Adventures in Überlingen

Everywhere we went, there were boats lined up on the Bodensee.  This was taken while we were waiting for a ferry to Überlingen. 

 

Überlingen was by far my favorite town.  As you can see below, there was a main shopping street with a bit of character.  It was also the only town that we stopped at (aside from Konstanz) that had a boardwalk on the Bodensee.  We ended up eating dinner right next to the walking path, and with a great view of the Lake.

 A story about Brot:  The restaurant that we had dinner at (I believe it was called Anna's Cafe)  did not have English menus.  This was typical for 2/3 of the restaurants we looked at.  This was our 6th day of our German-speaking vacation, so we recognized some words.  Our waitress at Anna's was nice, but we didn't want her to translate the menu for us.  We knew that Pff***** was the word for mushrooms, mit means with, kartoff is potato, etc.  We saw "Ensalat mit Brot" and we both had Bratwurst on the brain.  What would be better than a Bratwurst salad??!  Surely "Brot" was a shortened version of "Bratwurst."  Maybe it was in small patties instead of the traditional hot dog shape.  Needless to say, Brot is bread in German, it has nothing to do with Brats.  (And do you notice the o vs a?  We did not.)  Regardless of our mix-up, the salads were great and was a good change from the massive carbs and fats that we loaded on from spaeztle, brats, schnitzels, etc.

We watched the Sunset over the Bodensee (Lake).  The best part is that we could hear a 2 man band sing their songs at a nearby restaurant.  Their melody was the same for every song, but they used English lyrics from songs from the 90s, including a song about the Appalachian Mountains, one about the US South, and I think a Texas song.  It was fun to sing along.

Biking Tour days 1&2: Reichenau and Öhningen

It took us two detours until we realized that there was a bike path (usually separated from the road) that ran all around the Lake.  This is the trail we took to get to Reichenau: there were marshes on both sides of the road, and it was a GREAT location for a first day!

Reichenau was picturesque to say the least.  It is 4.5 km x 1.5 km, has only 5000 residence, and its bike paths took us past all/most of the gardens and green houses.  Most plots of farmland had an amazing view of the Lake.

We then took a boat from Reichenau to eventually get to our final destination of Öhningen.  Below is a picture of the houses across the street from our hotel (which was really like a B&B).  The yellow house had its door open the whole time we ate dinner (alfresco in the front of the hotel) and had a puppy running in & out.  The one thing I could not take pictures of was the fact that Öhningen is on top of a steep hill.  The battery on my bike was well-used while going up a series of hills.     

 The next day, crossed the Rhein into Switzerland.  It was a VERY scenic ride.  And I heard the bell of this goat before I saw it!  Swiss goat cheese, anyone?

 I of course had to have a photo shoot with the Swiss cows that make Swiss cheese.  We passed orchards, fields, vegetables.  We rode through quaint old towns with a lot of history.

 And we passed a Bernina factory!  I was tempted to stop and ask for a tour, but until this point, the locals' English was not good - even those in restaurants and the hotels.  (That was by far the best part of the trip.  We vacationed where the Germans vacationed!)  I figured my chances of being able to communicate were slim.

Adventures in Konstanz

Konstanz, Germany was the start and stop city of our biking tour.  (We also biked through it on day 2.)  A friend (who married a German and has been over there plenty of times) suggested visiting Lake Konstanz.  I found the tour without remembering this, so it was fate when I looked at her list of suggestions.  

The first day of Konstanz was surreal.  I felt like I was in the German part of Disney World - but it was better.  The buildings were real, you turn a corner and there are more old world buildings.  One thing is for sure: Germans need to brush up on their map making skills.  Streets weren't labelled, telling someone to "turn right after a couple blocks" didn't help when we weren't sure which direction (of 5 options) to initially head.  Oh but it was worth it.  We got there in the early afternoon so we had a lot of time to explore.

The hotel in Konstanz was nice.  It was an old building decorated with old-world Germany.  The restaurant inside was decorate with antlers and wood.  The ceiling in the hallway had familial coats of arms painted on it. 

And the beer!  Beer was cheaper to order in most restaurants than water, so we expanded our taste buds with beer at lunch and dinner.  (For financial reasons, of course.  Right, Dad?)  I'm not sure if this is Germany-wide or local, but we had "Cola-weizen" which is Hefeweizen with cola flavoring in it.  The cola syrup made the beer sugary and it tasted more like a root beer float.  (Cola beer float?)  Don't worry, we tried to walk and bike those calories off.

And throughout the trip, there were signs (literally) that made me think of friends and family.  Mimi's was a clothing store.  I saw an SDK vacation agency.  Lombardi's is a popular realty company in Italy.  There was a Klein bakery in Sonthofen.  There was a store called Memphisto.  Oh, and I saw a few Kodak signs (some in closed store fronts and others open.)

Adventures in Sonthofen

Sonthofen is the second most southern town in Germany.  It initially appeared to be a retirement community, but I think it turns into a haven for skiiers once the winter season rolls around.  We arrived in the early afternoon, but the reception at the hotel didn't open for several hours.  (We of course, were notified of this after carrying our luggage a mile to the hotel, and couldn't get in.  I was half tempted to leave my suitcase under a bench.  We rolled back to the pub near the train station and had Bratworst and a beer for lunch.  (A-maz-ing!) 

 

  

 

Everything was closed on Sunday.  Luckily I found a nearby town that had a cable car to the top of the Alps!  We were able to hike around for a few hours before heading back down.  You might be able to see a little bit of snow in the background slopes.

This guy knew what it was all about.  I loved the hat & bow tie, but was a little disappointed he didn't go full out with the lederhosen.  As we hiked around, I was able to give a little yodel.  It wasn't loud enough to echo, but who else do you know that has yodeled in the Alps?

As we walked around Sonthofen a little more, I happen to laugh at some of the signs around town.  Unfortunately, Kid shits was closed.

The local brewery was closed, but the restaurant attached wasn't!  The beer was delicious, and we were able to spot it at a few of our Lake Constance stops.

Adventures in Zurich

It has been a long time since I blogged, but I need to show my family my European Adventures!  The first stop was Zurich.  We spent 2 nights in a business hotel, two blocks from the train station.  Despite the fact that we had 36 hour transit passes (buses, trains, trams, and a few boats), we walked for miles our first day.  My favorite was Old Town Zurich: cobblestone paths, streets too narrow for cars, flags posted every where.

The heart of Zurich sits at the top of a lake, with a river running through it.  We climbed the spiral staircase in the Grossmunster (the Protestant church) tower: oh the views!  Pictured above is the view across the river from Grossmunter, and below a view from the tower.  I just loved looking at the houses, check out the chevron patterns!

 We took a train to Kilchberg to head to the Lindt chocolate factory.  You might think of chocolate when you think of Switzerland, but they sadly closed the "Chocolate Museum" and didn't have any tours available.  I guess there aren't a lot of American tourists in Zurich.  I was able to restrain myself from taking pictures of workers on break. As we approached the Lindt Outlet Store, the air smelled like chocolate.  I think I gained 5 pounds just crossing the street!  As we walked, there were flowers in most of the windows.  I just love the Swiss flags!

 We took a train to the top of a hill, with a view of Zurich.  What I didn't know was that after the train there were miles and miles of hiking trails available. 

 We were able to have dinner with a view of Lake Zurich.  I had the best dinner: large spaetzel wrapped in spinach topped with crisp prociutto in a cream sauce.  I like it so much the chef wrote down the name.  (I said too many English words that none of the servers knew.  They told me to use the internet for a recipe.) 

Mission-to Mission's Quilt Raffle!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! As you might already know, I am one of 4 sponsors taking the Youth at my church on our first Mission Trip this summer. The number of youth that are going has increased higher than expected, so our budget might have to increase soon as well. We have been raising funds like crazy, and are close to our initial goal.

This GORGEOUS quilt was donated for us to raffle off! The artist is a colleague of mine who has been quilting for 13 years, and he spent ~120 hours making this double-lap-quilt. The quilt measures approximately 60” x 72” and is valued at $400! I encourage you to click on the pictures to see all the quilting details that were put into this. AMAZING!

The Raffle will take place on the evening of May 6. Tickets are only $5 and you can buy as many as you'd like! If you are a friend of mine not in Austin, you can mail a check to me (made out to "Central Presbyterian Church" with "Youth Mission Trip" in the memo line) -- just be sure to include your phone number so we have a way of contacting you if you win! I would also suggest contacting me to let me know that a check is on it's way. Email me at shelleykasiske@gmail.com with any additional questions.

So how about this Mission Trip? I thought you'd never ask. This summer, 12 youth and 4 adults (myself included) will venture to Mission, Texas for one week. Chosen for more than the city's name, we will be volunteering our time within the South Texas community. Although our schedule is not finalized, we have the option to work with construction/repair, literacy, feeding, health care, and outreach projects throughout the Rio Grande Valley. For those of you unfamiliar with Texas cities, here is a map, from Austin to Mission.

On a more personal note, this trip means so much more to be than one week off from work. When I was a youth, I had the opportunity to go on several Mission Trips: Colorado, West Virginia, New Hampshire. (THANK YOU to the Youth Leaders of my past!) Since then, I've also gone on Mission trips (I think of them more as learning trips!) to Guatemala and El Salvador. I can guarantee that I would not have been so bold to go to Guatemala & El Salvador if it weren't for those first three high school trips.

Our Youth Group program has changed in the past few years. I am the most "tenured" Youth Sponsor at 1.5 years. The program itself meets more frequently, and we've added this Mission aspect to the curriculum. This will be the first Mission Trip for the Central Presbyterian Youth Group. (Or the first trip in a very long time -- I don't have confirmation on that yet.) Once this trip proves successful, we are hoping that Mission Trips become a standard part of the Youth Group.

Encounters at the Airport

I started crocheting this green and white blanket for -- well, I don't know. But when Jessie and her husband (WOW - he DOES exist!) met me for an hour at the Denver Airport, I knew I had to finish as much as I could and give it to them. I actually gave them a hook and showed Jessie how to hide some of the transition yarn, and told her to trim it after that. THAT'S how much I rushed to finish this blanket! Well, I hope Little L likes it!

You can't tell too much, but this is right around Jessie's due date. She looked AMAZING! And it was so nice of them to come out to chat. Hopefully the next time I visit Colorado, they can come out to the slopes with us! (As an FYI, Jessie gave birth to a beautiful girl a few days after I saw them in the airport. Congrats, Aunt Lindsay & family -- Lindsay gets my blog so she gets a special shout out.)

Jeg ser fyr ved udgangen af den chunnel!

Jeg ser fyr ved udgangen af den chunnel! I see the lighthouse at the end of the chunnel!

I am so very close: All I have to do is attach the binding (which is already pinned down). I also need to make a little tag so lil' Z knows which Auntie is his favorite!

Straight lines are the cleanest way (for me) to quilt. Lane suggested I use masking tape to help guide my foot in a straight line. It worked like a charm, but I'm surprised at how much I can smell the tape after working with 50 yards of it! After some consulatation, I opted to make 16 small squares in each block. (Outlined in red on the green-striped square). The closer the quilting, the longer the quilt will last. And I want it to LAST FOREVER!





I had binding drama. I first thought the 1/2 yard of this red starfish fabric wasn't enough. I also thought I wanted a slightly deeper red. However, JoAnn's was out of the red that I REALLY wanted, so I took that as a sign. My first cut of the binding was a little off, but I made it work perfectly. I think the quilt could be another 20 inches in diameter and I'd have enough binding (don't get any ideas, Lauren. I can't change it now!) And after looking at this red with the other fabrics, it goes better than I thought it would.

Tonight's goal is to get everything sewn except for the hand stitching. That I will do on the plane later this week when I head to NY to visit this happy sailor!



No promises, BUT -- I might sneak the quilt into my office so that the quilt can get a photo op with a cardboard Elvis. I'm sure Z's dad would LOVE that - to have a quilt blessed by The King!

Hun er smukt!

Hun er smukt! She is beautiful!

If you look close enough, you can see the roundness of the black shirt against the chocolate-painted wall. Baby Z should be making an appearance in 4 days!

(Now that I've succeeded in making mom-to-be and grandma-to-be cry... )

I've been working on the quilt top for Z. If it weren't for being hungry for dinner at 10pm last night, I would have sewn the last 2 lines to complete it. I spent 5 additional hours on this: 2 hours to finish sewing the blocks into horizontal lines, 1.5 hours in ironing and sewing these lines together, and 1.5 hours talking to Miss Lindsay on the phone last night! I was only able to iron (a little) and pin while we were on the phone. It was nice to chat & catch up!

And I have to point out the vertical stripes. I am being SO cautious to sew straight lines. It'll look amazing if I do!

De børn er stadig i ovnen

Danish lesson of the day (according to babylon.com): "De børn er stadig i ovnen" means "The bun is still in the oven." That's right, but not for much longer. Less than 2 weeks and Baby Z will make his appearance! Less than a month and he'll meet his favorite Aunt. (Sorry, Ali but it'll be true.) So, what does this mean? I have to get sewing!

It took me about 45 minutes to lay out the squares on my guest bed. If you look between the 2 pictures, there are a few squares in different places, but not too many. I think 4 at most.



Then I spent 2 hours sewing the bottom 3 rows. Well, the rows themselves are not sewn together yet. Just the 7 across in the 3 rows. Included in this 2 hours is switching 2-4 blocks around, doing a quick clean of my machine, a trip to the store to get a seam ripper, and fiddling with Pandora to get more Elvis and Michael Buble music. I don't know where my seam rippers wandered off to. I can remember using them on a non-sewing project, so I probably put them away with my hammer or something.