29 June 2010

Gone fishing

Prime fishing hole
Oberammergau, April 2010

Oh how absent I've been.  Life and obligations get in the way, but I'm still here.

This photo is for my dad.  I missed Father's Day this year.  Rather than calling home, I was navigating the Paris rail system.  But Dad is never far from my thoughts, as evidenced by this photo I snapped for him during a trip to Oberammergau this past April.  Being the man who taught me how to fish, I knew he would appreciate this glorious little spot.  The hole was filled with trout that aren't visible in the picture.  Oh what I would have given for a pole...and my dad standing next to me.

08 May 2010

Happy Mother's Day

Three generations
Schloss Hohenheim, November 2009

03 May 2010

Everybody Wang Chung tonight...

Tübingen, Germany, April 2010

23 April 2010

Too cold for a picnic


When we decided to go to Tübingen the other day, we thought we'd just pack a picnic and lunch in the town square.  The weather had been decent in the days preceding, so we figured it was a safe bet...until we got there and immediately changed our minds...it was downright cold.

And so we sought out a place to eat, stumbling almost immediately onto Alte Weinstube Göhner (Old Wine Bar Göhner).  Obviously a hangout for locals, it was small but welcoming.  And even though it didn't look like one, it reminded me of the 'mom & pop' diners I used to frequent as a child.  The owner greeted us with a smile and a hearty 'Grüß Gott'*.

The food was equally reminiscent of a diner, featuring regional Schwäbisch dishes. And although my Gaisburger Marsch (or what I affectionately call 'soup with meat and two starches') was not that great, the baked Maultaschen that my husband had was fabulous.  Plus, our son's schnitzel was really good, which is a gauge of a decent restaurant around here.  In the States, I measure a diner's worth with the quality of its hamburgers.  In Germany, I measure with schnitzel.

A far cry from the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches we had packed, the Alte Weinstube Göhner was a welcome discovery on our little walkabout...and sometimes those are the best type of discoveries.



* 'Grüß Gott', or 'greet god', is the common greeting in southern Germany, rather than 'hello' or 'good day'.



18 April 2010

Not-so-blue skies


As my husband remarked during our walk today - is it a cloud or is it ash?  I tend to think it's the latter since satellite pictures show the Icelandic spew is over us now.