Last night we were invited to a housewarming party and were asked to bring fingerfood. The reason I'm posting this is mainly because I found the preparation very appealing from a design point of view. Well, it also tasted good of course :) So here goes ... our mini hot dogs in flaky pastry and spinach-goat cheese-garlic in flaky pastry.
Maybe next time we'll try Empanadas de Pollo, a recipe from our favorite cooking blog, kochbanausen.de :)
Bon Appetit!
... that we are still running regularly. The idea with the regular blog posts was a great thing to get me started, but turns out I'm much better at the regular (on an average every three days) runs than the regular writing about it. Well... I guess it's better than the other way round.
Also, there really aren't that many curious incidents while we are running. I actually find myself total spacing out, almost like meditating. Sometimes I feel very lazy but T usually manages to drag me out - and once I'm out there I'm glad I did it.
Besides, German summer, the trees, the flowers, the river and the bright fresh colors of everything need to be enjoyed!! :)
So, now all there's left to wonder is whether we are going to buy a grilled chicken to go with the veggie bulgur I made today or heat the Debreziner sausages. Hmmm. Either way, not a low calorie meal - but who cares, I'm going to run it off again :).
Wow, I haven't even blogged as much as I've been running - almost. So, I'm proud to report to have run another 4.5km today. Thought of today: Need to watch my pulse, especially in "couch potato circumstances" aka resting pulse rate. It's always been high, but with the level of training I should probably be careful. Feeling totally normal though and pretty good about getting fitter! Yeay!
Today is beautiful. Sunshine, warm but not too hot. T and I took the bikes to Siebentischwald, a nature protection area in Augsburg. We left the bikes at the Northeast entrance of the park and started running from there to Stempflesee and back (the link shows a path around the forest - we actually were in it ;) ). I made it 4 km without a break while still being able to talk a bit. Really fun. So, what was the curious incidence of today? Actually, nothing much. Just enjoyed the weather and did some yoga exercises on a small bridge in the end. Happy weekend everyone!
So, here's me and my brand new pair of Saucony Hurricane running shoes after the first run along the river Lech today. I had to visit two running shoe shops to find a pair that fits. Everyone who knows how much I like shopping know that's a big deal ;)
I'm new to the whole running business - well, let's say I tried it in the past and never really lasted. The last time due to some health stuff. So here's to a fresh beginning! I guess T will make sure it happens anyways ;).
The plan is to go running twice a week. I will keep posting about my progress here and will also mentione one curious/mundane/interesting/funny thing that happened or that I thought about on each run.
Today's is: I saw a guy that looked just like the character from the movie Sideways and he was running as slowly as I was. Maybe I should cut down on my wine consumption ;).
I finally managed to upload our trip photos. Sorry to my lovely friends in Dubai. I know you can't access Flickr but there are too many pics to post. One more reason to come see me in Germany - so that I can show you all the photographs ;) Pictures are here.
Lying in bed with free WIFI at some random motel in Grand Pass, Oregon, which for once is real value for money. First thing you notice when you cross the border from California to Oregon: no state tax and thus things get a little cheaper.
We just came back from "dinner" at Blondie's Bistro, the last place that still served food (if only salad) at 8 p.m. on a Sunday evening. Wow... I always thought in America you can get everything 24/7. Guess that's only true for Highway McDonalds :). Either way, Blondie's was a great choice. Our woman bar tender traveled through Heidelberg once. She also taught English in Japan, so we had a pretty interesting conversation with her - including her observation that my American English sounded a bit Indian ;). Well...
So, the past two days we rediscovered what driving means in America: Huge distances with nothing much around, which can get pretty tiring. We are still wondering how our friends could be serious about the fact that you can drive from San Francisco to Hood River in only 12 hours. Wow... that's some serious road tripping. Granted... we took the scenic routes and stopped at tourist attractions like the Redwood National Park and Eureka.
The great (negative) take away of today was: Don't ever order an "oyster cocktail" for $6.95. This mean you'll get the huge oysters nobody would normally eat I guess. I only know oysters in the shell that are about 1.5 inches in size max. Well, those ones looked like living aliens, and I can't believe I managed to eat three of the six. T sypathized with me and tried one too. I wish I had captured the face on camera :))).
All right then... here are the pics :) (this blog kind of cuts off the pics a bit. Click on them to see the whole ones)
T in front of a Redwood tree
Eureka, California
Awesome pancakes and eggs benedict in Eureka, CA
Ever noticed that some trucks are taller than their owners?? Insanity!!
Driving along the coast
Out of the shell oysters ... arggghhhh...
The only thing still open at 9.30 p.m. on a Sunday in Grants Pass, Oregon. A drive thru coffee shop.
Oh, and have we introduced our beautiful rental car yet? (Manual window openers and NO central locks included)
Before heading up to Oregon and drive up along the coast (Mendocino, Redwood National Park, etc.) we decided to stop over in Sonoma to do some real wine tasting for once. I have always been the driver when I took people up here, so now it was time to do the real thing!!!
April is peak season here, so we were lucky to get an (overpriced) room at El Pueblo Inn. Cool enough, we had a patio and a fire place, which we even used. Nice nice... We then immediately walked to Sonoma town, admiring the cute little houses along the way.
At the center square we now had to hurry up. Lots of wine tasting places close down at 5 p.m. (why, I wonder??). So we just let our instincts take us to a place and we had a really cool wine tasting at Charles Creek. The guy was super knowledgable. One interesting story: We talked about the movie Sideways and how the character in the movie doesn't like Merlot. The insider joke here: The character had been saving up a bottle of some 1961 wine for a special occastion which to a large part consists of Merlot. I didn't know that :)
After tasting (and swallowing) nine different wines, including a most amazing chocolate infused red desert wine, it was time for dinner. To keep it short: La Salette Restaurant was amazing!! Another bottle of wine later, we were ready for bed by 10 p.m. :)
P.S. The weather is amazing. 23C degrees (or more?) and sunshine.
Wine tasting
A Mustang even J.F. can afford ;) (insider joke)
Dinner ... the fish: before and after
Northern Californian coast line
What a trip!!! Literally ... It's been a whirlwind so far and it has been great. Let's see what all T and I have managed to squeeze in so far:
- Sleep two nights at the really cool W Hotel (thanks N!!)
- Hang out in the Mission, especially at Zeitgeist beergarden, the Casanova (my favorite neigborhood bar), Dolores Park (on Easter Sunday, with the Hunky Jesus contest)
- Met baby Max
- Hung out with friends and ate at Sunflower, Sushi Zone, Park Chow, Cancun Taqueria and Abacus
- Had more drinks at Toronado
- Went climbing at Mission Cliffs
- Rode the Cable Car, which I had never done before (really!)
- Had drinks at Bourbon and Branch, which were amazing
and and and...
There's always so much to do and see in San Francisco, it really never gets boring. Tomorrow we are going to have drinks with my co-workers from back then. I can't wait to see everyone.
Here are some pics...
Amy, Alex, Jeremy, Kristin, Mike, Wei: Here's Tobi in 2006 eating the famous Fergburger :) .... and the weather sucked, too ;-)
Have fun! We'll see (some of) you soon!
Recent Comments