train, something across the platform caught the eye of one of our friends. Mind you, there were people who needed to take a rest before boarding a moving object, but this guy took the cake. Sadly, two passerby stole his hat just after we snapped this picture.

Oktoberfest was an event we both really wanted to experience. The beer was good, the singing was fun, and the entertainment was undoubtedly one of a kind.

Prost!

Amsterdam Adventures 2: Red Light District and Rijksmuseum

Our weekend in Amsterdam kicked off with some cheese and a canal tour. To recuperate after spending the morning in such an adventurous manner, we needed something to eat. Utilizing one of my travel books, I looked up restaurant possibilities and their addresses beforehand. For a late lunch, we ate at Latei. It was a simple, somewhat bohemian restaurant that is reminiscent of your mom's kitchen circa 1950. The food was very good, I had a hummus and vegetable sandwich, but the portions were small. Each sandwich was open faced, containing a single slice of bread. We left the restaurant around three after splitting a slice of cheesecake, and it was probably for the best we had a light lunch as we would be doing dinner in a few hours anyway.

Amsterdam is a city of many museums: Van Gogh, Rembrant, and Hermitage to name a few. For our Saturday afternoon entertainment, we ventured to the Erotic Museum. The displays were exactly as the name suggests and can spark the debate of what is "erotic" in the mind of some is profane to another, or completely bland and boring to yet another. Admission was seven euro, and rather steep for the half hour of entertainment it provided. One floor was devoted to risque celebrity paintings up for purchase, but the gift shop was a blast with squeezable breast shaped everything and many entertaining items up for grabs.

Most of our day was spent in the heart of the Red Light District. While walking down side streets glass doors let you see in on provocatively dressed women attempting to entice passerby to join them for a twenty minute stint. To add an element of class to our evening, we walked a few minutes out to Amsterdam Centraal and took some pictures of the amazing buildings in the area, train station included.

Once again referencing my handy list of restaurants, we tried out a place called Skek. They were featuring a Japanese burger with wasabi mayonnaise, which nearly all of us chose for dinner. The burger, sauce, and fries were amazing. Although the bun nearly overtook my plate and the term salad wasn't really done justice by the small pile of greens provided on the side. All in all, Skek was a great choice.

The foot traffic through the area greatly increased as the evening progressed, we walked along the roads and canals taking it all in. After ice cream and some beers, Tom and I ended up more or less stranded downtown. The trains and buses stopped running around midnight, a fact we didn't realize until nearly one in the morning. There was a taxi stand nearby and we grabbed a cab back to the hotel.

Some of the guys found a breakfast place they absolutely raved about, so we all gave it a try the following morning. We packed everything into our backpacks before taking a train downtown as we knew we wouldn't have time to go back to the hotel before leaving the city.

An interpretation of the Amsterdam flag alongside a building.

We walked about forty minutes and had to maneuver our way around some construction but we finally made it to breakfast!

I've never had a Dutch pancake prior to this trip but they are very much like a large crepe with sweet or savory items baked directly into the batter. Tom had two (did I mention they were huge???) bacon pancakes and I had a cinnamon apple and nut pancake. At least we were well nourished for the day ahead.

Post-pancake glow, we walked to the Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam is a bicycle heavy city, some people even say there are more bikes than people, so seven of us walking from one side of the city to another with our belongings in tow was quite the undertaking. The views were worth it though.

Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum contains a history of Amsterdam and was crazy interesting. Our backpacks were not allowed inside, we had to leave them at a baggage desk, but I was glad to be free of it for a few hours! There were amazing paintings, sculptures, scale model ships, and intense displays. I had two favorite paintings. One was of Mary and a very buff baby Jesus, and another by Ferdinand Bol displaying a father who ordered his son to be beheaded for not following orders. Parenting gone old school. Honestly though, being able to walk through each wing and get an in depth look at the culture and details of each time period was very moving.

Self portrait by Van Gogh

After picking up our bags, we headed for the train station. The train originated from Amsterdam, meaning we were able to swoop in and find open seats. Amsterdam made for such a relaxing and fun weekend. I would go back in a heart beat, I could spend days sitting by those canals drinking coffee and enjoying the rich history at every corner.

Amsterdam Adventures 1: Canals and Cheese

Traveling to Amsterdam was our first cross country train experience on the ICE (Inter-City Express). We departed Friday afternoon from Stuttgart, transferred just before Frankfort, and arrived in Amsterdam that night. The weather was overcast and we were fortunate enough to make it to the main station before the rain began.

When purchasing a train ticket, you have the option to reserve a seat or do a first come first serve basis. We decided to forego the seat reservation as it was an extra fee and we figured how crowded could it possibly be? Huge mistake. Our first train was smaller and there were two seats together, no problem. After our transfer to a larger train, we were not as lucky and spent half an hour standing between train cars with nearly a dozen other people waiting for spots to clear out. Two stops later, we found seats together and the rest of the ride was much more enjoyable. We even ventured down to the food car with some friends to get some dinner.

The ICE pulled into the main station in Amsterdam, Amsterdam Centraal, just after ten. Tom would have been up for going out but I wanted to get to our hotel since we had an early morning the next day.

The commute was super easy as the Metro we took left from the main station and our stop was just across from the hotel. We stayed at the Hampton by Hilton, it was a twenty minute train ride from the center of the city. The hotel was really nice and built only a year ago. We checked in and relaxed with a Heineken and some of my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I brought along before heading upstairs. I'm like a mom. I always bring treats. Remember how I said hotel room booking could get weird (or that we just don't understand it)? Well, we ended up with I Love Lucy style beds, two twin beds separated by the nightstand. They were super comfortable though.

Arriving downtown just after nine, we wandered the streets for while to get a lay of the land, as we didn't know exactly where we were going. The itinerary for the day wasn't set in stone, but we did have some places we really wanted to go. While waiting on some friends to finish up at the Anne Frank House, we explored the nearby area. I found the Amsterdam Tulip Museum and the Cheese Museum. Although, I think the word "museum" was overkill. The Tulip Museum was a gift shop with a history of tulips along the walls and the Cheese Museum had an endless amount of free cheese samples on the first floor and a history of cheese in the basement. We bought an award winning goat cheese (so good) and entertained ourselves with their photo prop area.

A beautiful church outside the Anne Frank House.

We met up with another couple and had drinks down by a canal; beers for the guys, coffee with Baileys for the ladies. Our view of the canal was great, we were by a bridge and got to see near collisions of boats, families of ducks swimming by, and people pedal boating their way through. All of us were interested in doing a canal tour so we checked out a nearby ticket center. The wait for the next tour wasn't too long, maybe fifteen minutes, so we got in line and waited for the boat to arrive.

Amsterdam is known for their liberal, open ways, but one thing I never realized was the breathtaking beauty of the city.

Amsterdam is a densely populated city where houses line the streets, in some cases up to the water. Some people opt to live on house boats rather than live further away. I could never survive on a house boat, but after seeing the city I certainly understand why people very much want to stay.