Two And A Half Taylors: January 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

See you in a week!

Cause we're going skiing in Austria.

Tux Valley here we come!

Now this looks nice and relaxing.

These Austrians are saying, "skiing is fun Brandi!"

We'll see about that.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Last week Austin and I each had a run in with Mr. Rotavirus. It was not pretty here at Villa Taylor. But after everyone was healthy, the fun was able to commence. As an early birthday present (cause the sweetest baby in the world turns 3 on January 30), Chris took Austin to get a German balance bicycle. It was love at first ride. Me thinks we are going to be spending quite a bit of time in the driveway of our apartment riding this bad boy. And then, cause we're the coolest parents in the world, we took him to the Transport Museum here in Dresden. I seriously thought Austin's head was going to explode when we walked into the train exhibit. Then we lost Chris for a good 20 minutes while HE explored the car exhibit. Personally, I was excited to see the snack cart on the 2nd floor. What can I say, I'm always hungry.
After a LOOOONG week and weekend, we are getting back to normal and working on getting ready for our next adventure. What's that? Adventure you say? You'll get a hint later this week. You just focus on getting through the ridiculous number of photos of things with wheels below.

The maiden voyage.

Ta Da!

He's totally going to pick up chicks on this thing.

This is his bad a** biker face.

A very old tram ticket at the museum.

Let the adventure begin!

Big boys like this museum too!

Daddy and Austin checking out the model trams.

An old tram. There were seats on the roof!

The coolest interactive thing ever. It showed footage of the streets in Dresden during the 1930's as you "drove" a tram.

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh.

The train room.

Then Chris snuck into the automobile room.

Back to the trains man!

Big wheels keep on turnin'.

Seriously? How many pictures of this train stuff is she going to put on here?

Apparently some more.

The Saxonia.

Cool model train sets!

I was wondering where the snack cart was at this point.

Austin standing next to a big yellow thing.

Toot toot!

Approaching the train.

The inside- just like in the Polar Express!

Little boy heaven.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Dear Ace of Cakes Dude,

Your apprentice awaits!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Gutes Essen

Or as they say in the old U.S. of A- Good eatin'!
I am slowly working to expand my palette. Unfortunately I am a true American eater. I like the American version of ethnic foods. And then I put ketchup on it. Sadly, I had a very different expectation of what Germany would be like. East Germany was not what I was imagining. But they do have a few of the same foods as the cooler Bavarians. Here are a few foods that I am truly enjoying (or trying VERY hard to enjoy) while we are over here. There are of course tons of things to try, including the 746 types of sausages. But here is a small sampling of a few of my faves:

Sauerkraut.

Fortunately my mother regularly forced me to eat this as a child. So now I actually LIKE it.

And the freshly made stuff here is REALLY tasty.

But it still stinks.

I apologize in advance to my vegetarian friends.

This is schweinhaxe. Or pork knuckle.

It is kind of hard to get past the skin and fat. But when you do? The meat is SO tender.

I usually let Chris order it and then snag a bite or three.

Czech Goulash with Bread Dumplings.

Hello lover.

If you actually get these IN the Czech Republic, the meat is not always identifiable.

But delicious all the same.

Lift. It's a fizzy apple juice. It is really nice on a hot day. And I'll bet it is awesome with ice!

But that's never happened here. Cause they don't believe in ice.

These are in no way comparable to Donut Connection donuts. But a close enough substitute.

Homer Simpson would approve of these donuts.

The Corny Bar. It's their version of a granola bar.

The other flavors are pretty gross, but they got it right with the peanut version.

I am not the biggest fan of beer. There. It's out.

But I do appreciate a taste or three of Chris'. And Germany has some pretty decent brew.

Cheddar cheese is a specialty item here, which means hard to find. And then there are 30 white cheeses that all kind of taste like swiss. But this Butter Kase is very mild, and Austin LOVES it.

Sausages and salami. Not much meat goes through this country without being processed and packed into a casing. They even sell child friendly salami in the shape of bears. It is beary tasty.

I reached my bratwurst limit the first month we were here. We ate SO much bratwurst. They sell it everywhere. Carts in the middle of shopping areas, nice restaurants, bier gardens, and apparently now in a tent next to the flooded Elbe River. Germans cater to those wanting to watch nature's destructive forces while enjoying a brat and beer. I am just now beginning to feel that I can get back on the brat wagon without wanting to vomit in my mouth.

Schnitzel. I almost feel the same way that I did bratwurst. I had WAY too many schnitzels when we first got here. I prefer the pork over veal. It's a personal choice. I am now easing my way back into schnitzel consumption. Embrace the schnitzel.

Dear Potato Dumplings,

I love you.

Sincerely,

Brandi

Spaetzle. A soft egg based noodle cooked in butter and sometimes, by the grace of God, cheese.

Schmalzkuchen. Bite sized fried donuts dusted in powdered sugar.

I ate my weight in these during the Christmas Market shenanigans.

Waffles are a big deal here. I like mine fresh off the iron, warm and shaped like hearts.

Austin is a fan of their popular prepackaged waffles. Square.

Booooooring.

Brotchen (rolls). Bread is king here. You can buy bread and beer cheap throughout Germany.

These people know how to keep their people happy.

And I am pretty sure I would have received hate mail if I didn't include pretzels. Honestly, I am the sad American who thinks that the pretzel from an authentic German bakery isn't as good as the ones you buy in the US at malls (I'm talking to you Auntie Anne's). But in a pinch, these will do.

Monday, January 10, 2011

12 Months of Cuteness

My friend Lindsey did a blog on how much her daughter had changed over the year, and I loved it. I realized that seeing my little stud muffin everyday, I tend to avoid noticing that he is no longer a baby and (as I am tearing up right at this moment) now a little boy. A moment for me to compose myself please...

I will say, this year he has definitely made the leap from baby to boy. The physical changes aren't as obvious to me as they were between newborn and one, but they are still there. And his personality? Well that is a book in the making. Maybe a trilogy.