Last Day in Munich

Last night we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Bobby’s Pizza Bar Café with Daniel and Kathrin (the couple who lived in our flat before us). We met them the day we looked at the flat and were excited to go to dinner (first date) as they seemed really nice. I should mention that they may have only wanted to get together because they forgot their remote in the flat and wanted it back, but I guess one of them could have just picked it up. The restaurant we went to is down the street from our flat and is one of their favorite pizza places in all of Munich. We enjoyed wine, tasty pizza and wonderful conversation. We enjoyed their company and hopefully we will be asked on a second date. Fingers crossed!

Since I am leaving for Chicago tomorrow morning, Brad and I decide to spend the whole day together. He does have to work at least one day this weekend and lucky me, he chose Sunday. Also, when we got home from dinner last night I checked my email and noticed that Reggie sent me her kitchen sink cookie recipe (Brad’s favorite) and I immediately decide to make these for Brad. Brad offers to make dinner for me too and after making our list, we head to the grocery store. I am able to find everything for the cookies, except for toffee chips, but substitute it for a chocolate bar with toffee in it. Brad is going to make herb crusted fish, rice with caramelized shallots and cheesy broccoli. Yummy!!! After packing for my trip home, I start making the cookies. The batter turned out well, but took a little longer to put together and since our oven is so small (I can only bake 5-6 cookies at a time), I decided to make them into bars. Surprisingly, they turned out pretty well and Brad really likes them. Hopefully they will last for a while and he will bring some to work with him. Brad starts on dinner, which he will not let me help with as he loves cooking and does not get to do as much anymore. Everything smells delicious and I am looking forward to our dinner, but sad that I am leaving him for two weeks. I wish he could join me, but I know that his job does not allow it…hopefully these two weeks will go by quickly.

Off to enjoy dinner, a movie and cookies with my husband!

Wir vermissen dich – die Gauntletts

Brad’s Paris to Munich Trip

I had an early start to the day (Tuesday, December 7th), my flight to Paris was at 6:30am so I could make a 10am meeting out our office is La Defense. Given the fact that I speak less French than German (and that is saying something), I printed the directions to the office so I could just hand them to the cab driver. Somehow, the cabbie still managed to get lost. He had to call one of his cabbie buddies for directions to our office. Despite his efforts, I still made it to my meeting on time. The day of meetings were good and we went out to a great classic French restaurant that night. Everyone at the table ordered the Foie Gras, but I just lied and said that I was not a fan of the delicacy. I decided it was not the time to get on my soapbox about how cruel the process is to make it.

The next day was another day of meetings at the Allianz France headquarters on Rue de Richeleu. Paris reminds me of New York City with much more charm. It is not a quiet city like Munich, very bustling and busy, but still retains a unique charm.

In the afternoon it began to snow, we could see this from the window in our conference room. One by one we received word that our flights were cancelled out of CDG. Fortunately, the train from Paris to Munich takes 6 hours, so I thought it would be a good idea to just take a train (rather than stay in Paris for the night). Hindsight is 20/20…..

The first order of business was figuring out how to get from the office to the Paris train station. This required use of the metro which is easy to figure out, but not nearly as cushy as its Munich equivalent. I haven’t seen that many crazy people since I left San Francisco. I made it to the train station with about 20 minutes before the train left. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out the right window to purchase a ticket (not as easy as you would think), before I made it to the train. I bought a ticket to Stuttgart, then a connecting train to Munich.

I arrived in Stuttgart around 9pm and was just a couple hours from Munich. Little did I know that the train from Stuttgart to Munich would be 4 hours delayed (how does that happen). The train that was scheduled to leave at 10pm, getting me home at midnight), was stranded until 2am. I arrived at 4am after all.

Wir vermissen dich – die Gauntletts

December Book Club

Brad left yesterday morning for Paris on his first business trip and it was my first night alone in our flat. At least I scheduled my book for last night and had something to do while Brad was away. Everything went really well with the ladies and I think they had a nice time. We read “The Gift” by Cecelia Ahern, which is about people who hide secrets and how you cover yourselves in layers until the right person unwraps them and discovers what is inside. Sometimes you have to be unraveled in order to find out who you really are.

Every day Lou (main character) battles with the clock. He always has two places to be at the same time. He always has two things to do at once. While asleep, he dreams. In between dreams, he runs through the events of the day while making plans for the next. When at home with his wife and family, his mind is always some place else. But on his way into work one early winter morning, Lou meets Gabe, a homeless man sitting outside the office building. Intrigued by him, Lou gets Gabe a job in the post room. However, Lou quickly regrets helping Gabe as his very presence unsettles Lou – and how Gabe appears to be in two places at the same time? As Christmas draws closer, Lou starts to understand the value of time. He sees what is truly important in life yet at the same time he learns the harshest lesson of all.

It was a bit sad (like most of Cecelia Ahern’s books), but a quick read and I would recommend it. Anyways, we had yummy appetizers (healthy homemade guacamole, cheese plate, etc) and good conversation. I learned a lot about the Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR for short), the office in Munich that deals with all sorts of citizen residency. Brad and I never had to go here as our relocation agent took care of everything for us (visa’s, work permits, address registration etc) but I guess it can be pretty terrible. After listening to the women tell their stories, I came to the conclusion that it is exactly like the DMV and we all know how awful that can be. I also learned that I am not alone in the hair falling out in huge clumps situation and we came to the conclusion that it is due to the high amounts of calcium in the water. I was starting to think I had some kind of disease and was about to schedule an appointment with my doctor, but I guess no need.

Brad is coming home tonight from Paris and I need to figure out what to cook for him. Therefore, it is time to head to the market with my list and just in case, my German translation book.

Wir vermissen dich – die Gauntletts

One more Christmas Market with My Mom

I just got home from dropping my mom off at the airport and picking up the package Marty sent to Brad. We went to the airport a little earlier today as my mom wanted to enjoy one more Christmas Market. My mom actually ended up buying a bottle of gluhwien from a vendor as she decided this was her favorite from the whole trip.

We enjoyed some yummy crepes and our last mug of gluhwein in Munich.

Afterwards, I got on the U-Bahn and headed back to Munich. An older German couple sat down with me and I actually understood what they were saying, which was really cool. I am starting to see my hard work pay off and I hope I do not lose it when I go home in a few weeks. After picking up Brad’s package (I wonder what it is), I stopped by the store and then walked home. I did have to use the tram for the first time and have to admit that I was a little nervous. The tram is public transportation above ground like a bus, but runs on rails and for some reason, I think it is more confusing than the U-Bahn.

Wir vermissen dich – die Gauntletts

Real (German’s Walmart), Butlers and Sendlinger Christmas Market

Yesterday, my mom and I went to REAL, which is the German version of Walmart and I must say that it was a bit on the gross side. You know when you walk into a Walmart and there is something not right with the lighting and it makes the store almost feel dirty…well this is how this store felt. We did find some good stuff for cheap such as hangers, Christmas decorations, champagne, under the bed storage, and lego advent calendars (my mom bought these for her future grand kids). Afterwards, I brought my mom to a store called Butlers which has a variety of home goods and Christmas decorations. My mom loved this store and we may even go to the larger one in Odeonsplatz tomorrow as I think she wants to see what they have as well. After looking around and purchasing some ornaments and other items for my flat, we decided to check out the Sendlinger Tor Christmas Market. It was around 17:30 uhr and it was filled with the after work crowd, but we noticed that this market was filled with more locals than tourists, which was nice. We had our mugs of gluhwien and I actually ended up holding a two minute conversation with three German men. My mom was very impressed as I was speaking German. I was pretty proud of myself!

We love the Christmas Markets!!!

We then decided to bring food in from the Mexican restaurant near our flat as Brad had German class and we wanted him to eat with us. Of course my mom wanted to have the bottle of bubbly we purchased at REAL, so to ensure that it would be chilled in time, I placed it on our patio under a bed of snow. I love our huge freezer! Off to the galleria to find Brad some boots as he finally admitted to needing them…I guess he almost slipped four times yesterday.

Wir vermissen dich – die Gauntletts

Flughafen

We have finally returned from the airport where we got to see my grandma and grandpa Hickey prior to their Christmas Market 10-day cruise, but getting there was a disaster. First, we were running late and going to miss the u-bahn. So Brad ran to the ATM, while my mom finished getting ready and ended up meeting him at the corner. We were back on schedule until we got the train station and figured out that the ticket machines do not take 50 euro bills. Therefore, Brad had to run back upstairs, find an open coffee shop (harder than you think as most places are closed on Sundays), purchase a coffee and then hurried back to the train station. At this point, we are completely behind schedule and decide to take the S8 via Hauptbahnof rather than our normal way as it appears to be coming more frequent. Upon arriving at Hauptbahnof, we noticed several of the trains were not running and the same announcement was coming across the loud speaker every few minutes. After five minutes of trying to interpret what they were saying, we decided to ask someone. Sure enough the S8 was not stopping in the main station as something had occurred early that morning and we need to take a different train in order to pick it up some place else. After about an hour we arrive at the airport and are looking forward to seeing my grandparents. However the directions my grandpa wrote out are extremely difficult to read and somehow we wind up at a Bayern Munich Soccer press conference. Completely random and of course I want to stay and watch it, but my mom gets directions and after about ten more minutes of walking around, we find them. After an hour or so visit, my grandparents are off to catch their cruise and we all decide to hang out at the Christmas Market. The airport has a fairly large one, with lots of food, shopping, an ice skating rink, and of course, gluhwein!

A view of the Christmas Market from one of the gluhwein outside bars

Brad love the cheese pretzels the best.

After a few mugs of hot spiced wine and ornaments, we decide to head back to the flat. Since it is cold and snowy today (not to mention everything is closed), we decide to hang out at home and watch movies. We did enjoy a wonderful dinner at Lowenbrau last night and my mom loved her Wiener Schnitzel and giant beer!

Ludwig’s Crazy Castle

We all just got back from a great day in Neuschwanstein and I cannot believe how beautiful it was up there. The snow was fresh and white.

Because the snow had recently fallen and the path was slippery, the buses were not running. Therefore, we had to walk up this extremely steep and winding path up to the castle and I quickly realized that I did not wear the proper boots. Also, when we purchased our tour tickets, the cashier told us it was a forty minute walk and we would be unable to enter the castle until our tour. After going to the restroom, we embarked on the journey and after about five minutes my feet were frozen and my mom was taking off her jacket…pretty funny to have the two extremes. About fifteen minutes later, we see a little booth with wasser, gluhwien and bretzeln. We thought we were about half way to the castle, so my mom asks the vendor, “how far is the castle? Are we about half way?” All of a sudden the vendor gets a huge smile on his face and says, “you are two minutes away, look behind you.” Oops, we totally did not even see it, but the castle was pretty much next to us. Then I noticed a little restaurant to the left and suggested we grab something to eat and try to warm up as our tour was not for an hour. My mom and Brad got pea soup and sausage and I went with the hot chocolate.

Ludwig’s Castle is beautiful and does look similar to Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. We learned during our visit that although the castle was designed to look medieval, it had several modern refinements, such as running water, hot air, and automatic flushing toilets. Also, King Ludwig had numerous swan icons throughout the castle as this was his favorite animal and is often known as the Swan King. The castle was actually far from completion when Ludwig passed away and has been open to the public ever since.

After walking around the grounds and taking photos, we decided to indulge in fresh doughnuts and gluhwien.
After doughnuts and gluhwien, we started down the path to head back to the train. We did stop to take these photos as the scenery was too beautiful to pass up.

Heading to dinner at Löwenbraukeller, hope my mom likes German food and bier.

Champagne, Gluhwien and More Champagne

My mom arrived this morning and we had a wonderful day together. First, we enjoyed a coffee at the airport starbucks and then headed to the S-Bahn, here she is waiting for the train:
After a forty-five minute train ride with one transfer and a two block walk, we arrived at our flat. My mom put her stuff down and immediately began looking around. She thought our place was really nice and very impressed with everything I had done so far with it. We ate some lunch (left-over thanksgiving food since she was on a plane during our family dinner in Chicago) and she too enjoyed the food. We both decided that the marmalade was delicious and that I should make it for Christmas dinner this year. Afterwards, we ventured to Marienplatz as I wanted to show her the famous clock tower, the Galleria and one of the Weihnachtsmarkts. We took the u-bahn to Sendlinger Tor and then transferred to the U3, which takes you right to Marienplatz. After looking at the clock tower, we headed into the Galleria where I took her to the Gourmet Grocery Store, which has a bubble bar (champagne) in the middle and I knew she would love it. After having a few glasses of bubbly, chatting with a German couple, whom spoke perfect English, and purchasing a bottle of Louis Roederer Brut Premier Reim (gold label) Champagne, we went to the American section. My mom thought it was so funny and could not believe what they import here, especially the spray cheese:
On our way out of the store, my mom noticed that some gentlemen were pouring wine, so we decided to stop and taste. We ended up purchasing a bottle of white wine from Chateau Dereszla, Tokaji Dry – Furmint Trocken 2009. Afterwards, we decided to check out the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market) and try some of the famous gluhwien. Here we are enjoying our first cup together:
My mom and I also discovered Zartbitter-Schokolade Trauben und Walnüssen (Dark Chocolate covered Grapes and Walnuts), which was absolutely delicious. It is going to be hard to resist these tasty treats. After walking around drinking our hot wine for a while, we decided to return our cups and head back to the flat to see Brad and head to dinner. Since my mom was getting a little tired, we thought it would be best to have dinner in the resturant directly downstairs. This little Italian place is great and so convenient as it is located in our building. We recently found out that we can order food and they will bring it up to our flat as well as take our packages if we are not home. How fantastic is that!?!?! My mom wanted to try their champange; however they only had Rose, which my mom normally despises, but she decided to order it anyways. She ended up really enjoying it and now I must find out what it exactly is. Dinner was really good and now it is time for bed as we have to be up early to catch a train to Neuschwanstein as we are visiting Mad King Ludwig’s Castle.

Happy Thanksgiving

James, Sheryl and baby have just left our flat and Brad is speaking with his family, so I thought this was a perfect time to blog. I woke up early this morning, had coffee with Brad (my favorite) and then began to set out the serving trays. I did still need to run a few errands (purchase candles, a baguette, tea, etc), set the table, clean the flat, plate the appetizers, make the sweet potato puree/gravy and get ready. Everything was moving along fantastic and the table turned out perfect:
The appetizers were tasty too: Cheese Tray, mixed nuts, dried fruit, crackers, veggies, eggplants dip and hot apple pie cider.

Here is Brad making the gravy, I cannot believe he did it in his work clothes:

This is Brad and I having our first Thanksgiving dinner:

Here is the complete menu:
Appetizers:
-3 CheesesApples, Grapes and Pears
-Nuts, Dried Fruit, Crackers and Pumpernickel Rounds
-Eggplant Dip with Veggies
-Hot Apple Pie Cider

Main:
-Turkey and Gravy
-Marinated Carrots
-Yukon Gold, Sweet Potato Puree
-Stuffing
-Cranberry, Cherry & Walnut Marmalade
-Fresh Baguette
-Red Wine

Dessert:
-Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Fruit Loop Rice Crispy Treats
-Dark Chocolate Truffles
-Caramel Popcorn and Candied Walnuts
-Tea and Scotch

We had a great dinner and our TV was working perfectly. Time to clean up and go to bed as I need to wake up early to pick up my mom at the airport!

Thanksgiving Prep/Cooking (Day 4)

I was able to talk Brad into going to work a little later than usual (7:30 AM instead of 6:30 AM), so he could come to the butcher and approve the meat selection with me as I was still unsure and since I do not eat it I figured he would be the right person for the job. Luckily, the shop was on the way to the U-Bahn and not out of the way for Brad. He approved the two turkey breasts I had sen the day before and went off to work. The butcher wrapped them up and I headed home to cook. I decided to make the cranberry, cherry marmalade first, which turned out amazing and I hope everyone enjoys it. The marmalade has fresh cranberries, dried cherries, port, orange zest and walnuts.

Next was the fruit loop rice crispy treats. A few weeks ago, we were having lunch with the couple who is coming over for dinner and James mentioned that he loves fruit loops, but have been unable to find them in Munich. A few days later, I was in the store and saw them, so I purchased a box for Brad as he loves them too. Then, I got to thinking that there had to be a recipe for some type of fruit loop treat and since I was only planning on serving chocolate chip cookies, this would be perfect. These ended up turning out stickier than I had hoped, but still good. Then, I prepared the brine (sage, rosemary, water, brown sugar, lemons oranges etc) for the turkey breasts and placed it back in the refrigerator. The popcorn was a last minute addition as Brad had made some the night before and, instead of snacking on it, I decided to make it into caramel corn. I added nuts to it and it ended up being quite tasty, but I love all popcorn!

The spiced chickpeas did not turn out as well as I had hoped, but oh well. Everything was coming together and Brad insisted on trying everything when he got home. Brad agreed that the chickpeas were not the best and encouraged that I did not serve them, but I may still put them out…stay tuned. Less than twenty-four hours until our first thanksgiving meal, hope it all goes well.

Thanksgiving Prep/Cooking (Day 3)

I was able to get almost all the items I needed for dinner except for the cheeses and puten (turkey) breast. Therefore, I decided to head to Karstadt’s gourmet grocery store and tackle the remaining items. However, I was a little nervous about the cheese counter as I cannot read German (not very well, at least) and was unsure if the ladies would speak any English. Therefore, I did some research online and after writing a long list of cheese varieties/types (both in English and German) I decided to venture out to the store. After circling the store a half a dozen times and walking up to the cheese case at least once and then turning around, I finally got up the courage to ask the large German women, “Sprechen Sie Englisch?” She responded, “a little.” After picking three all by myself and tasting a few others, I decided on an Ubriaco Prosecco Cheese, Truffle Brie, Hirtenkase, Edelpilzkäse and an English hard cheese with a fig topping. After taking care of the cheese plate, I stopped over to the meat counter to see what type of puten they had available. To my surprise, there was nothing and I started to get nervous since this is the main component of the meal. On my way home, I stopped at two butchers and did find something at the second one, but did not purchase it. Hopefully, Brad will be able to come with me tomorrow morning before he goes to work and approve my findings.

After putting all the groceries away, I decided to start making the marinated carrots, eggplant goo dip and cutting the bread for Brad’s stuffing. Now, I have to mention that the only thing Brad requested as a side for our first Thanksgiving dinner was stuffing and I was super nervous that I would mess it up. Being the good wife that I am, I took out a ruler and began to cut twenty-two slices of bread into perfect 5x5 squares. After a few hours of chopping and cooking, the bread was in pans drying out (see picture), and the marinated carrots as well as the eggplant dip were in the refrigerator.

Stuffing Squares = 22 slices of white bread

After admiring my work, I poured myself a glass of wine and thought of all the things I needed to do tomorrow: the cranberry sauce, caramel popcorn, fruit loop rice crispy treats, spicy nuts, buy and brine the turkey breast and arrange flowers. Off to bed, Gute Nacht!

Thanksgiving Prep/Cooking (Day 2)

Its official, Brad broke down and ate McDonald’s breakfast yesterday! See, at the end of our street there is a McDonald’s and when we signed our lease Brad said, lets try to go the whole rotation without ever stepping foot in there. Of course, my response was yes and for some reason I really thought we could do it since we never went to one in San Francisco (not even on Bay to Breakers). But, only after one month and twenty-days, Brad needed to order two sausage breakfast sandwiches (perfect recipe for a hangover). Needless to say we had a wonderful time in Prague and would recommend the city to anyone.

Since everything is closed on Sundays in Munich, I decided to bake the cookie dough in the freezer and make my shopping list for Thanksgiving dinner, which is a task all in itself. Since I still have not mastered the German language, I must write my grocery lists in German and in English as well as do some research on where to find certain items. The cookies ended up turning out really well, but did take forever to make. Our oven is so small that I can only bake five cookies at a time; plus, the first few batches only had two cookies on the sheet as I am still trying to master Celsius. After getting the correct temperature and timing, I was able crank them out with no problem. They actually turned out pretty well and I had to stop Brad from eating them as they were for our dinner Thursday. Off to the grocery store and hopefully I can find everything on my list.

Home from Prague

We just returned home from Prague and had an amazing weekend! On Friday, we arrived at the airport via the S-bahn and as we were coming up the moving stair case, we saw the beginning stages of a Christmas Market with an icing skating rink. I am so excited we found this because my Grandparents are coming on 29.11, but we can only see them at the airport as they are off on a cruise and at least they can see one of the markets. After going through security, which took all of ten minutes we headed to our gate. On the way we discovered the following:

Brad at the Allianz Area, which is a free media center

Ashley getting free Kaffee and heiße Schokolade

Our flight was super quick and we both decided that Prague is our new Los Angeles in terms of weekend getaways. We got our bus/tram tickets and headed for Kristin’s place. I was not sure how much I would remember, but as soon as we got off the tram near Kristin’s flat it all came back to me. Good thing it did as I forgot to print the map she provided us. After settling in and having a few cocktails, we headed to dinner. Originally, we planned to walk there, but it began to rain. Kristin picked an amazing restaurant, which could have been placed anywhere in San Francisco and it was reasonably priced. We all really enjoyed our dishes and had a wonderful evening.

On Saturday, we woke up and Kristin’s husband made us breakfast. Afterwards, Brad and I got ready, quickly decided our game plan and headed off to the Prague Castle. With our map in hand, we figured out how to get there (kind of) and had a wonderful time getting to the castle which sits on top of the city and has spectacular views. After walking around the grounds, we decided to challenge the 287 steps located in the Great South Tower of the Chapel. Even though I promised myself I would never do this again, I really wanted Brad to see the view from up there as it is breathtaking. I must admit this time around was far more enjoyable as the tower was quiet and not crowded. The last time I did it was in May (during the height of tourist season) and you had to climb on the inside as people were coming down on the outer part of the steps. Therefore, you were climbing with just your toes on the littlest part of the step and could not stop to look out the windows, not fun at all. Whereas this time we were able to have the entire tower pretty much to ourselves and did not feel rushed. Here is a photo of me about to climb up.

Photo from the top of the tower – beautiful

After our huge climb, we decided to walk over the Famous Charles Bridge and grab lunch.
Kristin recommended a vegetarian restaurant and I am so glad she did as it was fantastic. Plus, we would have never found it on our own. Afterwards, we headed to the famous clock tower and on the way stopped at the Havelske Trziste Market located in the city center. We arrived at the tower a little before three and did not have to wait long in order to see it chime. However, in the middle of it Brad mentioned that this would be the time to get the video camera out. But by the time I did, it was over. So we decided to walk around and wait until four o’clock. After walking around the square and taking some pictures we decided it was time to grab some beers and warm up. Luckily we found a spot right across the way from the clock and it had heat lamps. While we waited we saw: several vendors coming into the beer tent trying to sell these weird looking bracelets, the “give a hug” people from Munich were there, a round bike with eight people on it and a bride in a horse carriage waving like she was Ms America. It was really fun to watch all of this transpire.

Prague

Yesterday was my last day of German class and I am kind of sad it is over. I really liked that I had some structure to my day, but not sure how I would pull off making Thanksgiving Dinner next week if I still were in school. Afterwards, some of the ladies from my book club wanted to meet for coffee at Kafer, a famous place in Munich that has a high end restaurant upstairs and a café, bakery, grocery store downstairs. This place is amazing and I will definitely be bringing my mom here for lunch or afternoon dessert. Also, I guess celebrities hang out here as well and if you visit on a Saturday or Sunday you will always see paparazzi. It was a lovely afternoon and I ended up not getting home until 6 PM.

We are leaving for Prague this afternoon and I am so excited to see Kristin and show Brad one of my favorite places. I think he will really enjoy it as I believe Prague to be one of the most picturesque cities (yes, San Francisco is up there too). I am not looking forward to climbing those steps again in the Prague Castle, but if my husband wants to I will. On my last visit to Prague, MJ and I tackled these stairs (all 287 of them) and I thought I was going to die and vowed never to do it again. I guess we will see what happens. The only thing that I am worried about is that it may rain all weekend and that will not be good for sightseeing.

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Final Exam

Just got my final back and I did better than I thought I would on the speaking part. Overall I got a 2, which in Germany is a B. I am pretty happy with it and do feel that I learned a lot in the class. Even though the first week was extremely difficult, I am really glad I took the course. I will be taking a break from the intensive German course for now, but plan to do Rosetta Stone everyday for at least two hours and then come Spring enroll in another course. Overall, it was a great learning experience and I am excited to continue to learn a new language.

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Setting up for the Christmas Market/Copying Mail Key

After class, I went to the American Bookstore in Marienplatz to pick up “The Gift” for book club and when I arrived in the square, they were setting up for the Christmas Market. I cannot believe it is already this time of year and that in just a few weeks we will have been living here for two months. Also, I am really looking forward to seeing all the markets around Munich as I guess there are over twenty in the city.

On my way, I had to stop and pick up our mail key which we dropped off to be copied this past Saturday. I had a feeling this was going to be a struggle since the guy did not provide us a ticket or take our name, but I went with it. So when I walked in, I noticed that it was a different worker and the first thing I said was “Hallo, sprechen Sie Englisch” and his response was “sprechen Sie Turkish?” My face must have been priceless as he then said “a little.” After about 10 minutes of just trying to communicate and locate our key, he found it and made our copies. However, he could only make one and said to come back tomorrow. Not sure why and I do not think I will be returning.

Off to study for my final exam, which is tomorrow and I really do not want to go as it is an interview, writing an email, listening and multiple choice. I am going to fail.

Toy town meet up, cookie making, homemade sauce and an American Breakfast!

Last night Brad and I tried another meet up together entitled “Under 30.” It was at a Canadian bar, which was nice and supposedly has extremely strong drinks. Brad and I decided to stay away from that and went with the usual wine and beer. Unfortunately, we did not meet anyone that we will think we want to hang out with, but that’s okay and we will definitely go again as you never know who will be there next time.

This morning I cleaned our bathroom and Brad made our first American breakfast. We had bacon, eggs, and pancakes (Brad had syrup/butter and I had nutella/strawberries). But while Brad was making our delicious breakfast, I was tackling the bathroom. In Munich, the water comes fresh from the Alps and is amongst the best tap water in all of Europe, which is great because a Brita Water Filter will not fit in our refrigerator. But it does contain a high level calcium or kalk, which can cause the bathroom fixtures and tile to become damaged if not cleaned often and properly. So I had to buy all these special cleaning supplies last week, which smell awful once they touch the steal fixtures and spend an hour anhalf on this project. Now I know why bathrooms in Europe are small.

After our delicious breakfast together, I decided to make cookies for the first time. I know I mentioned in a previous blog that I was unable to locate chocolate chips or the type of brown sugar we find in the states. But this past week, I did in fact come across what appears to be brown sugar and decided to just buy it. I opened up the package and sure enough it smells and feels just like the kind we have at home. Hurray! I never thought I would be so excited about finding brown sugar, but it is really rewarding when you find something that you thought was not here. Still no chocolate chips, but that is okay as I bought bricks of dark chocolate instead and chopped them up. Yummy! I decided to only make three cookies today (for Brad and I to try) and would save the rest of the dough for Thanksgiving. Plus I am not sure how the oven works and want to experiment with the temperatures. Also, another thing that is pretty fun is that I can only make five cookies at a time since our oven is small and only a round pie pan will work as a cookie sheet.

While the cookies were baking, Brad started to make his homemade Spaghetti sauce. I love when he makes a large pot of this as it is yummy to eat, but also it makes our whole apartment smell so scrumptious. The only thing that was hard to find was the right type of sausage and we probably spent at least 20 minutes just in the meat selection trying to figure it out. But once Brad started to make it, he was very pleased with what he bought and the sauce began to simmer. My cookies were done and it was time for us to taste them. They came out average and I am so glad I only baked three this time as I think I had the oven on too high as they we shaped like a dome and too hard around the edges. Oh well and at least I still have plenty of dough left for Thanksgiving.

Off to eat my husband’s amazing sauce, I love our Sundays!

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Book Club

Last night was my first Alternative Book and I really enjoyed it. The women are all really wonderful and I am so glad I went. We are getting together in December and guess who is hosting…that’s right, it is me! I am so glad mom is coming to put the final touches on our flat. We are so excited for her to come and I cannot wait to show here around our new city.

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

First Ikea Trip

We are going to IKEA today!!! I never thought I would be so excited to go, but I am really looking forward to transforming this flat into a home. Last night, I made us a cucumber salad with sesame seed in a rice vinegar and for the entrée made one of my favorite dishes (Brad’s too) Tofu, Vegetable Stir Fry. I was also able to locate a few of our favorite American products and I believe I have everything to make chocolate chip cookies this Sunday. They maybe a little different than we are used to (must chop bars of chocolate for the chips), but hopefully they will be good enough to bring to Cheryl this weekend. More importantly, I was able to find Sriracha (a red, spicy sauce for asian food). After going to five different markets, I came home, put the groceries away and did a little organizing prior to starting dinner.

Brad came home and we ate our delicious dinner, made our Ikea list, set up our giant television (just fit in the entertainment unit) and packed up some of the pictures the owners left us. It is now 6:30 AM and I think I will make some coffee and wait for Brad to wake up.

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Flat Screen

TV arrived today and it is awesome!!! Brad is really looking forward to setting it up tomorrow and I hope it fits in the entertainment unit the owners gave us. Not sure if I have mentioned this yet, but it is really difficult to find low-fat, light or skimmed anything in Munich. Trying one of Bethany Frankel’s recipes tonight (Shrimp Scampi) and I hope it is as good as it sounds. Also, I decided to make a little Caprese salad to go with it…I know, I am so domestic. Only one more day of class and then it is the weekend, YEAH!!!!!

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

U-bahn 2, Ashley 0

If the u-bahn and I were keeping score, today would have been huge for it. Before getting on the train, I had to purchase my monthly pass (which went just fine), but as I was walking to the train I saw mine pulling into the station and with the possible strike happening, I did not want to miss it. So I ran and was able to catch it just in time. However, I quickly realized that the train I so eagerly ran to catch was in fact not the correct one. Therefore, I had to get off the train at the next stop (Maillingerstr) and walk to the other side completely embarrassed. Then after class I went to do some shopping at Kardstadt (one of the department stores in Munich) as Brad needed an ironing board desperately. I knew I would have to carry it on the train with me, so I decided to go to the one off the central station (Hauptbahnhof) as I would not need to do any transferring with the ironing board. After getting everything I needed, I headed downstairs to the U-bahn, but must have made a wrong turn because all of a sudden I was in the Karlsplatz station instead of Hauptbahnhof. Instead of going back upstairs and trying to figure out where the other one was, I went with it. And after only having to transfer once, I finally made it home with all of my purchases. Note to self, the Karlsplatz and Hauptbahnhof station are extremely close to each other and one wrong turn out of the mall will put you at the opposite one. After going to three markets (Rossmann – Walgreens equivalent, BioMart – Munich’s wholefoods and Edeka – safeway) I came home and made dinner for myself.

Off to watch a movie on our laptop, I cannot wait until our new 42-inch (107 cm) flat screen comes on Thursday!

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

No School for Ashley

No school for Ashley today as it is a bank holiday in Munich and everything is closed (except of the bakeries). Brad and I ate our first meal in our new apartment last night at a Mexican restaurant located right outside our door and it was yummy (especially considering our distance from Mexico). It is actually a really neat place and we both were pleasantly surprise as from the outside it does not look like much.

Even though Allianz is closed today, Brad still went into work this morning and is hoping to only work until five, but we will see. Also, since everything is closed I decided to unpack all of our boxes and luggage so we can finally start feeling a little settled. I really love our new place and I promise once we are done decorating, I will post a video.

Finished unpacking all of our stuff, made my shopping list for tomorrow and now off to make spaghetti for Brad.

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

MOVING DAY!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and moving day! We are able to move into the flat this afternoon and are just doing some last minute packing. Looking forward to sleeping in our new bed and hopefully we will start to feel like we actually live in Munich instead of just visiting. However, we will miss the Karl Theodore Hotel and all it has to offer -the gourmet kitchen, the excellent internet connection, Tanglemenn’s and of course the delicious Italian restaurants with the wonderful waiters downstairs. Here is the video of our lovely flat too:

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Englischer Garten

After running numerous errands this morning (haircut for Brad –his very first one, a new phone and North Face fleece for me), we decided to head to the Englischer Garten (German for “English Garden’’) for a walk and lunch. This is one of the world’s largest public parks (larger than New York’s Central Park) and stretches alongside the Isar river from the center to the northernmost rim of the city. The park includes several attractions such as numerous beer gardens (we checked out one of them), a place for surfing, paths to go for a jog, and large lawns to play games and drink bier. Brad and I even saw people storing their beer in the river in order to keep it cold while they played games. After visiting the garden for the first time, I felt like I had stepped into a forest and it was difficult to believe that I was actually still in the heart of Munich. After a short walk, we stumbled upon the Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower), which is one of the most popular Beer Gardens in Munich. It is huge and is fully equipped with a traditional brass band, Bavarian cuisine, and, of course, super sized beers. Brad had the currywurst with pommes frites and I wanted handl, but they were all sold out so I opted for Sauerkraut. We also shared a pretzel that was the size of my head and man it was delicious. After lunch we walked around a bit more and then headed to the U-Bahn as we need to still complete one more errand –visiting the KPMG office. Brad had been telling me about the KPMG office for weeks and how it has stairs that lead to nothing, a rainbow exterior and lots of coffee mugs with KPMG on it. After seeing the office we decided to go back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner.

After arriving home, I had to call AT&T in order to obtain a code that would unlock my phone and by doing so I realized that I had left my US SIM card on the table at the office. I am such an idiot! Of course, Brad was super sweet about it and said, it’s okay honey, we will go back and get it before we go to dinner. My husband is truly the best. We decided to call it an early night since we are potentially moving out of the hotel tomorrow into our new flat, fingers crossed!

Gute Nacht. vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Brighter Days!

After another breakdown last night, (not related to class) I am feeling much better and actually starting to enjoy my German class. I even won one of the games and received a bar of chocolate. After class, I decided to walk around the area as it is a beautiful day outside and could not dream of spending it inside. Plus, I needed to find packing tape as we are moving into our flat and we must re-close all of the boxes we brought. I decided to walk down Sendlinger Tor and ended up discovering some really amazing shops. One in particular called Kane, which is filled with loads of home furnishings. From penguin coffee cups (thought of Marty) to old canoes transformed into wine racks, this store is wonderful. Vintage chairs with Audrey Hepburn face on the back (immediately thought of Angela) and light fixtures/chandlers that would make any girl happy covered this store. I cannot wait to bring my mom here and start decorating our flat.

I also stumbled upon a few costume jewelry places, a Levis (where I found Brad this amazing sweater), and another department store. On my way back from the galleria in Marienplatz, (found packing tape there) I decided to walk back down Sendlinger and stopped at the Starbucks. Yes, this is the first time in four weeks that I have stepped foot into one and I went with Earl Grey tea. Anyways, while in line I noticed the enormous display case containing every type of pastry imaginable except for cookies. With a closer look, I determined that Starbucks had sold out of them and then remembered something that Brad’s co-worker said, “you can only get chocolate chip cookies in Munich from Starbucks.” I guess he was right.

vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

First day of School (Part 2) and The First Breakdown

I know you all had bets on when the first melt down would be and who ever had Wednesday, October 27th in the pool, well Congrats!!! Yes, I cried (real tears) to Brad this evening over my German homework, but we should probably back up a bit to see what led to my full-blown collapse. Everything was going well this morning as I awoke feeling ten times better (thanks to the meds Brad brought me) and excited to attend my first day of German class. I will admit I was pretty anxious to see what I had missed the day before and nervous that I would be unable to catch up, but still positive it would all work out. Oh man, was I wrong. I quickly realized that the teacher will not speak anything but German to you and several of the students are far more advanced than me. Also, she started the class by throwing the ball around and asking everyone different questions in German. So when it got to my turn I had no idea what she said or how to respond. Luckily, the gentleman seated to the right of me was super nice and assisted with the response. Then about an hour an half into the class John (another student) finally showed up and the only seat open was the one to my left. He is from Turkey and is completely terrible. He laughs at everyone in the class and on top of that, he tries to tell others when they are saying or doing something incorrect. It is very distracting and just plain rude. Also, I was paired with him for an exercise (matching words with pictures) and this was something I was actually good at as I had just completed the same lesson on Rosetta Stone a few days ago, but John thought otherwise. He would change every one I placed down and then look in his translation book only to find that my answers were correct. So annoying and I think the kid is downright awful.

Class was finally about to come to an end, but now it was time to receive our homework for the evening. It ended up being only a couple of sessions in our book and decided to complete it all in the media center prior to returning home. To be honest, I thought it would only take me an hour (two at the max) to finish it, but as the clock turned 17:00 (class ends at 12:45 PM) and still not done, I decided it was time for a break and headed to the U-Bahn. On my walk home, I stopped at Tengelmann to pick up dinner for Brad (went with a frozen curry and pasta option) and then headed upstairs to our hotel room. After spending another hour or so trying to figure out what numbers the lady on my CD-ROM was saying, I made dinner for Brad and watched TV. Still working on the homework when Brad walked in, I got so overwhelmed and just lost it. Of course, my loving hubby came over, gave me a kiss and said let’s do it together, but I can only count to twelve. This made me laugh instantly and we began working on it. After fifteen minutes of more tears and listening to the CD hundreds of times, we were able to complete the final section. It was a really bad day and I think I wanted to quit the class at least ten times today, but Brad said stay positive and give it a week. Going to sleep and hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Gute Nacht. vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Completely Green

I woke up feeling terrible, but still got ready for school and started to walk to the U-Bahn with Brad. However, after reaching the station, Brad ordered me to return home, put my pj’s on, and get into bed. He said not to worry about emailing the school as he would take care of it and I should drink plenty of fluids. After a full day of resting and drinking water, my hubby returned home from work with medicine that he promised will fix me right up. Fingers crossed as I do not think I can miss two days of class.

Gute Nacht – die Gauntletts

First Day of School

Yesterday afternoon I was very ill and today I am still not feeling 100%, but wanted to go to the Goethe Institute (name of my German language school) as today is the second part of my exam and orientation. The institute had me do an interview as well as a written examination, but the teacher giving it quickly realized that I do not speak any German and decided that the A-1 course is perfect for me. Afterwards, I met with another individual who provided me information about the school, my class and Munich. Then I headed home and spent the rest of the day sleeping and watching TV. Looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully I feel well enough to attend.

Gute Nacht – die Gauntletts

The Giants Win the Pennant!

GIANTS WIN!!!! We just finished watching the San Francisco Giants win and are looking forward to them going to the World Series. Brad did, in fact, set his alarm for 4 AM to catch Game 6 of the series with the Phillies. The game was in the sixth inning and then I joined him around the computer for the ninth (couldn’t sleep with all the yelling anyway ;-). What a great way to start our Sunday! The Giants are going to the World Series! Of course Brad can't believe the Giants chose this year to move on in the post-season, and is disappointed that we are not in SF to celebrate with all of our friends at the Bus Stop, but hopefully we can watch our Giants at the Marriott next weekend!

Accidental Hausfrauen

I came to the realization today that I probably spend at least two hours a day in the grocery store and only end up with a maximum of five items. I wish a video camera could follow me in the around in there as it must be a sight to see. With my list both in English and German, a translation book and reusable bags in hand, I set off for the store. People must think I am crazy because I first walk up and down all the aisles before even placing one thing in my basket. Then I go back and actually start shopping. I do this because I rarely go to the same place (except for the tengelmann’s right outside our hotel) and like to get the lay-out of the store before I shop.
Off to have lunch with the League of Accidental Hausfrauen (LoAHf) at Café Puck, hopefully I am able to meet some nice women and then going to the Goethe Institute to pay for my class. Then my hubby is taking me the English Cinema to see the Wall Street movie…really looking forward to movie theatre popcorn!!!

Gute Nacht. vermisse euch alle. – die Gauntletts

Ugly Christmas Sweaters

After discovering a local Munich website, which has suggestions on everything from restaurants to shopping, I decided to check out one of her shopping recommendations entitled Kleidermarkt – Vintage Thrift. What originally intrigued me about it was the mention of Burberry Coats and Escada in her write up. So with flats on my feet and map in hand, I decided to venture over to Marienplatz to check it out. As I entered the three floor shop, I got an immediate headache due to the terrible musty odor and knew this was a bad idea. But I wanted to get the full experience, so I flipped through the racks and after about 30 minutes had to remove myself from this establishment. The only word I can use to describe this experience is “disappointing.” However, if we decide to ever organize an 80s or ugly Christmas Sweater Party, I will be returning here for our outfits.

The day was not a complete bust as I did stumble upon Butlers, which carries a wide variety of products for the home. From kitchen supplies to chandlers this store has it all and you do not have to make the hour trek to Ikea. Plus as the Christmas season is quickly approaching (Germany does not celebrate Halloween), the store is covered in holiday goods. Looking forward to bring mom to this place during her visit in November!

After a full day of shopping, I decided to check the toytown website when I got home and realized that the League of Accidental Hausfrauen (Housewives) is meeting for lunch tomorrow in Maxvorstadt. I placed my name on the list and definitely looking forward to having a little girl time.

wir vermissen euch alle – die Gauntletts

Antique Show

Last night was one of Brad’s partners’ birthday dinner and I ended up being invited. It was so nice of him to include me and I actually was the only non-KPMG/wife there. The restaurant was in the city center and get this, it was the same place we went to on Saturday with Matt (Joe’s little bro)…how random. I finally got to meet Steffi (one of the assistants at KPMG), who planned this 9 course tasting menu for everyone. We started with a variety of fresh breads as well as a radish/yogurt dish, followed by a breaded fish dish with a heavy sauce (almost like a crab cake), third was a cheese course, then a spiced bread with an onion type topping, soup was next which was a chicken broth with chives, then sliced piggy with sweet potatoes (yummy), and a bread pudding like dessert with plums. The cheese course was my least favorite as it was just a pile of camembert with chives and small roasted pretzels. A little strange, but I guess Germans love camembert.

While doing some research on line yesterday, I realized that the Auer Dult was going on this week, which is an outdoor festival in Au. The neighborhood of Au celebrates with a traditional market three times a year (May, July and October) at the foot of the Mariahilf church. The name changes according to the time of year: May – Maidult, July – Jakobidult, October - Kirchweihdult, however the name Auer Dult (meadow festival) encompasses them all.

I have to admit that I was rather disappointed as everything I read online talked about the beautiful antiques. Instead, I found myself distracted by the German carnival foods, fair rides for the kids, and people selling everything from ‘As seen on TV’ products to women’s lingerie. However, once you move past some of the bizarre things for sale you realize the magnificent array of ceramics, antique furniture, jewelry, and teapots that really make the Auer Dult special. They do have numerous stalls that contain a wide variety of kitchen tools and may have even found a Christmas present for someone.

Each of the Dults lasts for 9 days, so if anyone is interested in checking the festival out please plan your visits accordingly.

vermisse euch alle. viel Liebe. – die Gauntletts

Let the Travel Begin

We booked our first European trip, destination: Prague. Cannot wait to show my hubby around the city and visit Kristin. Off to hit the gym and then get ready for a birthday dinner for Brad’s work.

vermisse euch alle. viel Liebe. – die Gauntletts

P.S. – If you know of a must see place in Prague (i.e. restaurants, bars, small shops) that are not found in travel books, please let us know by posting a comment.

Second Visitor

We had our second visitor in Munich today. Matt Clarke, Joe Clarke’s littlest brother, works outside of Frankfurt from time to time and decided to head to Munich for a day before returning to the US. We had lunch at a great German restaurant near the city center, then tried to scalp tickets at the Allianz Arena for the Bayern Munich game. Turns out the process is not at all the same in the US, and it is remarkably difficult to accomplish this (especially if you don’t speak German). We cut our losses 15 minutes before the game and headed to a bar to watch the game. Bayern beat Hannover 3-0.

Lunching with a Fellow Housewife

Today I met Cheryl, a fellow KPMGers wife, at Bagel Brothers (almost exactly like Noah’s in San Francisco or Einstein’s in Chicago) in Maxvorstadt, which is very close to our new flat. It was great getting to know her better and I loved hearing all about their experiences. I did learn something very interesting today and thought I would share it with all of you. According to Cheryl, Munich does not have any brown sugar or chocolate chips. I was completely shocked and my face must have showed it as she followed it up by saying that she always requests visitors bring these products with them when they come to Munich. Plus, friends and family members have even sent brown sugar as birthday presents…so random! I guess I should have done my research a little more before coming here and stocked up on these. I wonder what other products are hard to find here?

After lunch, we went for a walk around the area and I was able to show her the outside of our new building. It was a great afternoon, until I tried to get back to the hotel. I got on the U2 and then hopped on the U1, which would have been correct; however instead of getting on the U1 towards Olympia-Einkaufszentrum, I got on the other one towards Mangfallplatz. Oops…oh well, I made it work and finally got back to the flat. Brad got home from work and we decided to check out the German restaurant down the street. It was delicious!!! Brad got the pretzel soup and some type of sausage dish and then I had my first spatzle dish with crispy onions on the top.

Everything was so yummy!!!

Gute Nacht. Viel Liebe – die Gauntletts

Shopping Shopping Shopping

Brad and I had kaffee together again this morning and I really enjoy this part of the day. I am really happy Brad is taking time to have a cup of joe with his wife in the morning instead of just leaving for work and hopefully this will continue, but only time will tell.

After mapping out my shopping day (Karstadt, H&M, American Apparel, BioMart), I head to the Gern u-bahn and took it to Karlsplatz. I spent all day in the city center shopping and just exploring our new home. I had wanted to purchase a black coat prior to leaving the states, but ran out of time and decided that I would just buy one here. So after visiting about 15 different shops and probably trying on over 35 jackets, I found one at Mango. I then went to the BioMart, which is Munich’s version of WholeFoods. It was actually really nice and had a variety of health foods, but still no hummus and I think I will just have to start making my own. I also found a home goods type store called Depot as well as a cigar shop, which I know Brad will be excited about. I stumbled upon the open market, which was huge and filled with fresh flowers, meats, cheeses, wine, beer, vegetables, fruits and more. It is here every day and there is even a food tasting tour on Fridays and Saturdays.

Arrived home to an email from Brad that had the lease for the flat, super exciting!!! We have both reviewed it and I told Brad to sign and send it to the owners. I hope all of it works out and we are able to move in on November 1st. Heading downstairs for dinner with Brad, so tired of eating out and cannot wait to cook dinner in our new flat.

vermisse euch alle. viel Liebe. – die Gauntletts

SF Coffee Company?

I just got back from walking around Schwabing and it is freezing out, my feet are a shade of blue. Brad received a bunch of our bank stuff and of course it was all in German, so I had to bring it into Francesca and ask for assistance. After getting all of it taken care of, I stopped for a kaffee at the San Francisco Coffee Company and then went to the shop where Brad and I went on Saturday. Everyone keeps asking us if San Francisco Coffee Company remind us of home. We don’t have the heart to tell them that we don’t recall seeing a single San Francisco Coffee Company in San Francisco. After purchasing a super cute vintage hat, I decided to head back as I was not dressed properly (tory b flats without socks). Time to put the laundry in, call home and make dinner for my hubbie…we are having cucumber salad, a frozen bean/veggie thing and instant rice, I know so gourmet.

Still no word from the owners of the flat, but maybe something tomorrow.

vermisse euch alle. viel Liebe. – die Gauntletts

Date Night!

My husband is so wonderful! Last night he told me that Tuesday was date night and we were going out to dinner by Allianz. We met by his office, which is located in Schwabing and looks like a neighborhood rather than an office complex. Prior to meeting Brad, I had to go to Maxvorsadt to see our relocation agent as she was able to get our visas finalized and return our passports, which means we are official and able to live in Munich! YEAH!!! We also learned that getting a drivers license may take a little more effort than we originally thought. It appears that California driver licenses are not recognized here and if I want one, I will have to take driving lessons, spend a full day in first aid training and then take the two tests (written as well as driving). However, we may have found a loop hole, which is getting an Illinois driving license as it is accepted here. More to come on this topic.

Brad received some suggestion for dinner from his co-workers and we decided to eat at a Mexican restaurant where we had margarita’s, chips and salsa, yummy burritos and wonderful conversation. He is so sweet and wants to take me on dates at least once a week…I am the luckiest girl in the world! We are still waiting to hear about the apartment, but our relocation agent said it looks good and is just waiting for the lease. We will keep you posted and let you know as soon as we here!

Gute Nacht. Viel Liebe – die Gauntletts

Brad’s First Day at Allianz and My First Day Home Alone

Today was Brad’s first day at Allianz and my first full day alone in Munich. However, I was still feeling a little under the weather and decided not to do too much. So instead of heading into Munich, I decided to just stay around Gern and do exploring. First, I went to the hotel gym for some treadmill time and I know everyone says things are smaller in Europe, but this is taking it to a whole new level. One treadmill, no bike or weights, I cannot wait to join Body Up Diva and start taking classes again. Afterwards, I walked around Gern and found a nice park with a pond in the middle of it. I am looking forward to showing it to Brad this weekend. Then I went to the market (my German translation book in hand) and picked up a few things to make dinner. I had a good day and now it is time to call the family and wait for Brad to come home from work. Can’t wait to hear what he ate for lunch!

Vermisse euch alle. viel Liebe. – die Gauntletts

Waffles anyone?

James and Cheryl, the couple who is on rotation from the Richmond office and will be returning to the states next March, invited us and another couple over for waffles, mimosas and delicious apples. They went to an apple picking festival in the country yesterday and spent the rest of the weekend making apple treats –apple sauce, muffins, etc. It was a wonderful afternoon with great food and company. I did learn something very interesting this afternoon about water conservation in Europe. While showering, you turn the water off during shampooing/conditioning your hair and soaping. I think I will try that the next time I am in the shower.

However, on our way back to the hotel, I started to feel ill and believe it is the same thing Brad had right before we came to Munich. Therefore, I spent the evening in bed watching “Arrested Development” (a hilarious show) while Brad did Rosetta Stone and prepared for his first day at Allianz. Hopefully it will be a quick recovery and I will feel better by tomorrow.

Gute Nacht. viel Liebe – die Gauntletts

House Hunters International – die Gauntletts (Day 3)

Last night we went to the ToyTown beer garden meet up in Haidhausen and was able to meet a few great people. Toytown Germany is an English-speaking website for Germany and a place where people can post events, jobs, apartments, etc. We plan to attend next week and hopefully start making some connections.

Today, we are scheduled to view another flat in Maxvorstadt, but prior to meeting with the owners, Brad and I decided to check out the area again as we still have not located the market that our relocation agent mentioned yesterday. Well, we found it and the place is huge (much different than the other ones we have been seeing)!!! I was very excited to find tofu, .1% fett milch and several other American products (popcorn, kettle chips, hot chocolate). Brad loves the giant meat section and pasta aisle. Needless to say, we were both happy with the grocery store situation by the flat. Afterwards, we decided to time how long of a walk it was from the flat to Schwabing and were pleasantly surprised that it only took about ten minutes at a rather slow pace. We checked out the open market and a vintage store (found black over the knee Christian Louboutins boots, but decided against it), prior to heading to Kaisergarten for lunch. We love this place and believe it will be our favorite biergarten. I know, this maybe a little premature, but it has such a great atmosphere with delicious Bavarian cuisine, tasty beer for Brad and bubbly for me, excellent people watching (a young mother chasing her children around in the gravel wearing suede Louboutins…love it), and just a wonderful place. As we were leaving, Brad and I turned to each other and said “I cannot wait to take all of our visitors here.” (http://www.kaisergarten.com/)


We then headed back to the flat in Maxvorstadt to meet with the owners and after touring the apartment, we think it is a good fit for us. It is small (of course it is larger than our studio in San Francisco, we will have to get used to having doors again), but they used the space well and it comes fully furnished. The area of town is great (close to shops, restaurants, bars, markets, etc.) and it is not too far from where Brad will be working. Allianz is in the “Schwabing” area of Munich, which is directly North of Maxvorstadt, the area this apartment is in. The only reason we call it “potential” is because our relocation agency needs to finalize the paperwork with the owners. Hopefully, we’ll be moved in around November 1st. More to come on this front, but we did have kaffee with the owners afterwards and they seemed to really like us.

Viel Liebe – die Gauntletts

First Day at KPMG Munich

Today was my first day back at work. Between the wedding and our relocation to Germany, I had taken 7 weeks of personal time this summer, so it was certainly time for me to get back to work. German businessmen dress far more formally than those in the US. Before leaving the US, I had to purchase a few suits and ties (I’ll need those each day, even on Fridays).

I found my way to the office (easily located via the U-bahn) and located the IT department where I received my computer, badge, etc. I checked email for the first time to realize that all office-wide emails are in German (of course). How do I know if I even need to respond? I couldn’t be more thankful for Google translate until I improve my German skills. The office is much bigger than I expected, roughly 1500 employees work in KPMG’s Munich office. Everyone was very gracious and happy to show me around. I’ll look forward to getting to Allianz on Monday.

Going to meet the wife at Café Lotti in Maxvorstadt, hopefully she had a wonderful morning!

Veil Liebe - die Gauntletts

Our First European Purchase

The Gauntletts had a big day as we headed to the largest MediaMart in Munich and it definitely puts Best Buy to shame. We bought our first European electronics (an iron and hairdryer) and are looking forward to not having to use ones in the hotel for the next month. We also found an extremely large market, which contains several American products as well as .1% fett milch (Munich’s Skim Milk). This mart also had whole wheat pasta, so we decided to make his favorite dinner, spaghetti. After getting a few more items, we headed back to our hotel in Gern to drop off our purchases and then walked around Maxvorstadt. We had lunch at a Turkish fast food place (again), where Brad got a Döner and I had the falafel. Afterwards, we walked around the area and then headed to the BMW museum for a bit prior to heading back to our hotel. Time to make dinner in our amazing kitchen!!!

Vermisse euch alle. viel Liebe. - die Gauntletts

House Hunters International: die Gauntletts (Day 2)

Dinner was wonderful and Brad’s team is terrific! However, I am so glad we took the time to look at the menu online prior to going as it was all in German. I had the Lachsfilet (Salmon Fillet) and Brad had the Schwertfisch (Swordfish). It was delicious and we already plan to take all of our visitors there.

Flat hunting did not go as well as yesterday and I am starting to get very concerned that we are not going to find anything. Brad keeps telling me to stay positive and that we will keep looking until we find something we like. Also, it is not looking so good for the flat we saw yesterday, there is one other applicant who claims to be a carpenter and willing to do work in the flat while he is there. So frustrating and we wish we could speak with the owner as I would have no problem putting some work into the place.

The best part of today was stumbling upon the ALDI and it made me think of my mom!!!

Wir werden dixh vermissen. Alles Liebe - die Gauntletts

House Hunters International: die Gauntletts

We found an amazing flat this morning and had our relocation agent turned in all of the paperwork this afternoon. Brad and I really hope we get this flat as the area is amazing and we both felt at home the minute we walked in. It has 2.5 rooms, two balconies and plenty of room for all of our house guests. Fingers crossed!!!

We also found out how small Munich really is because after taking pictures for our visas we noticed that the partner Brad will be working with was waving at us. We quickly found out that he lived just right around the corner and was stopping at home to pick something up. This made us feel extremely comfortable about the area we had chosen to live in and made me feel good about the research I had done prior to completing our housing form. We are now off to Brenner Grill to have dinner with Brad’s team, hope everything goes well!

Wir werden dixh vermissen. Alles Liebe - die Gauntletts

2010 Oktoberfest

Prost, Prost, Prost!!!

We spent our first day in Munich celebrating the 200th year of Oktoberfest and man, what a party! After consuming a German breakfast, which includes slices of meat, pretzels and more meat, we headed over to the festival via the U-bhan (Germany’s transportation system). Once we arrived at Oktoberfest, we noticed that our regular clothes were not going to cut it next year as everyone was wearing the traditional lederhosen (men) and dirndls (female). Note to self, learn how to make lederhosen and dirndls. After walking around for a few minutes, we found ourselves in the Spaten tent and learned that in order to obtain a beverage or food, you must be seated at one of the tables. Therefore, we began to walk up and down the aisles until we found room at a table. Aisle 5/table 86 appeared to have room, so I decided to ask them and we ended up spending the whole day with people from Germany, the US, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand.

We also realized that the Oktoberfest at Fort Mason in San Francisco is a fairly decent replica of the original…..yes, they sing John Denver here as well. We lasted 6 hours or so then needed to retreat after drinking the strong German Oktoberfest bier. We are looking forward to visitors next year for the festival, it is certainly worth seeing.

Wir werden dixh vermissen. Alles Liebe - die Gauntletts

Greetings from Munich!

Brad and I have arrived in Munich and checked into our corporate housing hotel. The journey was long and tiring, but also quite humorous. After arriving in London, we had to travel to Terminal 5 (when I say travel, I mean a 15 minute walk through the terminal, 15 minute waiting in line for a bus and then a 25 minute shuttle ride) where we had to go through security again before even making it to the new giant terminal. Note to self, never go through Heathrow again. After almost missing our connection to Munich, we finally find our seats on the aircraft and just as Brad and I are about to fall asleep, we notice that the flight attendants were walking down the aisle passing out cans of Heineken to all the passengers celebrating Oktoberfest. We both turned to each other and said; well, I guess we picked a great weekend to move to Munich.

After 18+ hours of traveling, we finally arrived in Munich and wanted to find our baggage claim area as we had checked over 400 hundred pounds of luggage at O’Hare and were anxious to see if all of it made it here. From afar, I noticed that one of our suitcases was on the turnabout, which made me very excited as this bag contained a pair of ruby red shoes that I love! But then, as we get closer, we noticed that the cardboard boxes we had packed did not make it all in one piece. Of the three we checked, only one was in decent condition and the other two were missing one whole side. Luckily, Brad had place garbage bags inside the boxes to protect them, so we do not think any items fell out, but we will only know for certain after we unpack everything. If you ever find yourself moving across the pond, the use of moving boxes can be a good idea, but don’t be clever and cut holes into the sides for handles.

After collecting our life, we loaded all of the bags onto a cart and walked passed customs (who did not even look twice at us) in hopes of finding a cab. Since it is Oktoberfest, large cabs/vans were hard to find, so at first they tried to talk us into two separate cabs (one for me and then one for Brad), which was not going to work. Then all the men (including Brad) thought it would be okay for our luggage to go into one cab and then us in another. After giving Brad the worst look ever, we did everything to make our 9 large pieces of luggage and three people fit into one tiny cab. After a few minutes of struggling, we were finally off to our hotel. Now, Brad and I must do everything possible to stay awake for the next few hours as we hope to fully adjust to the time change by the end of the weekend. Hope all is well and we are looking forward to our first Oktoberfest!!!

Wir werden dixh vermissen. Alles Liebe - die Gauntletts

Leaving the United States

Guten Morgen! Guten Tag!

We will be leaving the states this afternoon to start our Munich adventure and can not believe the day has finally come. It feels like only yesterday Brad was speaking to the Munich partners to discuss the possibility of us going overseas and now we are actually leaving. This past year has been a complete whirlwind and we are so lucky to have this amazing opportunity.

We are scheduled to arrive in Munich tomorrow afternoon (5:30 AM - Central Time/3:30 AM - Pacific Time) and will be heading to our temporary accommodations to relax. We already have our weekend planned as Brad recently found out that our corporate housing is right next to one of the beer tents for Oktoberfest, so we think it is only appropriate to spend our first full day in Munich drinking and celebrating the festival's 200th year. Then Sunday will be a full day of exploring the districts we think we want to live in (Schwabing, Altsadt or Lehel) as Monday morning is the start of our flat search.

Wir werden dixh vermissen. Alles Liebe - die Gauntletts

Welcome to our Blog!!!!

How we Met!
On a hot summer night in Chicago (Friday September 7, 2007 to be exact), Ashley was getting ready with Eileen to go to the best 80s bar in town, "The Hangee Upee." Ashley had nothing to wear, so Eileen lent her a short colorful sundress for the evening.

On the other side of town, Brad, Greg, Matt and Matt were having their own fun on Rush Street as this was going to be a total guy’s weekend. After taking several shots of tequila, Matt got a text from his brother saying that they all had to go to a bar around the corner called "The Hangee Upee." Brad and his friends arrived around ten and Ashley and Eileen came shortly afterwards.

Brad noticed Ashley as she was walking down the stairs and he immediately turned to Matt and said, "that girl is adorable!" Ashley noticed Brad too and after about an hour of exchanging looks and smiles, Brad finally came over and asked her to dance. Ashley kindly accepted and they ended up dancing the night away.

Brad and Ashley spent the rest of the weekend together and just four week later the two were back together enjoying their first date...a Chicago Cubs Playoff Game! THe following May, Ashley made the move to the Bay and the two have been together ever since.

How We Got Engaged!
After a two year courtship, Ashley woke up next to a note asking her to get ready for a weekend in wine country to celebrate Brad's recent promotion at work. Little did she know what else was waiting for her in Napa. They arrived at Chateau Montelena early in the morning and tasted the same chardonnay they had at dinner two years ago. After the tasting, they explored the gorgeous property that surrounds the winery until they arrived at the gazebo near the pond. Once in the gazebo, Brad got down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage.

Ashley said yes!

Now after a year of planning, Brad and Ashley will become husband and wife on July 24, 2010!