Back to Blogland

We're back and chomping at the bit to share our photos and tales from our time with my mom and Randy in the French Riviera. Per usual, we have tons of photos to go through, so for now a sneak peek will have to do!

There was champagne:

There were flowers:



There was sustenance:

And of course, breath-taking views:



Not to mention all of the fun. More details to come!

Toby Thursday

Here's a glimpse into a regular evening out with Toby:

We walk about 10 minutes to a local field (we have about four to choose from) and not too long after we arrive, the Chase begins.

Toby chases B:

Toby feigns exhaustion:

B chases Toby:

B tackles Toby:

Toby gets a belly rub:

The End!

Adieu!

This afternoon I board a plane for this sunny spot:

Photo Credit

In Nice, I'll be meeting up with my mom and her husband, Randy.
Brian will fly over on Thursday.

We can't wait to hang out with Cris and Randy and to see a new place!

Please note - This trip will not interrupt regular Toby Thursday programming. Thank you.

True Life: Watching the Broncos While Living Abroad

That special time of the year is upon us again. We've waited patiently all off-season for the start of the Broncos (and the NFL) season. Watching the games in the States is always fairly simple: either it will be televised and we can watch at home or it won't be televised so we watch at a bar. This year since we're living abroad has provided new, and somewhat annoying, issues with watching our favorite team. First and foremost, the time difference. Luckily, the game yesterday was played on the East Coast and was the early game so it started at 1900 (7 PM) for us. Unfortunately we definitely, well actually, I definitely won't be watching any Sunday or Monday night games live, that's for sure. But luckily that issue segues beautifully into the whole how-are-we-going-to-watch-the-games issue. With a little word-of-mouth help and a little time spent on the interwebs, Brian found out that NFL.com offers different overseas internet packages. You can purchase the whole season or games by the week. Woo hoo!! We opted for the weekly package since we'll still be traveling and not necessarily at home all day every Sunday for the next three months. With the weekly package you're able to watch the games live or watch the archived games up to seven days after they've been played. Score!

So with our viewing issues mostly settled, we all got ready for our Big Sunday. Toby took a pre-game nap:

I made some snacks:




B got the game up and running:

And we settled in for a fun evening with the Broncos:

Unfortunately, we had some internet connectivity problems that delayed our viewing, but we worked them out and were able to watch the Broncos lose to the Jaguars. Boo!

Better luck next week, Donkeys!

PS - Ron & Holly: We missed watching with you two!!

Mike & Glynda: Stuttgart TV Tower

Our last fun adventure with my dad and Glynda was to the Stuttgart TV Tower.

The Tower was built in the 50's and is the first one in the world made of concrete. It's amazingly tall (and thin) at just over 700 feet. We rode the elevator up to the observation deck and were wowed by the gorgeous views. The city:

The suburbs:



It was super windy up on the observation deck so we looked around and then headed in to the Panorama Café, but not before we took a few photos:

After the TV Tower we all logged some downtime at the hotel. It was early to bed since my dad and Glynda had an early bullet train to Paris the next morning, or so they thought. Unfortunately France decided strike the entire day they were suppose to travel to Paris. Not only was their bullet train canceled, but all trains to Paris were canceled for the day. They toughed out the travel woes and got on the earliest train to Paris the next day to enjoy a little more than 24 hours in the City of Light.

Thank you both so much for making the trip out to see us. We had a fantastic time!!
Toby still walks over to room 214 thinking you'll be there.


If you'd like to view all of our photos from our visit from our visit with Mike & Glynda,
please click on this link:
Mike & Glynda Photos

Photo Essay: Mike & Glynda in Zurich

We'd also like to wish a very Happy Birthday to Glynda!

Hope you have a restful birthday after all of the fun travels.
xo - C & B

Up next: The Stuttgart TV Tower

Mike & Glynda: Dinner & the Stuttgarter Weindorf

My dad and Glynda flew in last Friday for a week of fun in Europe. Their flight got in fairly early and so we hit the ground running. After a tour of base, lunch at the Barenschlossle, and some downtime at the hotel, we hit Sindelfingen for a tasty dinner out. Going off of a recommendation from the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised by the fantastic menu and quality of food at Zum Rad (an Italian restaurant). The eaters:

The appetizers:

The appetizer on the right was a really interesting salmon carpaccio with red peppercorns, an orange vinaigrette, and fresh parsley. YUM! I think we were all too taken with our entrees once they arrived and failed to document their beauty, but trust me, they were beauteous. With a scrumptious dinner and a healthy amount of wine down the hatch, we decided to walk through downtown Sindelfingen. We immediately stumbled upon a little festival that was going on. We walked through slowly, soaking up all of the festive ambiance. On our way through the festival we found these cool logs that they had burning:

After one final drink at the local Irish pub, we walked back to the Marriott for a good night's rest. The next day we decided to go to the Stuttgarter Weindorf (Wine Village) in downtown Stuttgart. Over 250 local wineries were represented and we had a blast!

The festival was basically booth after booth of wines and delicious German food. We also lucked out with some fabulously sunny weather. Here's a shot of the Weindorf and our visitors. Prost!

There's nothing like sampling wine to work up an appetite. After our first sampling we found a different booth ordered up some wine and noshed on some tasty eats:

On the left we have our standard delicious brat and on the right was a new-to-us find. It's called schupfnudeln and it was out of this world delicious. Saurkraut, bacon, and thick German noodles mixed together in beautiful harmony.

There's nothing like eating German food to work up a thirst for wine so we headed over to another wine booth after lunch was complete. All in all we had a wonderful time sipping wine, enjoying the warm fall day, and catching up. Prost!

Up next: Zurich