Fresh Cut Blooms

When we arrived in Germany this summer the weather was blazing hot and then it suddenly switched to a cool, perpetual rain. One of the benefits to this crazy weather pattern is the gorgeous, natural scenery. The forests are bright green, gardens are filled with magnificent colors of deep reds, pinks and yellows and the vineyards are in full bloom. I'm guessing this year's Riesling will be pretty tasty!

On a rare sunny night, Justin and I stopped off at a local flower field to cut our own fresh flowers. I love these farms, which are all over Germany, and was eager to pick some gorgeous blooms to give our Nussloch abode some much needed cheer from the soggy weather. The best part is that the flowers are very inexpensive. At less than 1€ a stem, creating personalized bunches of fresh sunflowers, gladiolas and dahlias is great way to brighten rainy days. 

Pics from Blumen, the flower farm

When in Roma...

Technically speaking I am 0% Italian, however I like to believe I am at least 75%. My love for Italy blossomed after studying abroad my Junior year of college in the small, yet lovable town of Paderno del Grappa. After that semester, I had not had the opportunity to set foot back onto my love's soil - until this weekend in Roma.

Sistine Chapel illegal photo (sans flash, though)

My first Roman visit was quite different than this one. My friend Angela and I attended Pope John Paul's II  Easter Mass in 2004. It turned out to be the Pope's second to last Easter Mass. The Vatican and Rome had incredibly tight security detail because the train bombing in Madrid has just occurred, and most of the major sights were closed for the weekend. Despite the security issues and though I am not Catholic, I found the mass incredible and was excited to be an arms distance from the Pope Mobile.

This time around Rome was different. We met up with my parents on the last leg of their European vacation and accomplished a lot of sight seeing. We stayed at the Best Western Universo near the Termini train station. I still haven't decided if our hotel was in a good location or not, but never figured out where a good location would have been. Rome is pretty spread out, so I guess it depends on the sights on your must see list.

The Colosseum next to a nearly full moon 

My dad dragged my mom on a four hour, intensive tour of the Colosseum before Justin and I arrived (thankfully!!), so Justin and I didn't actually see the interior. Friday night, after we arrived, we set out to find a friend's restaurant recommendation only to discover that most restaurants were closed for the Italian Ferragosto. Sadly, the food on this trip was not as amazing as it should have been (otherwise this entire post would focus around cuisine), though I definitely had my fair share or tasty Italian carbs! I guess Justin will just have to take me back later this year!

Saturday we spent the morning touring the Vatican. There is so much to see in the Vatican museum that it would take you 12 years if you spent one minute viewing each artifact; seriously. Needless to say we had to keep pushing my dad along (who was determined to find the Menorah and sadly never did). We observed the amazing Sistine Chapel entirely painted by hand primarily by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. After touring St. Peter's Basicalla, we fought the Roman heat and headed to the Pantheon for some lunch and a peek at the incredibly ancient church that was finally built by Hadrian in 126.

Ahhh, the Trevi Fountain.... 

As cheesy and cliche as it is, my favorite sight in Rome remains the Trevi Fountain. I can't explain why, it just makes me happy. Despite the wretched crowd and irritating street vendors, I was so excited to get back to the fountain. (I guess throwing a coin in the fountain really works!!) It's so grand and beautiful and I already want to go back there! Such a gorgeous sight. After the fountain we made our way over to the Spanish Steps and then indulged in some much needed, and delicious gelatto.

Saturday night, following another closed restaurant recommendation, we ended up in the Jewish Ghetto. We saw the Roman Synagogue, built in 1904, which is huge and quite lovely. It's right across the street from the river and near some amazing ancient ruins. There are several really great restaurants in the area (and they were open!) including kosher kitchens.

Rome is a very large,  face paced city and requires a lot of walking. We were all exhausted come Sunday so we opted to tour the modern art museum. We then took a leisurely stroll in the Borghesi park followed by slightly less than stellar lunch... After that we ran out of steam and spent the rest of the vacation just hanging out. It was nice to have some family time before heading back to Nussloch.

My family in front of unknown church

Italy, to me, is Paradise and Rome is an amazing place with history unlike any other place on earth. So many things in our daily life date back to the Roman era, it's really fascinating to think about. I am already looking forward to my next trip back to my lovely Italy- it cannot come soon enough!

Bonjour, Paris!

Eiffel Tower at night

There is nowhere on earth quite like Paris. It has a certain vibe that cannot be described in words nor experienced anywhere else. This past weekend we met my parents there to properly celebrate my dad's 60th and their 35th wedding anniversary. It's a big year for them to say the least! My mom and I had traveled to Paris together about 6 years ago, it was my dad's first visit and Justin's 7th trip (no joke). My dad, an architect, was in awe of the city and it's intricate detail. And the rest of us had not remembered Paris as being so wonderful as it was last weekend. We even had several encounters with very polite Parisians, a welcome change from previous visits. 

The City of Lights really is the epicenter of art. The Louvre contains more art than anyone could digest in a month. One room out of the Museum d'Orsay would be enough for most museums' entire collections. The Water Lilies housed at Museum de l'Orangerie are displayed in oval shaped rooms designed by Monet himself and are some of the most beautiful art I've ever experienced- even grander than on my trip to Zurich. Watching the Eiffel Tower twinkle at night atop the Arc de Triomphe is one of the coolest sights to be seen. And the architecture itself from the Pantheon, and Notre Dame, to apartment buildings dating back to the Napoleon era are breathtaking and unlike any other city on the planet.

Me taking pics of Monet's Water Lillies. You can see how the room was designed in this pic (my dad's photo)

And then there is the food and shopping. I easily could have spent weeks exploring all of the neighborhood stores and side street boutiques. If I had more time and money I would have come back to Nussloch with a new wardrobe (but sadly, I did not). We tasted macaron's, Mont Blanc's and sipped hot chocolate mixed table side at the legendary Angelina, where Coco Channel used to do the same. We ate delicious Jewish/Mediterranean food at Pitzman. And carefully filled our tummies with plenty of delicious treats in between.

The crew outside our hotel, the Westin Paris 

A wonderful Parisian weekend it was. It's always nice being with family, no matter where in the world you are, but it helps to be in a place as beautiful as Paris! For me, Paris is love at second site.

Me and mom on our first night (dad's photo)

Polished off the weekend with a tour and tasting at Moet and Chandon. Cheers to a big year and many, many more!

See all our of Paris and Moet pictures here.  

Secrets of an Italian Chef

Sylvia creating her masterpiece

Earlier this week I realized one of my food dreams. Sylvia, a fellow  classmate, came over and prepared an authentic Italian dish for myself and another classmate, Nima. Sylvia, who is from Genova, Italy, cooked pasta with mushrooms, bacon and a light cream sauce. (YUM!) I observed while she cooked the scrumptious meal and learned a few secrets that she is allowing me to share.

1. Italians don't over-indulge in olive oil. When I cook, I use a hefty share of "EVOO," especially when preparing an Italian dish. In doing so, I was committing a cooking foul. Sylvia's secret is to let the natural juices of the ingredients provide their own oil and flavoring. She used no more than a tablespoon of oil for the entire meal. The calories saved were later spent on double chocolate cookies and cold, sparkling Mumm!

2. Parmesan does not make everything better. We didn't use any and we didn't miss it...

The finished product

3. Salt is your friend. Personally, I'm an extremely timid salt user and tend to shy away from its use at all. For Italians, salt is the secret to al dente perfecto pasta. The salt helps the water maintain it's heat while cooking the pasta and provides a subtle flavor to an otherwise bland noodle. The salt will also help release the natural flavor of the pasta. Don't be afraid to throw in the salt- and in this case, there is no such thing as too much.

4. Garlic can be over used. Justin and I LOVE garlic, but Sylvia is not a fan. For our dish she used one small, uncut clove, and disposed of it before we feasted. Honestly I didn't even notice the absence of garlic.

Nima enjoying the pasta

5. Stop and enjoy the food. Put down your iPhone and turn off the TV! Somewhere along the way, we Americans have lost the tradition of family dinners. These days we are so busy that we eat only for the sake of eating. For Italians, meals are used as meetings of friends and family. And the company is just as important as the food. They linger over dishes while enjoying the flavors of their meal and get lost in conversation. Food is a tool of joy.

In the words on Sylvia, food is gorgeous. Buen Apetito! 

Weekend in our own Backyard

The ancient and amazing Heidelberg castle 

Longest European shopping street 

Heidelberg statue

Since moving across the pond, we have been so anxious to travel through Western Europe, we've neglected to explore our own backyard. This weekend we discovered we needn't travel far to find some fantastic sights in our own state of Baden Wurttemberg.

Friday night we had dinner and explored ancient Heidelberg, which is thought to have the earliest settlers in Europe.  I travel to this city, nestled on the Neckar River, daily for class, but saw it in a whole new light at night. This city was spared during the war and offers gorgeous scenery. Heidelberg is home to one of Europe's top Universities, University of Heidelberg which was founded in 1386. Heidelberg also offers international dining options, which is really nice for when we get sick of my cooking! 

Saturday we hopped in the car and headed to Frankfurt, which is only about an hour away. We found Frankfurt to lack the same energy found in other European cities, perhaps because it rained frequently while we were in town. Saturday night, we went out to the traditional party area of Sachsenhausen, a short walk from our hotel. There, we were able to try some of the interesting local Frankfurt cuisine, from the Frankfurter sausages (actually not native to the city), to Frankfurter "Green Sauce," apple wine, and lastly, Handkaese mit Musik, which roughly translates to "hand cheese with music." The Green Sauce is often served on eggs, leading me to wonder if this is where Dr. Seuss got his Green Eggs and Ham reference.   Handkaese mit Musik is balls of hand-formed cheese with onions and vinegar on top. Frankfurter Apple Wine is often mixed with mineral water or lemonade and drank from ribbed or "Gerippte" glasses. We ordered a pitcher, or Bembel, and mixed it with lemonade. 

One of my favorite Kirchner's from the exhibit 

Sunday, before leaving, we visited two museums. First, we stopped off at the Staedel Museum and viewed the Ernst Ludwig Kirchner exhibit which was very good and surprised us both. The rest of the museum was closed off for renovation, but it is said to have some nice pieces. The second stop was Liebieghaus, a sculpture museum with ancient Egyptian artifacts.  We are beginning to wonder if there is anything left in Egypt!  


It was high time to explore our own backyard! Now onto more European cities...  Heidelberg and Frankfurt pics can be seen here.

Vienna is for dessert

Of course I can't travel to Vienna, the land of sugar and tortes, without reporting back as to what I indulged in! Here is a snapshot of all the sugary goodness I consumed in less than 30 hours...

Sacher Torte and coffee

My first Vienna sugar high occurred at the Demel Bakery, home of the Sacher Torte. The Sacher Torte is the most famous and controversial torte in all of Austria. Invented in 1832 and later made famous at the Demel Bakery, the torte is only available in Vienna, Salzberg and Bolzano, Italy. Don't be fooled by the "Original Sacher Torte" at Hotel Sacher, their torte is in fact not the original. (If  you click here, you'll see there is an extra layer of marmalade in the middle of the Hotel Sacher torte. This is what separates the two versions.)

The real Sacher Torte is incredibly delicious! A perfectly thin layer of marmalade lies under the top layer of fudge frosting. The chocolate cake is not too rich and combined with the unsweetened creme, it is a delight to eat! I was pleased with this visit, but had two more dessert missions to attend to.

The Imperial Torte and it's many layers 

We didn't have to go far for the next sugar fix, the Imperial Torte. This famous torte was invented right at our hotel in honor of the Emperor Franz Joseph I at the opening of the Hotel Imperial. This torte was very different from the Sacher Torte as it had several wafer like layers separating the milk chocolate cake, sort of like a Kit Kat. It was iced with a chocolate fondant and served with whipped creme and berries. Mmm, I could have eaten it all night!

Sunday morning we stopped at Tichy for "the most famous ice cream in all of Europe," or so they claim. (And who says ice cream isn't for breakfast?) The crowd at Tichy was out of hand, and I felt overwhelmed when it came time to order. Unable to read the German menu, I selected the chocolate powder covered ice cream ball and luckily for me, it was one of their specialties, the tartufo eis-busserl.

Justin's Tichy raspberry ice cream and my tartufo ball 

Ok, this ice cream ball was really delicious and all, but I've had some steller ice cream over here. Weather or not it was the best ice cream shoppe in Europe is up for debate, but I enjoyed every bite of my multi layered, hazelnut cream centered, chocolaty treat.

The hazelnut center of my ice cream ball

Vienna definitely has a handle on dessert! 

Amazing Vienna

I was so excited to see Vienna last weekend and our trip did not disappoint. Vienna is a spectacular city rich with almost 2500 years of history. We were blown away by it's beauty and by the sheer number of castles and immaculate architecture. With so many sights and so little time, regrettably we were unable to get through everything we wanted. But what we did see, was magnificent.

Schonbrunn Castle was the first castle we paid a visit to. This castle dates back to the 14th century and was used by the Habsburgs, the ruling dynasty of Vienna for almost 700 years, primarily for hunting and summer entertainment.  While we were somewhat unenthused by our expensive interior tour,  we were very impressed by the gardens which can be wandered for free.

A giant golden ball at the Hofburg Palace 

After the Schonbrunn Castle, we ventured deeper into Vienna and walked the grounds of the Hofburg Palace, also built by the Habsburg Dynasty. This enormous masterpiece sits in the heart of the Old City. Sadly the only room we toured was the Butterfly House. This is something we will definitely come back and explore more of.

Nat Geo style at the butterfly house 

Across the street from the Hofburg Palace is Museum Square. Since time was an issue, we chose to just tour the Kunsthistorisches Museum. It is such a cool museum. The Habsburgs must have robbed Egypt because they have a massive ancient Egyptian collection. Other collections include Greek/Roman/Estruscan History, Coins, old school Art and Jewels. The museums collection is so extensive, an entire day could easily be devoted there.

At night we went to the Naschmarkt for a leisurely dinner with excellent people watching. This area is an outdoor market with pop-up style restaurants and bars. Naschmarkt offers a fun atmosphere with really good, well priced international food. We selected a Mediterranean restaurant since Austria is mainly known for their pastries.

Our crazy beautiful hotel 

Post dinner, we headed back to the magnificent Imperial Hotel for a drink in the bar. We were fortunate enough to stay in this hotel that was built by Prince of Wurttemberg. The Prince never actually moved in and still remains in its original condition today.

On our last day in Vienna we stopped at the Belvedere Museum. The museum is in the former summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy and has breathtaking vistas of the city. It houses the largest and most significant Gustav Klimt collection in the world including his most famous painting, "The Kiss." It was so amazing to see in person especially since I had the poster throughout college. It is so awesome!

The Russian Monument near the Belvedere Museum 

Finally, we toured the Secession before the seven hour drive home. The Secession is where Klimt's Beethoven Frieze is (the murals are here, here and here). Klimt created the mural for the "Association of Visual Artist- Vienna Secession" which took place in 1902. The mural spanned three large walls and was definitely worth the trip to the Secession. However, the other art at the museum can be missed.

Vienna is a spectacular city and should be included on Euro trip itineraries. It is definitely our favorite stop so far and we hope to make it back there before our time abroad is complete.

See all our Vienna pictures here and look for my "sweet" Vienna post later this week.