Berlin, en Allemagne!

Güten Tag from Germany!

This week we'll be on "holiday" in Germany and we rather like it here. Our hotel has been nice, we've found a number of interesting things to do, and we've eaten some good food.

One of my meals consisted of Sauerbraten, or pickled beef (pictured below), and tonight I had Wiener schnitzel. Wiener schnitzel is fried and muddled pork sausage. I had had it once before in Key Largo, and it was obviously much better here. The Schnitzel was served with jelly and lemon slices. It was served with a mixed salad of German slaw and lettuce.

As far as things to do, Berlin has a ton. Today, we did a walking tour of the underground where Cold War bunkers were. We went to a stop on the underground line (the U-Bahn) known as Pankstraße (or Pankstrasse). The station would have been sealed in with big lead doors, and the walls were lined with lead. Having travelled through that particular station, I can honestly tell you that you would not know that it was a bunker.

That's all for tonight. I'll talk to you later. Auf Wiedersehen!

À Londres!

Good morrow to all from London Town!
We are experiencing all the sights and sounds of the seat of the largest overseas empire in history. Last night, we did a “London Walks” Jack the Ripper tour, and it was incredibly informative and very interesting. If you come to London, I highly recommend the “London Walks” tours. If you never come to London, I suggest you read their website concerning the Jack the Ripper walking tour. It makes absolutely clear that they are not associated with a “middle aged man wearing the cardboard top hat.” Apparently, they have had problems with such a character.

Anyway, after the tour, we had a couple of burgers, walked to the tube station, saw Batman... You know, the usual London stuff. (I have no clue why the gentleman was dressed as Batman.)

That's today's short blog post from a Starbucks in London. There are many, many other adventures of which we are to write. (As well as a few travel tips from your favorite bloggers. Or maybe just us.)

I'll let Anna tell you about an evening at the Moulin Rouge!

(Encl.: picture of Anna with a cow. Because.... Just take the picture of Anna hugging a cow.)

Les travails

Bonjour à tous et toutes!

Today, I felt like giving a bit of my brilliant, insightful cultural analysis. Then I realized hat I could write this instead.

French people have a different view on life from Americans, as many will attest. This cultural departure includes their views on work. The French are proud of their jobs, regardless of how seemingly menial or insubstantial it may be.

I will give you an example: when we went to Normandy last weekend, we were asking our tour guide about why there was so much cow stuff. (There really was a TON of cow stuff. Anna was in heaven; she really likes cows.) She said that Normans just really love their cows, because that's where they make their living. Without the cows, there would be no Camembert cheese (again, they're very proud of their Camembert) and no milk. In fact, the cows are made extremely comfortable, because Norman farmers believe that a stressed cow doesn't make as high quality nor as much milk. (For all I know, this could be true.) This includes talking to the cows and occasionally allowing the cows into the house. Cows are highly regulated in Normandy; you can only have two cows per acre of land that they're on.

There are dozens of other examples. Every artisan (someone who sells their handmade products) that we buy things from seems to genuinely enjoy their craft. They are not snotty college students holding themselves over until they graduate from medical school so they can make more money. They are not someone who lost their job and had no other choice. These are people who have wanted nothing their entire lives but to live in their hometown and bake bread (or raise cows, wait tables, make cheese, press wine, etc.). As a result, they provide friendlier and better service (I have no idea what people are talking about with this "snobby French waiter" stereotype) and they genuinely enjoy what they do, day in and day out.

We should all take a lesson from the French and do what we love, regardless of the pay. We would all be much happier and healthier for it.

Now, because I don't like posting without a picture, I present for your viewing pleasure, an artsy, touched up shot of the statue on the Place de la Republique in Orléans.

Cathedral and weekend things

Information about the Cathedral can be found in Justin's earlier post in January. Enjoy the pictures!

Le Weekend

Last weekend, we stayed in Orléans (we will until we leave for our big trip to London and Berlin). But, we still had plenty of adventures. Saturday, we visited the cathedral in Orléans (see Justin's post in early January for the history of the Cathedral). I will add a post with my pictures from the cathedral.

For lunch on Saturday, we stopped at a restaurant on a corner near the apartment. It's a small place, very few people spoke English. We both had the plat and dessert with a glass of red wine.

Justin ordered the steak. I will let him tell you about his glorious steak. I ordered the lamb. I ordered the lamb "bloody" (medium-rare), and it was cooked to perfection. My lamb was served with mashed potatoes and carrots. The carrots were delicious! I have no idea how they were cooked, but they were tender and flavorful, without being overdone at all.

For dessert, Justin had crème brûlée.

My dessert...My dessert was a glorious, triumphant ending to a meal. It was an ice cream cake thing, served on top of a meringue, and a meringue was delicately placed on top and filled with raspberry sauce. The top was then covered with whipped cream. This dessert was everything ice cream wants to be. It's the grown up ice cream cake. You need this dessert. You must have this dessert. (we're probably taking Justin's parents to this restaurant when they visit. It was wonderful.)

We also had a "free" visit to the art museum in Orléans. After walking through the first two floors of the museum, we realized that A) I have an unhealthy obsession with food. I like food. I like pictures of food. I like reading about food. I like watching and preparing and eating food. B) We also realized that I have the attention span of a gnat when I don't get coffee. Justin took me to the restaurant by the cathedral. It was a giant tourist trap, and a special kind of hell that contains screaming children and teenagers. (but I got my coffee.)

On Sunday, we cleaned the apartment, and I made a sandwich for lunch. The sandwich is pictured in our new header, and was inspired by a train station cafe. I made a balsamic reduction, and we got fresh brie from the cheese lady in the market Friday night. I sliced the brie and put it on a split baguette with the balsamic reduction and some walnuts (after having a devil of a time cracking them). It was excellent! After we cleaned everything, we went for a walk. Somehow, we magically ended up at a cafe that serves ice cream. I have no idea how that happened, which means it must have been fate. I had an ice cream sundae with macarons. Did everyone get that?! ICE CREAM + MACARONS!!

If I had died in the instant after finishing that ice cream, it would all be worth it...

I also bought an evening gown that was supposed to be altered today, but I felt puny all day, so I slept instead. The gown is one shouldered and white. It's lovely!

Anniversary

Happy 34th anniversary to Anna Rikki's wonderful parents, Ricky and Tammy Nelson! I love you both, and I'm forever thankful for the support you've always given me!

Love you two very very much!

News

Also, I forgot to add. I can now watch Downton Abbey.