Five on Friday

Hey hey! Happy Friday! I'm very thankful the long weekend has arrived!  As always, thanks to the hosts a.liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness and the good life blog!

{one}

I had work meetings in Dallas all day, but on our way back Southbound 35, my boss suggested we stop at Baylor for a walk around campus so we don't hit Austin traffic. I was more than happy to give him a tour-being back there always brings back such great memories! I also stocked up on some new Baylor shirts and accessories. I realized I haven't updated my Baylor wardrobe since college!

{two}

One of my favorite parts of spring is the tree that blooms right in front of my apt window.  It only lasts a couple of weeks but it's one of my favorite parts of spring! I love the pink blooms which looks even more gorgeous against the cloudless blue sky we had this week!

{three}

Speaking of blooms, I've stocked up on some fresh flowers this week! Randalls and Trader Joe's had some good deals including two of my absolute favorite blooms-hydrangeas and peonies! Only one peony is blooming now-last time I bought them before blooming, they just died. Keeping my fingers crossed this time around goes a bit better!

{four}

For my Texas friends, don't forget to go vote in the primary run-off election! It's definitely a big one that will change the direction of our state for our kids and future grandkids. Tuesday is Election Day and you can find your voting location here! Doesn't matter how you believe the direction of our state should go, just go vote! Same message to those of you in other states--I promise your vote matters!!

{five}

Here's my weekly theSkimm pitch! If your looking for a witty and quick way go read the days top stories, sign up here today! I guarantee you will not be disappointed--it will be your new morning addiction!  Sign up here!  

Have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend! xo!

Munich!

And we've finally arrived at the third and final installment of Eurotrip 2014 {read part 1, London, and part 2, Amsterdam}

Our final destination of the trip was Munich.  I WANT TO GO BACK SO BADLY!  I wish we had decided to stay there an extra day -- although I think we made a good decision to fly back on Saturday instead of Sunday to give us a day to rest before returning to work.

Munich is AMAZING -- there's still SO much I wanted to see!  But first....the train ride of a lifetime that will never be happening again.  For those of you that have had great overnight train travel through Europe experiences...congratulations!  Honestly, our experience wasn't that bad, definitely could have been worse, but it just wasn't at all what we had expected.

We left Amsterdam around 8:30pm as the only people on the sleeper section of the train.  It was a bit eerie, but we had some fun taking photos and being goofy.  There was no wi-fi -- which sounds so first-world problem of me to say -- but we wanted to watch some Netflix to pass the time!  We were keeping our fingers crossed we didn't have to share our cart with anyone else.  About an hour into it and the final stop in the Netherlands, a young man around our age joined us.  We lucked out -- he was extremely nice and chatted with us for a while.  He had missed his flight to Austria for work and decided to just take the train instead.  He and Scott grabbed some beers and I continued to hole up on my top bunk terrified to leave it {although I was sucked into the end of Where'd You Go, Bernadette -- I HIGHLY recommend it. It's a quick, witty read.  Great for summer poolside.}  As we reach the German border, a lady around our age as well joined us to make 4 close-quartered sleeping buddies for the night.  She was also very nice and she translated for us as the train conductors spoke in German and the border patrol came around to check our passports.  Sleep that night was touch and go -- the train would slam to a stop at every stop, and the bunks were so tiny -- at 5'3" even I was too tall.  Some genius at 3am decided to smoke which then set off the fire alarm causing the train to slam to a stop.  So that was fun.  We finally arrived in Munich around 7:30am. After saying our goodbyes to our bunk-mates, we grabbed a cab to our hotel, Ambiance Rivoli.  It was a bit out of the city, but was right next to a subway stop -- only 4 stops from the center of the city -- and was very nice.  Since it was too early to check-in {although I was in desperate need of a power nap and a shower} we walked down to a cafe and grabbed some coffee and a little bit of breakfast.  The hotel was kind enough to hold our luggage while we waited.  Around 10:30am, we checked into our room and immediately took an hour nap.  Then it was time to freshen up and grab some lunch!  Since we only had one day to really explore Munich, we took the subway down to Marienplatz, Munich's town center, to wander around.  We grabbed lunch at a really popular looking restaurant -- which turns out was famous as the table of Americans next to us informed us.  The day couldn't have been more perfect.  The sky was bluer than I had ever seen it, the sun was shining and the temp in the low 70's.  After filling up on beer, sausage and the best potato salad ever -- we walked around and did some shopping.  This area had everything from H&M's all the way to the typical designer stuff I could never afford {at least in this year of my life!}.  We also saw some amazing architecture.

After an afternoon of wandering, we ventured back to the hotel to freshen up for an evening of beergarden tours.  Earlier, while we were waiting for our room to be ready, I was reading all the fun, touristy brochures in the lobby.  I found one that takes you to 4 out of the ordinary beergardens around Munich -- and for only 15 euro a person.  I finally convinced Scott that we should go -- and it turns out that it was one of the highlights of the entire trip!

We met the group at the train station around 6pm.  Our guide was Martin -- a German guy in his early 20s. The rest of the group included 3 students from Wisconsin, a couple from New Zealand and another girl from New Zealand that had just moved to Europe {after living in the states for a while, she decided we worked too hard...} and another girl from Canada that was studying in Europe.  We grabbed our first beer -- a roadie -- and sipped on it while traveling to the first beergarden.  In Germany, you can walk around with beer -- even take it on the subway {although you can't drink it while the train is moving} -- so that made this tour very convenient.  The first stop was at Paulaner -- they sell this in the states, too.  It was so good and I've become a huge fan of all hefeweizen beers!  We had a blast talking with others about our different cultures and just random quirks we all have from all over the world.  The next 3 stops are a bit fuzzy..as you can tell from the photos - and these below are the most normal looking of all.  The beers were great and the company was great -- we all loved each other by the end.  While traveling to the final stop on the train, our guide was telling us to all stay together.  Scott, trying to take charge, raises his hand to gather the group.  Martin, our guide, walks over and says, "we haven't done that since '45." and we all die laughing awkwardly.  Martin also informed us that the tour was supposed to be over at 10pm -- and it was already 10:30pm. We hadn't even made it to the final destination, which made us a pretty fun group and it was time he could start drinking with us.  I kindly gave him my jager shot and half of my beer to close out the night.  After almost 4 liters of beer, I couldn't {and didn't} need anymore!  I'm not usually a big drinker these days -- but I let loose and whoaaaaa did I feel it the next day!  Scott and I left around 11pm and while it was a bit spotty back to the hotel, but we managed to make it safe and sound.

The next morning when we finally decided to move, we went to rent a car to drive out to the Alps to visit Neuschwanstein.  Scott had a blast driving on the autobahn and I took in the scenery.  It was GORGEOUS!  About an hour and a half later, we finally arrived {after figuring out how to turn our GPS from German to English...} -- unfortunately tours were done for the day but the bus was still running up the hill for photos and to walk around the outside of the castle.  It was seriously breathtaking up there.  I can't even put it into words.  If you go, make sure to wear comfy shoes.  Flats were fine, but I wish I had worn some running shoes -- there were some fun looking trails to explore!  We took the bus up, but decided to walk the mile down the hill.  Again, it was just breathtaking.

One of the contract workers in my office grew up on the US Army base near Munich and used to vacation in that area so she told us about this little ski town {Garmisch-Partenkirchen} nearby that we HAD to go check out.  So we decided to drive through there on our way back.  The road took us on the border road between Germany and Austria and straight through the mountains.  Again, no words.  Gorgeous.  The town was adorable, too, but we decided to keep trekking back to Munich to eat at the famous Hofbrauhaus.   

After returning the rental car, we made it to dinner.  The Hofbrauhaus place is HUGE!  We enjoyed the live music as we searched for a table that we finally found in the very back room -- randomly right by the Wisconsin students from our group the night before!  We found out that everyone had stayed up until 3am {um, what?  I could barely function at 11pm....} although they couldn't recall too many details, ha.  We ate pretzels, sausage, potato salad and drank more beer until we couldn't anymore. 

By that time, we headed back to the hotel to gather our things to leave bright and early for the flight back to the states.

Eurotrip 2014 was a complete success and I absolutely cannot wait to plan our next trip back -- Italy, France, Spain??  The list is too long!

Five on Friday

Hey y'all!  Happy Friday!  As always, thanks to the hosts a.liz adventures, carolina charm, hello! happiness and the good life blog!  

{one}
After a long week with something to do every night this week, I'm looking forward to a relaxing Friday night catching up on laundry and the season finales of most of my favorite shows.  Preparing to cry during the Grey's Anatomy finale {yep, I most definitely still watch it!} as Cristina leaves!  The rest of my weekend consists of some fun family time and enjoying the warm sunshine weather before it gets too hot!

{two}

One of the highlights of this week was getting to go to the Governor's mansion for the first time!  It was a small gathering for his A&M scholarship fund, but I was just excited to see what the inside looked like!  It was very pretty -- but just as you'd expect from an old historic building.  As we were first arriving, his new puppy was running around the yard and he was having to go get it to bring it back into the house.  It made me laugh at how normal he actually is!  You forget these things sometimes.  The puppy was adorable, too!

{three}

I finished my Junior League of Austin provisional year!  It was definitely a crazy busy year, but I've learned so much about our community and the programs we help with.  I can't wait until the fall as my placement begins with the Sustainable Food Center.  I'll be working the tasting booth at their farmer's market Saturday mornings!  I get to gather samples from all the booths and let the shoppers have a taste of all the different products -- which means I'll also get to do some sampling. :)  Looking forward to doing some shopping myself and having fresh fruits and veggies all year!

{four}

Did you participate in theSkimm day yesterday?  If not, you still can!  Sign up here!

As someone that works in PR, I tend to focus on state and my client's industry news -- this is the perfect way to read all about what is going on in the US & the world in a smart, quick and witty way.  

Ryan Gosling wants you to.  

{five}

I spent a little too much time this week taking Buzzfeed quizzes.  Those things suck you in! Here are a few of my faves:

Which Mario Kart Character Should You Actually Play With?  (Wario)

Which Hunger Games District Do You Belong In?  (District 10...)

Which Game of Thrones Character Are You?  (Daenerys Targaryen.  Duh.)

Which London Underground Station Are You?  (Camden Town -- can't say I've been to that stop before!)

Which TV Friend Group Do You Belong In?    (How I Met Your Mother.  I guess I should add that to the list of shows to start watching!)


Have a great weekend!

Happy Skimm Day!

It's Skimm Day!  New to theSkimm?  It's a free newsletter that arrives in your inbox at 6am M-F, covers all news – Ukraine to George Clooney getting hitched – in a smart, witty way and gives what you need to jump into any conversation. Basically – they read, you Skimm.  It has become my morning addition -- I've even joined theSkimm team as a Super Skimm'bassador to help spread the word about this goodness.

Even though I work in PR, I tend to spend my day focusing on state news and industry news for my clients.  This is the perfect way to quickly know what's going on around the country and the world.  This is a newsletter you'll actually read!

It's also National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day -- so grab a cookie and sign up for theSkimm!

Sign up today!  I know Ryan Gosling agrees.

Amsterdam!

Part two of Eurotrip 2014:

We left London early the next morning to catch a train to Brussels and then switch trains to Amsterdam. After accidentally getting off in the middle of no where France....we jumped on a different train {thank you understanding conductor!} and made it just in time to Brussels to catch our correct train to Amsterdam.

We arrived mid-afternoon and went straight to the hotel, Boutique Hotel View, to check-in.  The lady that owned the hotel was SO nice!  Her other job is to work as a stage hand for all the concerts that come through the city.  Apparently Beyonce was performing while we were there, and she was looking for additional hands.  Maybe next time. Ha.  She showed us pics from past performances with Lady Gaga, Madonna...you name it, she's probably met them.  After refreshing in our third floor room, with the steepest stairs I've ever seen and no elevator, we refreshed and decided to get familiar with the city.

Amsterdam was definitely not what I expected it to be.  I loved it, but the whole feel of the city was so different than anywhere else I had been in Europe.  The architecture was so different and it was a much more quiet.  The overcast skies and weather in the 40's probably didn't help much, but it felt as if we were transported back to the 1940s.  We stopped at a pub for a quick snack and some drinks.  I had my first rose beer and it was quite tasty!  The pub owner was so great and brought us some authentic dutch food to try.  It was a winner!  

While walking around the Jordaan neighborhood, we came across  one of those touristy canal tours - clearly, that was our next stop!  The guide showed us some landmarks around the city and we got to admire the city from the water.  Boats and bicycles are the way to travel in that city -- although there are cars, but definitely not quite as many as you'd expect in a city.  

The tour ended near the Anne Frank house -- which we heard has a long line each day.  Since it was an hour before it closed, and there was no line, we decided we'd take advantage of that!  It was sooooo surreal being there.  The bottom floors, where her father's shop was, is now the museum entrance/gift shop/etc.  Then you climb some steep stairs to enter the living quarters.  The bookshelf is still there...the photos on Anne's wall are still there...the height chart for Anne and her sister is still on the wall.  Her father was happy to turn the house into a museum, under the condition it wasn't staged like it originally was.  All the rooms are empty but there are photos of how the rooms looked while they lived there.  There are also videos from different documentaries playing that go along with where you are in the house. 

{I took this later in the week while it was light out.  The top 3 floors is where they lived and still have the blackout curtains on the windows.}

 By the time we finished the tour, it was dark and time for dinner!  We weren't really familiar with the area still so we found a restaurant, Spanjer van Twist, that was filled with people -- we knew the food would be good and we were right!  We had some red wine, mint and lemon infused water to start.  I ended up getting homemade cheese ravioli and Scott had an amazing dutch steak with frites (and garlic mayo to dip!) 

{we had a dinner guest!  Cats are everywhere in this city...}

After stuffing ourselves, we decided it was time to call it an early night and rest up for the next day!

The next morning we woke and walked around the corner to the Starbucks to grab some coffee and use the free wi-fi for a bit.  Next thing we knew, it was lunch time and we walked over to the Pancake Bakery.  It was incredible.  It was such a tiny place, you walk down some stairs and it's all underground and dark.  We decided to split a crepe -- ham, cheese & onion and a bowl of french onion soup.  The crepes were bigger than the plate and it was probably my favorite meal of the entire trip!  On their menu, there was an entire section of crepes from different countries.  I laughed out loud when I saw what they created for the American crepe...

We decided to spend the afternoon out of the city and attempt to see the tulip fields.  Unfortunately, we missed the opening of tulip season by a couple of days, but took the train out to Leiden and give it a try!  The towns outside of the city are so quaint and adorable!  We found a nice cab driver who tried to get us a sneak peek into the tulip garden, but without any luck, we drove around to some of the private fields again with no luck.  We had barely missed it!  We did see some gorgeous daffodil fields though.  Before we headed back to the city, we walked around Leiden -- saw some windmills, did a little shopping.  

When we arrived back into the city, there was a torrential downpour.  The train station was on the complete opposite side of the city from where we were staying -- and we had no umbrella!  We made a run for it, and ended up stumbling upon the restaurant, Winkel, I wanted to go to for dinner that night!  We popped in and enjoyed happy hour and dinner.  It was a great break from the rain and got to enjoy some great fish and dutch apps! 

While walking back towards our hotel, we finally found where people hang out at night!  And itw as only a couple blocks behind our hotel!  We found several bars/restaurants with the typical European outdoor seating.  We chose a wine bar and sat outside under the heaters, and they brought us some blankets to wrap up in.

The last day we had to check out of the hotel around 11 although our train to Munich wasn't leaving until that evening.  The lady was kind enough to let us store our luggage in the lobby until it was time to leave.  We hit up Starbucks again and then attempted to find a deli for lunch before our cheese tasting class.  After getting lost (the streets are circular...you think you're going straight but then you aren't and are on the other side of the city!) we just headed over to where the cheese tasting class was being held.  Turns out it was in the city centre and there was even more of Amsterdam we had yet to explore!  

We picked a little cafe and quickly ate a sandwich before walking over to Reypenaer for our class.  This was SO fun!  If you're ever in Amsterdam, you have to go here!  The class was about 20 people and our teacher was young and hilarious. Cheese tasting is similar to wine tasting -- smell it, taste it, try to figure out what flavors are in it. We tried all kinds of cheese -- the white ones were my favorite.  I'd like to think I was the best student in the class because I answered correctly first most of the time. :)  We left with 4 blocks of cheese and the "guillotine" cheese cutter.  It was pretty awesome, and now that we're back, we've already used it a number of times!  

{with our teacher!  he loved the fact we were from Texas.  When we told him specifically Austin, he said he heard that's like the Europe of Texas and he wants to visit sometime!}

While over in that area of the city, we took advantage of some souvenir shopping and walked around the rest of the city we hadn't seen yet, including the famous red light district.  It wasn't that exciting during the day time hours.  Before heading to the train station, we headed to the Wagamama near our hotel to grab an early dinner.  Wagamama was one of my favorite places to eat when I was in London during college and we didn't have enough time to eat there earlier in the week. I was thrilled when there was one in Amsterdam right by our hotel and Scott loved it, too!  

We then collected our things and headed to the train station to catch the overnight {and unforgettable} train to Munich!

Part 3 coming soon!