Belgium!

We just got back from our weekend trip to Belgium, and we had such a good time. Our first stop was Brussels. We didn’t really know what to expect, but it was definitely a cool city. Some parts have an old European vibe while others feel and look like New York City.

We really weren’t sure what there was to see in Brussels except the famous landmark statue, Manneken Pis, so we made sure to get a picture of us in front of that.

The Belgians even dress the statue up for special occasions. There is also a statue of a peeing girl and a peeing dog. After we saw that statue we were thirsty so we decided to head over to Le Roy’s pub in the Grand Place and get one of those fine Belgian beers.

The whole town of Brussels smells like fine chocolate and warm sugary waffles. We couldn’t walk 20 feet without finding another chocolate or waffle shop. I am pretty sure that we were in 5 chocolate shops in the first 30 minutes of getting there.

Once we had all the chocolate that we could handle, we took a short drive over to Brugge. There were probably even more chocolate shops in Brugge than there were in Brussels. We managed to find a place called ‘Bar Choc’ that offered 44 different kinds of hot chocolate. I had one with marshmallows, and Marissa had a dark chocolate one (obviously).

We also got a little shot of water, a small cup of pudding and some sugar cubes to go with our hot chocolate. I’m still not quite sure what all that stuff was for.

After we finished with the hot chocolate we went on a brewery tour of the only brewery that exists in Brugge.

Our tour guide Inge told us that these fermentation containers needed to be cleaned thoroughly, but the quality control experts that were supposed to clean them developed too much of a belly to fit inside. So they needed to hire 16 year old boys to climb in and clean them. Because of all the alcohol fumes they had to whistle while they were inside the vats cleaning (is that where whistle while you work came from?) so that once they passed out from the fumes someone could pull them out.

In between all of the beer drinking and chocolate eating, we managed to squeeze in a boat tour of the canals and a climb up to the top of the Bell Tower.

And no trip to Belgium would be complete without a little shopping.

Berchtesgaden!

In early August, our friends Kim and John invited us on a weekend getaway to Berchtesgaden, located in the German Bavarian Alps, near the Austrian border. John raved about how beautiful the area was so of course we had to see for ourselves! He wasn't kidding...


We started the first morning off with a hike up to Kehlsteinhaus, or Hitler's Eagle's Nest. Kehlsteinhaus was a retreat built for Hitler for his 50th birthday. He only visited about 10 times, and it is now a restaurant and big tourist attraction. The hike was really tough!! It was ALL uphill and took us an hour and a half but it was more than worth it.



We spent about two hours at the top, relaxing, taking pictures and enjoying the view. I am still trying to figure out why Hitler didn't come here more often!

After our hike we met up with Kim and John and took a boat ride on the Königssee, Germany's deepest and cleanest lake. The ride was slow and peaceful, and the captain provided colorful commentary in German. At a rock cliff half way through the trip, the first mate played a trumpet to demonstrate the echo. It was absolutely beautiful.



The boat took us to a church about a half hour up the lake where we got out to relax, dip our toes in the freezing cold water and enjoy some drinks in a biergarten. That night we all headed into Berchtesgaden for dinner and the Markt Fest (I swear there is *always* a festival going on nearby!).


The next morning we took the Jennerbahn (a chair lift) up the mountain for more spectacular views and some hiking before we headed back to Wiesbaden. I still can't believe we live in such an amazing place...

Cinque Terre, Italy

One of the major perks of living in Germany is the limitless opportunities for travel! We decided to take our first trip to Cinque Terre, Italy, to celebrate our 1 year anniversary (May was just too busy!) and my birthday. Cinque Terre or "The Five Lands" is made up of five beautiful villages along the coast of the Italian Riviera. The views are breathtaking, the hiking is endless, and the food is delizioso!
We started off each day with a hike to one of the five towns and then spent the rest of the day exploring, relaxing by the beach, and taking in the gorgeous scenery.
Pesto and focaccia bread originated in this region so we made sure to try both. We also tried a couple of their famous wines: vino delle Cinque Terre and Sciacchetrà. And of course, gelato - multiple times a day.
Here are some of our favorite pictures from the trip:

Riomaggiore

Taking a break during our hike

Boat ride back to Vernazza

Sampling some Sciacchetrà

We had an incredible trip!

Hallo from Deutschland!

We've been living in Germany for a little over two months now and thought a blog would be a great way to share our adventures with family and friends back home. Up to this point we have been extremely busy getting settled, becoming comfortable with our new jobs, and learning to navigate the Autobahn but we've still managed to experience quite a bit of German culture...

We have already been to a handful of German festivals, traveled to Cinque Terre, Italy, and Berchtesgaden in Southern Germany, and attended a wine tasting in the home of German winemakers.

We absolutely love living over here so far. Wiesbaden is a charming city full of amazing restaurants, beautiful architecture, and scenic parks. There is always something to do.
We found a great penthouse apartment overlooking the city and have made some great friends already. Trips to Belgium, London, and Oktoberfest are right around the corner, and we are really looking forward to the experiences and opportunities that await us in the next few years.

Tschuss! Auf Wiedersehen!