Easter weekend in Innsbruck, Austria

March 25-28, 2016-

As the Bock beer fest in Germany and the Lenten season comes to an end the much anticipated Easter weekend is upon us. Jeremy and I awoke early on Good Friday and drove south, 3.5 hours from home, great easy drive through Regensburg and Munich. The town of Amberg was quiet when we left, rainy and desolate. We arrived to sunshine and beautiful scenery in Innsbruck. The town is set in a valley surrounded by the Northern Karwendel Alps, highest peak in the range reaching 2,334 meters or 7,657 feet Hafelekarspitze and the Patscherkofel and Serles to the south. Innsbruck is known for its winter sports, hosting the Winter Olympics in 1964, 1976, and 2012 as well as the Paralympics in 1984 and 1988.

Friday we settled in, had a wonderful quick Italian meal at Vapianos- one of our favorites in DC too! Then walked around the city sightseeing. We checked out the Dom St. Jakob. Saturday we woke up early, headed to the tourist information point and purchased the Innsbruck Card for 48 hours for 41 Euro, which is the best and cheapest way to see the city. With the card you have access to the hop on and hop off Sightseer bus, museum and sights entrance, city walking tour, Swarovski Kristallwelten and Crystal woods shuttle, and Up and downhill ride on any of Innsbruck's lifts. We started the day at the Breakfast club, excellent food, english menu, helpful and attentive staff, and fast service. I recommend the french toast or waffles! http://www.breakfast-club.at 

Then we hopped on the Sightseer bus to Ambras Castle, Schloss Ambras Innsbruck. A magnificent Renaissance castle surrounded by beautiful well maintained english gardens. It houses the world's oldest museum with armories, chamber of arts and curiosities, Spanish hall, Habsburg portrait gallery, and the Strasser collection of glass. The Archduke Ferdinand II, son of the Emperor Ferdinand I, converted Ambras Castle into a Renaissance palace, with its' famous collections. The Armories contain very rare examples of Emperor Maxmilian I's 15th Century tournament armour, famous 16th Century commanders' armour, and the Archduke's personal armour and weapons from the 30 Years' War. The important Habsburg patron collected valuable, rare, and unique pieces of nature and works of art in the Kunst and Wunderkammer room. The Spanish hall is one of the most important free standing halls of the Renaissance. www.schlossambras-innsbruck.at Although it was not Spring or summer to the outside gardens will still a sight to see and there were four peacocks roaming freely around the park- two males and two females, stunning. The property is massive and outside the garden gates there are many hiking trails with running streams and covered bridges along the winding paths.

Back on the hop on and hop off to the city center, they offer headphones and a tour guide as you travel. We did stop at the Tirol Panoramic and had 15 minute stop to take in the gorgeous panoramic view over the city. We did not have enough time to go into the museum which holds the famous Innsbruck Reisenrundgemalde, giant panoramic painting. This is the base of the Bergisel- Sprungstadion "Cobra" 50 meter high ski jump tower with restaurant with viewing platform, also with many hiking trails from this point.

Once in the city center we walked towards Congress to get on the Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen. Gondola, cable car ride to the top of the Alps- Hafelekar, with stops along the way at Seegrube, Hungerburg, Alpine Zoo, Lowerhaus. We first went all the way to the top since the weather was perfect with sunshine and the clouds have lifted above the Alps. We stepped off the gondola feeling the cold breeze in our faces, we bundled up and walked along the snowy path to the stunning lookout points along the icy, slippery, packed down trail. The snow peaked mountains in the distance were breathtaking.

After enough cold and wind we headed down to the next stop- Seegrube, still snow covered at 6,250 feet. The famous Cloud 9 Igloo bar with outdoor DJ and lounge chairs lined up along the terrace. The Seegrube restraunt with indoor/ outdoor setting and gorgeous panoramic views. We grabbed a chair and a beer taking in this moment and enjoying each others' company among many others enjoying the same day. Last stop for us was the Hungerburg located at 2,820 feet the snow was gone and we were able to hike down the paved trail from there. Passing the Alpine Zoo on the way, exotic animals and great setting but it was closed by the time we were headed down.

Dinner date at Ottoburg Restaurant in Old town. Romantic candlelit dinner, excellent food- German/ Austrian. Great historic setting near the Golden Roof. Excellent service, the staff were dressed in Dirndls. I had the deer stew and Jeremy ordered the steak, both delicious. We did try and find live music after dinner- stopping in the Piano Bar and the Pine. No live music, just one drink and then home. Another big day being tourist tomorrow!

Sunday we started by heading on the shuttle towards the Swarovski Crystal located in Wattens, Austria. The chamber of wonders and art in the garden were our highlights. We wished we would have gone through quicker and caught the shuttle back to Innsbruck instead of relaxing for 2 hours while basking in the sunshine waiting for the next shuttle. Definitely worth the trip just do not plan on staying 3 hours, 1 hour would be just fine so plan on the shuttle times.

Heading back to the City center we caught the 1400 City walking tour, which was so crowded and the tour guide does not talk the entire walk just at a few points. We branched off and did our own thing, headed first to the Golden Roof museum- Goldenes Dachl, we could have spent all day in this one museum. We were given audiotour guide and could walk around the museum at your own pace. Exhibitions about Emperor Maxmillian I during his reign and history of the Innsbruck emblem. Right next door the Stadtturm, which was closed over the winter months due to renovations. Normally you can go up the tower with unique views of the city and the mountains. The 15th century tower used to house a prison.

 

Next stop- Kaiserliche Hofburg. the Imperial palace with 25 imperial rooms from the 18th and 19th centuries with the Giant's Hall. The hall is the most magnificent festival and ceremony hall in the Alpine region. Very classy and elaborate palace with colorful rooms. The furniture and walls are both silk, showing stature and superiority.

Hofkirche, the Court Church houses the tomb of Emperor Maxmillian I and is lined with 28 bronze statues. Very unique church with the tomb right in the center of the church. Worth a visit. Next stop for Jeremy's love of art- Galerie im Taxispalais- Modern Art, international and local contemporary art. After a full day of sightseeing we stopped in for a beer at Tribaun, with a wide variety of local and European craft beers on tap. Very unique setting in a cellar with rustic tables and barstools. Highly suggest stopping in for a drink. We tried #4 Mountain Pale Ale local, #6 Brauschneider IPA local, #10 Framboise Lambik, sweet/ sour beer from Belgium and #15 XXX Weisse from Germany. Address- Museumstrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck. http://www.tribaun.com/ Dinner that night we had excellent Mexican food and margaritas at La Taqueria. On our way to the restaurant, we stumbled upon the Jesuitenkirche, the Jesuit Church, so sacred and unique indoors.

Monday we had an hour left on our Innsbruck cards so we walked to Stift Wilten, seeing the Kloster Wilten Monastery and hopped on the #6 tram to Igls. 10 minutes from Innsbruck this small ski town has everything one would need for an outdoor adventure weekend. Again, surrounded by Alps. This time a clear view of the Patcherkofel Olympic Alps. During the summer months of July and August you can take the cable car up to the top of the Olympic Alps and hike from hut to hut along the stone pine circuit. Since this was closed we hiked from Igls back to Innsbruck which was amazing in itself. 5.7 km roughly if headed in a straight line but we ventured off the course and took a path back towards the Ambras Castle since we did not have time to walk around the surrounding gardens. We then ate a late lunch at L'Osteria before heading back to Germany.

Incredible weekend getaway with drastic changes in scenery only a few hours away. We loved it and hope to come back, but we do have a long list of other places to visit first. When we are back we hope to check out Ludwig, burger restaurant, it was closed on the holiday weekend and the Olympic Alps up to Patscherkofelbahnen in the summertime.

Birthday in Nuremberg

March 14, 2016-

Andrea and I ventured to the Easter Market in Nuremberg by train from Amberg to Nuremberg is an easy commute with no transfers. We arrived right in the city center and headed to brunch at .. right next to the market. We were early so we saw them setting up the market for the day. The market was lined with stalls of homemade crafts and clothes and street food. I love the hand painted Easter eggs. As we walked down the aisles we were stopped by two broadcasters from the radio station asking if we would participate in their ready for spring shoot by dancing with them. Andrea and I looked at each other, then back- of course!! So fun, it was a beautiful sunshine filled day perfect for dancing! Check out the link- https://www.facebook.com/energynuernberg/videos/955645611196309/

After a fun filled day with Andrea I was home waiting for Jeremy. I was able to skype my parents on my birthday. So much love felt despite the actual miles that are between us. They are incredible parents and have taught me well, I love them dearly. They always make me feel special on my day as well as every day.

Dinner date with Jeremy in Amberg at Kupferphand'l Address- Herrnstrasse 20, 92224 Amberg. Best steak dinner outside of Nebraska! I had the steak with pear, cranberries, and cheese with potatoes and salad. Jeremy had the steak with mushroom sauce. A romantic setting with a candlelit dinner for 2 in a rustic booth. I felt like this day should never end. He is an amazing, caring, and thoughtful husband. He spoils me for sure!

Birthday weekend in Prague, Czech Republic

March 11-13, 2016-

Best birthday weekend ever in PRAGUE! Checked out a new city, new country with friends and my love, Jeremy. We spent the weekend, 2 nights in Prague. Found an air bed and breakfast right in Old town district, walking distance to everything. As we drove into the city on Friday you could feel the excitement in the car. Such a different feel from Germany, the city was alive with lots of activity. As we drove in, the trams are very dangerous and apparently do not stop for other cars and/ or pedestrians. There are parts of the streets that you share the road with the trams. We luckily made it to the apartment location, meet the person to get our keys then headed back to the parking garage. We did not need the car until Sunday!

We quickly settled in and headed out to enjoy the sunshine. We stumbled across an Ice Bar, which none of us have ever experienced so we decided to check it out. Small entrance fee gets you in for about 30 minutes plus includes one drink. Prior to entering the bar you put on a silver parka and black gloves. The entire room was made of ice and was a cold 8 C. We each had a drink and of course took many pictures. There were palm trees, frozen fruit in the ice, a shark sculpture ready to eat the entire ship, surf board with a ice wave,. We ordered our drinks, grapefruit for the girls and a beer for Jeremy. The drinks were served in an ice cube, carved out in the middle. Amazing, but yes definitely needed gloves for this drink! Happy for the experience, but we for sure were counting down at the end as our toes and hands were freezing. Would be great break from the heat in the summer. Check it out- http://www.icepubprague.cz/en/

We then walked towards Charles Bridge and went up the tower on the west end of the bridge. The sun had set by this time but we experienced incredible panoramic views of the city. The night was still, clear, and perfect to capture the natural beauty that the city holds. After climbing the stairs back to the Charles Bridge we walked around the corner to have dinner at Lokal. Excellent food and we were told the freshest Pilsner Urquell on tap, unfiltered local beer, only 38 Czk! Reservations are definitely needed, especially for dinner, but we waited while we had a glass of beer and luckily a table opened up. Call ahead for reservations and address- Dlouha 33, Prague 1, (+420) 222 316 265. Enjoy! After dinner we continued our walk to Old town square with the 600 year old Astronomical clock tower (Prague Orloj) dating back to 1410 and the oldest one still in operation, a show on the top of the hour every hour. Short but sweet, worth seeing. Also, in the square the Gothic Church of Our Lady before Tyn, dating back to the 14th Century. Despite the dark and late hour the square was filled with tourists and locals setting up the Easter Market. We heard live music and went to have a drink and dessert at Hotel U Prince. Excellent panoramic views of the city from their rooftop terrace. Next time we plan to eat on the terrace, over the winter they do have the terrace open but it is covered. The three man jazz band was excellent plus the cocktails and apple dessert with cinnamon ice-cream was delicious. We will be back here.

Saturday started with a delicious breakfast near Old Town square, Bottega, Italian inspired with delicious fresh fruit and unique chia yogurt parfait, plus excellent service. The Eggs Benedict was perfect. We found our breakfast spots for both Saturday and Sunday, Cafe Savoy, from this amazing, detailed blog- http://www.tasteofprague.com/pragueblog/best-breakfast-spots-in-prague

                               

I highly recommend the free walking tour of Old Town, New Town, Jewish Quarters. http://www.neweuropetours.eu/ 3.5 hour walking tour which was very historical, entertaining, and informative. Great details and insights on the city of Prague from a local, insider. Our tour guide studied in Prague. 

Dinner reservations at Las Adelitas at 1700 for 7 when we meet up with friends and celebrated my birthday with excellent Mexican food and margaritas! Highly suggest checking it out, address- Male Namesti 13, Prague 1- Old Town. www.lasadelitas.cz Pub crawl after dinner, stopping at the Easter market and a couple pubs with amazing live music- Irish pub near Old Town.

Sunday at Cafe Savoy did not disappoint, they are known for their teas and I have never seen such a wide variety of teas. I had a lavender tea, I love lavender! The french toast with fresh fruit was delicious. 

After breakfast we left Prague headed for PILSEN. Beer spa reservations at noon! Loved every minute of this experience, huge wooden baths filled with beer and minerals plus a never ending tap right next to your own tub. So relaxing and great company! The doors do open between the baths if you wish to chat with one another. Reservations needed. http://pilsenbeerspa.cz/index.php/en/beer-spa After relaxing in beer we figured we would be informed about the beer, a 100 minute tour in English at the Pilsen Urquell brwery at 1445. Very informative and we had dinner after the tour in the Brewery, large variety menu with all excellent dishes. http://www.prazdrojvisit.cz/en/tours/

Venice, Murano, and Burano Italy Excursion

February 24-28, 2016-

VENICE- My first overnight train ride was on the way to Venice, Italy! I boarded the train in Amberg to Munich like I have done a dozen times but this time I brought a pillow and blanket for the long overnight ride, 2300 to 0800 waking up in Venice. It was a smooth train ride and I was able to get some rest allowing me a full tourist day once I arrived on the Island. There are two train stops in Venice, one on the mainland- Mestre and the second on the Island of Venice- Santa Lucia. I booked an Air bnb apartment on the island which was only a 10-15 minute walk from the train station. The place was excellent, perfect location, comfortable, and clean. I was met with sunshine and lots of tourist on my first day in the city. I loved the city, although Carnival had just ended the city revolves around Carnival finding lines of shops and market stalls selling masks

I dropped my belongings and freshened up for the day before heading back to the mainland, Mestre, to meet my Aunt Virginia and Uncle Joe who were flying in from the states. I was eagerly anticipating their noon arrival since I have now been in Germany for 5 months and excited to have family visit me! I have never been to Venice plus they were going to spend the next 2 days there. They had a 10 day tour of Italy through their St. Johns, Creighton University. I was meeting them at the beginning of their journey. I knew they would be exhausted but they had free time before dinner so we planned to walk around the area near their hotel. The Mestre is mainly hotels, restaurants, and shops. We did walk to the centrum, city center, with a old town feel and cute historical restored houses and shops along the way. Our reunion was joyous, I was so happy to have them close to me. We ate lunch together, paninis and pizza, excellent little cafe near the hotel then continued walking stumbling across old churches and buildings. I was able to stay for dinner since some of the people on the scheduled tour had not arrived yet. We were served an amazing three course meal, starting with a mushroom and chicken pasta as an appetizer, then main entree veal, vegetables, and rice, plus dessert and a glass of red wine. We were all exhausted and parted ways after dinner. It was an easy commute for me between Mestre and Lucia. They had a guided tour on the Venice Island Friday which was the entire day and I was included in. We met at Santa Maria dei Miracoli 1000 for mass performed by the Pastor of St. Johns. Cute, historical old church dating back to the 1600's. From their we started the guided tour, weaving through the narrow winding streets of Venice, taking a boat a couple times for the longer walking distances. We toured Doge's Palace, Basilica de San Marco, St. Mark's Square in the morning. breaking for a lunch break and exploring on your own for a couple hours. Meeting up again to see the Lace Factory near the Museo Correr and the Glass Blowing, both near St. Mark's square. I was amazed by both and the detail with the lace, all handmade, hand stitched. The glass blowing is working with extremely high temperatures and the artist can make a glass object within minutes, shocking. So cool. 

After the tour we walked down one of the many streets of St. Mark's square and they again included me for dinner at a local Pizza restaurant. Again a 3 course meal included lasagna as a started, entree, and the best Tiramisu ever! A sad goodbye at the end of dinner, as my Aunt and Uncle continued on their Italian adventure and I stayed the rest of the weekend in Venice. It was an incredible full 2 days with both of them and their friends, tour group were so including and welcoming to me. I was extremely lucky and fortunate to have been able to plan this trip. Jeremy was in the field for a training exercise the entire 10 days they were in Italy so I traveled to see them alone. I enjoyed the rest of the weekend, touring both Murano, the Glass Island, and Burano, the vibrant colored houses and Lace Island. and of course walking around more of Venice that I had not seen. I loved the Rialto Bridge, although yes it was covered by scaffolding. The Rialto Markets- fish and vegetable/ fruit markets. My favorite little restaurants to grab a lunch or dinner snack would be- Cichetti. Al Bottego 992 Dorsoduro district, Cantina de Mori 429 S. Polo district near the Rialto fish market. I would like to try Osterio All Arco 436 in S. Polo too but it was closed when I walked by. The highest point on the Island is in Dosoduro and great panoramic views from across the Grand Canal of St. Mark's Square. On the way to this point stop by the Guggenheim Gallery 701 and The Saint Maria De Salute Church is also worth a visit! Gorgeous both inside and outside. 

MURANO- Easy commute with a 24 hour ticket that covers all public boat transportation. From Venice the boat took about 30 minutes to arrive at Murano. First stop Colonna, exit the boat and go left towards the Glass Factory where they demonstrate three different glass blowing objects. Amazing! Secondly, I went to the Basilica dei Santi Maria de Donato. I could spend all day in this church. The tile on the floors were amazing. Each one unique and part of a whole design. Cheisa de San Peitro Martire, 1437. Campo Santo Stefano with a massive blue Murano glass structure in front of this 19th century clock-tower. From Murano to Burano at Faro stop, line 12.

BURANO- Quick commute from Murano to Burano, at the port I walked straight down the narrow pathway with shops on both sides. This island is known as, the Lace Island. The island is a fisherman's island, so the sailors' were able to locate this island as opposed to the hundreds of others by the vibrant colors that one can see from miles away. Since this island revolves around fishing, the women started learning to mend/ sew by repairing their fisherman's net. This later expanded to more elaborate design with the lace doilies, runners, table mats. Each one handcrafted and stitched with elaborate detail and now days with colors. Things to see- La Perla- lace shop on Main street with all items handmade. via Galuppi 375. Scuola del Merletto- Lace museum and lace demonstrations, the Queen Margheritas' lace gown that she wore is on exhibit in the museum. San Francesco del Deserto Church only open to tourists from 9-10 am and 3-5 pm.

Bavarian Ski Club trip to Dolomites, Italy

February 2016-

Our 4 day adventure to the Italian Alps with the Bavarian Ski Club! We were invited to the club from our neighbors and friends, Eric and Bianca Davis. We boarded the double-decker bus on Friday headed to Italy, beer and sandwiches were provided on the bus. The trip went quickly as we chatted with new friends and had a few beers. We arrived in Trenton late that evening, checking into the hotel and then headed to bed since we had an early morning and full thee days of skiing ahead of us. The first day of skiing we went to the Kronplatz. Dinner was included with the ski club and we all ate together back at the lodging. The food was amazing and very filling. Valentine's day was spent on the slopes in Sella Ronda, a very unique mountain that you ski down and lift up and around this massive rock structure in a circle. Very amazing, although overcast and snow kept us from the stunning views of Sella Ronda. " Skiing in the dreamlike background of the Ladin valleys" Back in the day when there were only poor roads and no lifts, the Sella Mountains could be covered on skis. Since then the name of the Sella Ronda name stuck connecting the inhabitants of the surrounding Dolomite area. Ladin is the local language spoken there. Very unique ski routes encountering wooded area, rocky mountain peaks, snowy landscapes, and fresh powder. Jeremy did an amazing job skiing and we stayed together the entire weekend. It was a romantic Valentine's day getaway to Italy, enjoying some of our favorites- skiing, pasta, wine, and snow!

Vampire Ball in Heidelberg, Germany

February 6-7, 2016-

Road trip to Heidelberg with Jeremy, Eric, Bianca, and Shawn. Great group making the car ride fly by as the anticipation of visiting another new city built! The Vampire ball was the main event Saturday night, costumes packed and tickets bought we still had time before the ball that day to explore the city of Heidelberg. New to us, but Bianca and Eric had lived there for 7 years so definitively were awesome tour guides for us. Once we arrived, we settled in to Hotel Zur Alten Brucke and then set out to walk the town. The sunshine was out and the city was hopping. Heidelberg is a popular tourist destination due to its romantic and picturesque city skyline, including Heidelberg Castle and the baroque style old town. Also, home to the oldest University, dating back to the 17th Century but due to the bombing during the war was rebuilt in the 18th Century. We stayed right in Old town next to the Alte Brucke, the old bridge, a beautiful 18th Century bridge with towers on the end referred to as the "student jail". Built as long ago as the 16th Century, it was used to keep mischievous students of the streets for three days to a month at a time. Now days the student with the best grades is selected to stay there for the semester.

We had delicious Korean food for lunch. I did love the wide variety of foods that Heidelberg has to offer, versus the standard German, Italian of Amberg. After exploring for the day we went to dinner at Palmbrau Gasse, excellent German food and beer. http://palmbraeugasse.de/en/

The Ball of the Vampires (Ball der Vampire) is the celebration of Fasching, Germany's Mardi Gras or Carnival. The historic Congress building, Kongresshaus Stadthalle Heidelberg, was the perfect, eerie, spooky setting for the ball with a maze of different rooms featuring a live band in each one. Dancing and drinks were flowing. We had a wonderful time with a fun group of people to celebrate the night with. After the ball we stopped in a couple bars on our short walk back to the hotel. 

The next day we went to breakfast and then walked the ridge with panoramic views of the city, the ridge walk is called Philosophenweg Heidelberg. The trail is paved and very well marked. Many stopping points with benches along the way. Incredible, breath taking, and stunning views. 

Near the river, Neckar, on the North side of the Old Bridge there is a really cool monument, the Heidelberger Liebesstein, made of Odenwald stone. We put our heads through and people have added locks on either end proclaiming their love for forever.  As the legend goes, couples can fix an engraved lock to the stone to seal their eternal love for one another. According to the old tradition, couples close the lock together and throw the key into the river. If you look through the love stone you can see the romantic landmark of the city- the Heidelberg Castle!http://www.heidelberg-marketing.de/en/experience/sights/liebesstein

We tried our first Bock beer of the season at Kulturbrauerei Brewery right in Old town before heading back to Amberg. They renovated the old Schaaf brewery resulting in a great mix of the old brew-house and new modern day brewery. The building has also been turned into a hotel and restaurant. http://www.heidelberger-kulturbrauerei.de/en/ We will be back to this gorgeous city!