Falling in love with Bavaria......

Well, the last few weeks have been pretty amazing here, it finally stopped raining and has been bright, green and beautiful. Tourist season has also begun so English speakers are everywhere and there is excitement in the air. It is hard not to fall in love with such a beautiful area. I have been slacking on the blogging so I thought I would catch you all up on what we have been up to with some pictures and stories.

The first week we were back in Munich, our friends Steve and Matt came to visit! It was really great because while Nathan was at school all day, I got to do all the "tourist" activities with them. We went to the BMW Museum (took some pics below), walked around Olympic Stadium, visited Nathan's school, drank beer by the river, ate at the farmer's market, went to the Hofbrau house and visited beer gardens every night.

At one of the local beer halls, I ate my first pork knuckle with potato dumpling, which is a very popular German specialty! I was a little intimidated at first, but after a few good beers, this decadent meal was perfect. They cook the skin so the outside becomes crispy and the inside is packed with flavor- you cannot beat it. 

I also tried Weisswurst, which is traditional Bavarian sausage made from very finely minced veal and fresh pork back bacon then flavored with spices. You traditionally remove the casing before you eat it. I was slightly dissappointed with these boiled sausages- I was expecting a richer flavor, I did not enjoy the sweet mustard and thought the texture was strange without the crunch of the casing. I will stick to the bratwurst and pretzels from here on out....

On the last night Steve and Matt were here, we went to Augustiner Keller Beirgarten (which accommodates over 7,000 people at once,) where we drank liters of Augustiner's famous oak aged Helles in German steins! (This is Nathan's favorite beer is Munich- it is light and crisp with a full flavor and hint of sweetness.)

The beer gardens are beautiful (and abundant) but the parks are even better! One of my favorite places to visit is the English garden, the world's largest public park. It is located near the university here, so young people gather here daily to relax and soak up the sun. My friend Summer and I went on a picnic there this week.....we will definitely be going back throughout the summer.

Last weekend, we went with some of the other brewers to the Eagle's Nest in Salzburg, Austria- which is just a short train ride into the Bavarian alps. Salzburg is really beautiful (you can take the "Sound of Music" tour there) but we spent most of our day at the Eagle's nest! The Kehlsteinhaus (it's German name) was intended as a 50th birthday present for Adolf Hitler to serve as a retreat, and a place for him to entertain visiting dignitaries. It is located on the top of a mountain, so you take a high powered bus to the top to hike around and catch the spectacular views. There is something for everyone- history, climbing, and restaurant with Bavarian brews.

Anyways, besides school and babysitting, that is what we have been doing! Only 5 more weeks until we return to Texas! Stay tuned- we are headed to Berlin this weekend to enjoy the largest and lively German capital.