July, August, September Revisited

I've started a tradition of trying something totally new and exhilarating--euphemism for slightly dangerous, sorry Mom and Dad--if possible around my birthday each year and this past July found me jumping off a bridge in Denmark. It wasn't a particularly high bridge, and the water was deep and calm, but nevertheless I managed to slip on some rocks as I clambered my way back up the bank and I got a few lilac tattoos as a result. Come August the lights of the Spain fireworks show at the Herrenhäuser Gardens lit up the night sky and welcomed me into my thirty-first year on this earth. The bruises were long gone.

Schützenfest--the annual shooting match--in Hannover

Shooting festival ladies enjoying a few drinks in the drinking tent.

Fireworks marking the first day of the festival.

Vince and his wife Megan, our good friends from the US, visit for the first time and Vince actually shows us the correct way to drink Lüttje Lager, Hannover's signature drink.

Crazy mural and decor on a rollercoaster at the fest. Is that how people see America, as a bunch of scantily clad space invaders with tans and big boobs? It's not such a long shot actually...

The Teestube, of course, never fails to impress us.

On the island of Møn, Denmark. Weather was beautiful for five whole days.

The signature tall grasses on the way to the beach.

The high style on our private stretch of beach.

All in!

Mario and Truffles get some much needed sun.

So do I.

Most of our afternoons were spent like this.

My little niece Mia and Truffles captured in my favorite photo of the year!

The idyllic landscape on the island.

Playing coop on a rainy day. It's a German game where you have to throw wooden sticks at more wooden sticks set up on the ground from the opposite team.

Danish charm in a nutshell.

Heaven meets earth.

A trendy looking inhabitant.

Never wont for a snack.

The banana slugs.

Lau family shot.

We used the natural chalk on Møn to declare our love like teenagers.

Ice cream break with the Hüppe family, friends of the Laus who were also vacationing on Møn.

Hanging out in the yard of the cabin they were staying in.

We venture into the harbor area of Moen with promises of fresh fish...

But unfortunately left empty handed.

We weren't the only ones waiting for fish.

The Møn town festival that happens every Tuesday. A dizzying variety of cute shops and handmade items for sale.

Local church.

Danish on-location hard candies like these tempt festival goers.

Sizzling bbq draws a crowd on this warm summer day.

Viking graves!

Truffles looks out of the cave entrance.

Don't go towards the light, Truffles!

Grave number two.

Poppies are everywhere on the island.

Heading to Klekkendehøj, the famous Stone Age double chamber mound in Møn.

Top of the mound.

Exploring the innards.

Museum display of a classic viking burial in the sealed off second chamber.

I made Mario do this Gladiator shot on the way back because I'm a nerd.

Bryghuset Møn brewery. Best artisan food and crafted beers on the island. http://www.bryghusetmoen.dk/

I order the blinis with salman tartar and caviar, tasty Scandinavian fare!

Wash it all down with their honey porter, feel like a twenty-first century viking.

On the way home from our viking grave tour and brewery pit-stop, Mario and I stop the car to explore the abandoned halfway-house on the route back to the beach house.

Rumored once to have been home to troubled teens and others, this massive building was a much anticipated off-the-beaten-path attraction for us and we walked the halls in whispery caution. We went in alone but Mario's brother and girlfriend joined us when they saw our car parked in front on their way back from something. Check my YouTube videos for a ghoulish practical joke we pulled.

One picture I couldn't capture because it was too dark but felt was the creepiest was an empty echoing swimming pool hall we discovered in the bowels of the structure.

Our day in Copenhagen begins with a trip to a church, of course. Church of Our Savior on the inside.

Church of Our Savior on the outside with its standout corkscrew spire.

Seems pretty obvious, doesn't it?

The canals.

Truffles observes the age old tradition of salutation at the royal palace.

Picture perfect scenery

The Langelinie Promenade

Asians congregating around the Little Mermaid.

St. Alban's Anglican Church

Ironically, we try to take Truffles into this grocery chain only to be told dogs were not allowed...

...because you'd think with a logo like this that it would be dog friendly, right?

The architecture in Copenhagen's city center.

Hipster part of the city.

Deer in the woods on our way back to the beach house.

Truffles' first encounter of the amphibious kind!

Last day on Møn, Mario and I finally see these FAMOUS chalk cliffs he's been babbling about for 10 years.

Whoa, that's pretty amazing!

One smug Mario.

Møn was a chiseled piece of relaxation and natural wonder and I am so glad I was able to experience it with the people I love.

Another luscious assemblage of raw fish from Sushi-do.

Made rosemary roasted chicken with a roasted potato salad one night on a whim.

We're already at my birthday! That went fast.

Mario surprised me with a pub quiz night with all our family and friends already assembled at the Dublin Inn. That's me two beers into it, tottering up to meet the quiz host who made the pub sing Happy Birthday to me.

Wuv wuv wuv!

Love my peeps!

Birthday loot. Thanks to everyone who came for making my big day away from home so special.

Made my favorite brunch food of all time one Sunday for old times sake. As of now, I have not seen eggs Benedict on the menus anywhere in Hannover.

The Hannover Maschseefest--lake festival--led to a bright idea by Vinni to go get a paddle boat from the school and take a tour of the event by boat since there are venues, restaurants and activities all the way around the 5 mile lake.

As the only boat on the water other than a big licensed tour boat, we were unsure if we were actually allowed to do this but continued on in a pioneering spirit.

Our crazy captain.

Sun setting behind clouds as we watch from the middle of the Maschsee.

First port of call--time to get a beer!

Our beverage break was highlighted by a live Pink cover band. "Hat Jemand bock auf Pink???" This lady's voice isn't as good as Pink's but she sure has a great body!

Back to the boat, the moon makes its appearance. Perhaps also a Pink fan.

Second port of call, another beer and to explore what is making that pretty light. We docked right next to a bunch of surprised dining patrons of the dockside restaurants at the festival. They ended up being really nice and thought what we were doing was a great idea so they kept an eye on our boat and paddles for us.

A bluesy band plays at our second stop.

Those nice diners who watched our stuff even help us with this photo. Lovely people, those Germans.

After two of our friends left, Vinni, Mario and I continue our tour and head over to the main drag of the Maschsee to check out the action from the water and then head home.

Mario makes a delicious paella, our first in Hannover.

So my birthday present from Mario were tix to the Spain in August and then the Austria in October presentations at the fireworks competition in the royal gardens in Hannover. Today is the Spain show.

A glimpse at the pyrotechnics behind the scenes.

Darkness descends and anticipation mounts.

No good still photos could do it justice that night, check out the YouTube videos for the entire show.

Pub quiz night on Thursdays at the Dublin Inn became an irregularly favorite pastime of ours. We win one round out of three each time we go and get free shots. Having the biggest group has nothing to do with it.

The Fisch Haus, a very good fish restaurant in the Kirchrode area of Hannover. I just wish Germans got a little more creative and didn't serve everything with potatoes and variations of tartar sauce.

Dinner at Ichiban. Dogs are allowed in restaurants here, remember?

One of my favorite pieces at the Sprengel Museum here in Hannover, just minutes walking distance from where we live.

It's a Hannover 96 game!! Fans show their love in a literal sense.

The stadium.

Sitting in on a game with Mario, my second of the year.

One of the best meals I've had since moving here and it was made by my Sweeto. Soupe de poisson with rouille and croutons. We went especially to a fish market on a Saturday to pick up fish carcasses for making the broth.

Heidelberg, well known to tourists as the 'most beautiful city in Germany.'

Mario in front of one of the oldest buildings in Heidleberg.

The old town.

Fall festival underway.

Christian and Caroline, our friends from Mannheim show us the best of Heidelberg.

Everybody outside, enjoying a beer, bratwurst, and live American ragtime style music courtesy of a vintage clad ragtime band. We were just missing the bandstand.

View on the way up to see the castle in Heidelberg.

You can almost hear angels singing as the rays of sunlight filter through the trees.

Made it!

View of the Neckar river.

Exploring the castle, which usually costs money but we somehow manage to get in for free.

 Makes me think of Romeo and Juliet, the balcony scene.

Many people fall in love in the city of Heidelberg and the castle does about 100 weddings per year. Already married, we settle for a smooch.

Truffles has been everywhere! She needs her own passport.

We walk into a wedding in the processes of setting up. Was tempted to steal a bottle of champagne from the many cases they had sitting around.

Burgers at Wittkoop in Mannheim come homemade in par baked buns and a thousand island sauce spiked with vanilla. All ingredients and meat are fresh and delectable in their signature combinations, a great find!

Hans Albers Burger, a 1/4 lb patty topped with all the fixins and caramalized mushrooms and onions.

Christian poses provocatively as a plate of spaghetti ice cream, a Mannheim creation at this fine Italian ice cream parlor, sits in the foreground. It's vanilla ice cream extruded into spaghetti 'pasta' topped with strawberry 'tomato' sauce and grated white chocolate 'parmesan cheese.' A feast for the eyes!