Can I go back now?

All inclusive Mexico resort where I can have people bring me tropical adult beverages and guacamole that is freshly made each day?

Yes please.

Just because Tim Mahoney is a beast

I felt like sharing this photo today:

I took this at Pow Wow.  If I'm ever able to get that close again with my Nikon, the level of excitement within me would be indescribable. 

This was by far the most fun I think I've ever had in my entire life. 

Maybe this summer I'll get to meet the boys.  I've tried on multiple occasions but have come up short every time.  Always wrong place wrong time and sometimes only missing them by minutes according to other fans! 

Hopefully one day. 

2012 Summer Unity tour!  BRING IT.

We met Austin Powers in Germany. Sort of.

At last, the remaining images from my trip.  Difficult to believe that this time one month ago I was in Germany.  A month, already?  and how is it March?  I feel like it was just Christmas.  Whoever said time goes by quicker as you get older wasn't lying.  Or if time flies when you're having fun then I must be having a hell of a lot of fun!

Isn't that the goal in life? To have fun and make the most of it?  Yes, yes, and yes.

So, last time I wrote we were leaving Garmisch but I made an error in the timeline.  We did a brewery tour on our last night in Garmisch.  It was a group tour with people from our hotel and turned out to be great fun.  After a short bus ride to get to the brewery, we went inside and were met with all of this beautiful copper:

 
We then met our fabulous tour guide, Wolfgang:

Kate and I got a kick out of him because he was just really fun.  He explained the process of making the beer which, at the beginning of the tour, he mentioned there would be a test at the end.  We walked through, heard all about the process and had a sampling of a very interesting sweet beer.  It was served in a tiny mug the size of a shot glass and topped with whipped cream. 

After the tour part was done, we all had dinner right there in the brewery.  I didn't take more than a handful of photos in the brewery.  Mostly because it was a little chaotic with our tour group being all together for eating so we socialized a bit with the folks at our table.  During the trip, Kate had been wanting us to get some schweinebraten (a pork dish) because she told me it was quite good.  Lucky for us, they had it at the brewery so we both got it and I did enjoy it.  If you are wondering what it looks like, you can see photos of it here on another site I found with before, during, and after images of the cooking process.  The outer edges of the meat get crispy and it's very good. 

Oh, and there actually was a test on the brewing process.  Whoever had the most answered correctly, got a gift certificate to the brewery gift shop.  It wasn't me, but we all did get "diplomas" signed by Wolfgang that we completed the tour.  In the gift shop, I did pick up a glass stein and one of the tiny mug shot glasses along with a single serving of the sweet beer (that you top with the whipped cream) to bring home. 

The next morning we gathered our things and while waiting for our taxi, I took these in the hotel lobby:

There was a spot you could go up some stairs and lounge while enjoying the view through the hotel window:

We meant to relax up here with some coffee in the morning time, but didn't get the chance.  So just before we left was the first time I went up in this loft portion.  If I had known there was a piano up there, I would have probably tried to get away with playing it.

We said goodbye to the Edelweiss Resort and headed to the train station:

While we waited for our train, an older man started talking to us.  Kate and I both thought he was British, but he wasn't.  I don't recall where he said he was from, but he sounded like Austin Powers so for the rest of the trip Kate and I kept blurting out at random, "YEAH BABY! YEAH!!"

He definitely had the teeth to be Austin Powers, which is unfortunate for him.  At the time it would have been odd, but looking back I wish now that I would have taken a photo of him.

By the time we were back in Regensburg, it was later in the day but we took a bike ride to the Biomarkt for some things and I wanted to take some photos inside:

Always on the prowl for the all natural products.  It was interesting to see the Dr. Hauschka packaging in all German:

On my last day in Germany, we went back to downtown Regensburg and strolled around.  It was a great day.  Whenever I go someplace I really try to take in everything around me.  The narrow streets, intricate signs outside of shops, it was just as I had imagined in my head how it would look.  Seeing it right in front of me was surreal. 

Entering the downtown area:

We stopped for a cookie:

This made me miss my dog:

I went inside this cathedral which was just breathtaking:

It was time to stop for lunch where we warmed ourselves up with some red wine (Kate and I, not Jack).  We had a good time.  One of my favorite shots from the whole trip:

Then it was back out for some more perusing and I was in love with the light and texture as well as the intricate signs hanging outside of the shops:

I couldn't pass up some of the graffiti and random street art:

Passed by the window of an old record store:

and a quaint card and stationary shop that fashioned this decor on the outside of the entrance:

Note the outerwear.  This should indicate how cold it is.  Also, you can see the man's exhaled breath and no, he wasn't smoking:

I have a thing for bicycles:

and just as dusk started to approach, we were making our way out of downtown Regensburg:

Kate said this area is packed in the warm months with people drinking beer and having a good time.  I could imagine how lovely that might be but this time, it was a ghost town.  No one is drinking beer in an outdoor courtyard in 9 degree weather!  Nonetheless, it is still a beautiful sight:

So there you have it.  Germany through my eyes and lens.  It was amazing.  I would recommend anyone to visit.  On that note, if one chose to visit during the cold months, I would bring very warm gloves.  Freezing cold hands is not what you want when trying to shoot photographs.  The cold weather is tolerable if you have the appropriate gear--shout out to my North Face coat, the Metropolis Parka.  Totally worth the money. 

I was sad to say goodbye to Katie.  We were just starting to get into a rhythm of me being there and doing our thing.  If only I'd had another couple of weeks to stay.   

and this sweet little face.....I saved this one for the last photo because it was one of my favorites:

and with that, an appropriate sentiment and from one of my favorite films of all time:

So long, farewell

Auf Wiedersehen, goodnight

I hate to go and leave this pretty sight

 

Germany - Part 2

On my last entry, I left off just as we were going up in the cable car to the top of the Zugspitze.  So let's pick up from there. 

This is what we rode in:

and this is where it pulls in at the top:

Kate taking in the view:

There was some graffiti on an inside walkway where many people left their mark, and one especially appropriate sentiment:

Self portrait and some more from the top:

It was time to leave and I snapped a few on the way back down.  Someone skiied there:

It was quite an experience being up there.  Once we were back on land, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.  Sadly I don't recall the name of the place we went, but our server (who was from Italy), was kind enough to take a few shots of us in the restaurant.  Just outside the window there, we saw a woman ride by on a sled with sled dogs.  True story.  I couldn't get my camera out in time to get the shot though.  That was a frozen lake out there behind the fence which we probably could have skated on if 1.) we had skates, and 2.) if we hadn't been drinking prosecco.  Although, the prosecco may have made it even better.

The next day we spent some time in the Marienplatz, which is a quaint part of downtown Garmisch.  Many of the structures have very intricate paintings on them, both homes and shops:

There was this neat shop that had a ton of Christmas ornaments and all kinds of handcrafted items:

Can you tell we're related?  I didn't notice that we basically had the same stance until after these photos were taken:

We went to this place called Kronner's two days in a row because it's so good there.  Kate ordered this Cream Orange tea the first time and told me how amazing it was so after trying hers, I got it the second time we went.  I made sure to photograph the tea bag so I'd remember the name to be able to search for the tea back home or online.  They serve it to you on a tray with your own little teapot, tiny creamer receptacle, cup and saucer obviously, and this amazing sugar.  It's like rock candy but smaller and not on a stick.  The tea tastes like a creamsicle.  It is basically heaven in a tiny cup.

This is what we had for lunch that day.  Both things were very good and I am not much on sausage products but it's not the same type of processed gristle-filled meat as many of them are in the U.S.  That tiny condiment dish has fresh horseradish and it definitely was fresh...and strong!  I don't think my eyes have watered as much from eating something.  So good though.  Fun fact - butter is not served with bread automatically like it is here.  In fact, they charge you extra for it.  While a lot of the bread I had there was good without the butter (which, I guess that's how you know you have good bread?) I'm sorry....I still like it with butter.  Which reminds me of the butter pretzels that I loved...they were SO GOOD and ironically I did not take a single photo of one.  I was too busy eating it!

After a nice day walking around, it was getting to be dinner time so we said goodbye to the little shopping area to go back to the hotel.  A horsedrawn buggy went by and I at least got the rear view of it.  Pretty neat!

.....and so we said goodbye to downtown Garmisch! 

Next on the agenda was our brewery tour that evening which was great fun and I'm glad we did it!  I will be making that the start of the 3rd (and final) installment of my photos from Germany.  What a wonderful experience to have gone and seen all of this.  I hope you are enjoying the recap through my photos!