Exploring London together

They're here!

We just finished up a great visit with Nani (BK's mom) and NeeNee (BK's grandmother). It was great having them here; of course BK and I love getting to see them, but we especially loved that Baby K got to spend so much one-on-one time with them. Not that we don't love when the whole family gets together, but with 11 people in our immediate family, there's usually a lot going on.

Baby K and I met Nani and NeeNee in London before returning together to show them around Switzerland. We had quite the whirlwind trip around the city, with just a day and a half to cram in as much as we could. I know, it's not much time in London, but we wanted to do what we could and still have the end of their trip in Switzerland.

Enjoying the ride on the Hop-On Hop-Off

When you fly to Europe from the US, typically you arrive in the morning. We met Nani and NeeNee in the terminal where their flight came in and went from there. Our first afternoon in London we grabbed a quick bite for lunch, then got on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. A family friend had recommended it to us, and with the weather in London quickly turning to rain when we arrived, it worked well for us. The only thing I didn't like was that we had to go to Trafalgar Square to validate our tickets, which was annoying and out of the way at the time. We didn't validate until the next day.

In front of the Tower of London

We made a stop at Piccadilly Circus, then happened upon M&M world, where we personalized some M&Ms for Kate's cousins. We then took the tube and headed over to the Tower of London area. Nani and I got a good workout, as I hadn't done my usual research on which tube stations were stroller-friendly. So, like in many trips before, the stroller was carried up and down many flights of stairs.

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London was really fun to see, although Baby K thought the high point was all the puddles to splash in after the rain. The crown jewels were the highlight for us, and after our visit there was a great view of Tower Bridge. We enjoyed walking around in the area for a while afterwards, and made our way back tour hotel for the evening. It had been a long travel day, so we called it a day and enjoyed a relaxing dinner at the hotel after Baby K went to bed.

Buckingham Palace; flag is up, Queen is in

The next day was our really big day. We started by walking to Trafalgar Square, hopped on the bus from there seeing Hyde Park, the Mayfair area, and Grosvenor Place. We rode the bus to Buckingham Palace, attempting to see the changing of the guard, but unfortunately it was us and thousands of others as well, so it was hard to catch a glimpse. The flag was flying and the Queen was in residence while we were there! Afterwards, we took a stroll through St. James Park, then also saw Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Parliament Buildings.

Westminster Abbey

Big Ben

After a quick stop for lunch, we strolled back through St. James Park, taking our time, and giving Baby K some time to get out and stretch her legs. We walked through the park to the Chesterfield Mayfair, where we enjoyed high tea, and Baby K even had her own little set up, including a chocolate "milk shake" (chocolate milk).

Sitting with NeeNee in the park

High Tea

We decided to end our day with a visit to Kensington Gardens and Palace. The gardens are beautiful, especially during this time of year when all of the leaves are changing. We walked around the gardens, stopped by the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, then ended our time in the park with a buzz by Kensington Palace. That was pretty much the end of the day for us at that point, as we had to catch an early flight the next morning.

Baby K trying to catch a glimpse of George

Like I said, we had to cram as much in as we could, with just a little over 36 hours in the city. I've been to London four other times, for longer time frames, and even though there is a lot of stuff we didn't see, we got to see a lot of the landmarks and things that were easy to see and experience. BK and I have talked about the fact that we should go back together sometime soon.

Friday morning we caught an early flight and came back to Switzerland so that NeeNee could see where we live (Nani's been here before), and experience all things Swiss. More on that later though... Baby K and I need to head to the airport to pick up Mawmaw (my mom) this afternoon!

A taste of Texas, en Suisse

Purple is the only color allowed on game days

First things first, let me say, GO FROGS! It's a Saturday night in Switzerland, and they have an 11am game, meaning we get to watch the entire game!!

Sometimes when you live outside of Texas, you have to bring a little taste of home to wherever you are. This was the case for us twice in the past few weeks, when we had a little Tex-Mex fiesta for BK's team, and then again tonight when we needed a little bit of home while watching college football. I also wanted to share the recipes I used in case you're a Texan (or American who likes Tex-Mex) in Switzerland or somewhere similar. 

BK's team enjoying the terrace

We hosted BK's team for dinner at our house a couple of weeks ago. Baby K entertained everyone for a little while before she headed off to bed, and then we enjoyed a Tex-Mex Fiesta for dinner. When we do something like this, BK always asks for menu ideas, and I always lean toward this one. I think it's because typically we're having Europeans over, so this will be something very "us" and not something they have on a regular basis.

I was pleased with how everything turned out, and hopefully people enjoyed it. Here are the recipes I used for our fiesta:

• Fajita seasoning: I used this for both chicken and beef; we grilled 2lbs of each and I doubled the recipe. I would probably quadruple next time and let it marinate a little longer.
• Salsa: I've used this recipe a couple of times, but we don't have Rotel in Switzerland, so you have to adjust by taste accordingly or it turns out extremely tomato-y.
• Guacamole: This is something I think you really have to make based on taste. We use avocados, tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro (called coriander here), and chicken bouillon.
• Mexican Rice: I had never made this recipe, and it turned out great!
• Refried beans: I used canned ones that we can get here, but typically add salt, pepper, and garlic, then top with cheese.

Tonight for the TCU vs Texas game I really wanted some tailgating food to enjoy while we watched our game. BK loves Buffalo Bros in Fort Worth, so I thought I would give some wings a try. We also made guacamole again, and grilled some corn. The combo may seem a little random, but it was really good.

Wings, guac, and grilled corn

I was surprised to find wings at Coop (grocery store) that were only drums. I bought two packs and made one with buffalo flavor and one with Asian flavor. Surprisingly, the buffalo ones were way better than the Asian ones, as they had a much stronger flavor, and had quite a bit of heat to them. I chose two recipes that required baking the wings as opposed to frying, as the last thing I need is one more mess to clean up.

Here are the wing recipes I used:

• Easy Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings: I used Cholula hot sauce, which I found in our local grocery store. I wouldn't do anything different on this recipe.
• Honey Soy Chicken Wings: these didn't have as much flavor as I would have liked, so we added some teriyaki sauce afterwards. I'll probably play around with this recipe next time to improve it.

I did have one fail...I attempted to make ranch dressing as a dipping sauce for the buffalo wings. It was pretty much a complete fail. I used a Pioneer Woman recipe, but it just was not right. I'm not sure if the mayonnaise has a stronger taste here or what, but it was not good. I'm sure I'll try again at some point.

To end this post on a very positive note, TCU just trounced UT, beating them 50-7. Can't say it enough...GO FROGS!

I would say auf wiedersehen, but...

BK and I dressed in traditional attire

If I said that, it means until we see one another again, and I don't plan to see Oktoberfest again. Once was plenty for me.

Let me start out by saying, Oktoberfest was fun, and absolutely something I am glad I got to experience while living in Europe. Having said that though, here are a few things you can keep in mind while reading about my take on our time in Munich and at Oktoberfest:

• I don't like beer. I know, I know, why go then? Like I said, for the experience.
• I'm past the point in my life when I'm interested in being around people who are so drunk they are vomiting at 2:00 in the afternoon, walking around like zombies, and barely able to hold themselves upright.
• Oktoberfest is best enjoyed without your children...as in, they should go to the grandparents' house and plan for a Monday pick up, after the weekend.

Giant pretzels for all to enjoy

Now, you may be thinking, you went to Oktoberfest in September? Yes, Oktoberfest always starts sometime around the third week of September and goes until the first week of October. In Munich people call it The Wiesn. The only reason it is called Oktoberfest (supposedly, according to our tour guide) is because American troops stationed in Munich after WWII couldn't pronounce wiesn, so they just decided to call it Oktoberfest, and the name stuck.

Our liter and half-liter (for lemonade) mugs

We traveled to Munich on a Thursday, went to Oktoberfest Friday and Saturday, then traveled back home on Sunday. I thought I would tell you about Oktoberfest specifically in this post, then come back to tell you more about Munich, where we stayed, how we got along with Baby K, and other stuff. And in case you're wondering, yes she came to Munich with us; no she did not go to Oktoberfest.

Inside Traditions-Festzelt tent

When planning this trip, we heard that the only way to go at Oktoberfest was to get tent reservations. This is because there are literally millions of people there, all who want to get inside a tent to drink some beer. Without a reservation, you're likely to be out of luck in getting into a tent, and definitely won't have a place to sit or be able to get anything to eat. We had reservations at Traditions-Festzelt on Friday and Stiftl Tent on Saturday. They were very different from one another, which was a great thing to experience.

Oktoberfest grounds- it feels like the state fair

Friday morning we headed off into Munich, suited up in our traditional lederhosen and drindls, to experience the more traditional of the two tents, Traditions-Festzelt. I was surprised when we arrived, to find that Oktoberfest is a bit like the state fair; lots of rides, carnival food, random crafty trinkets, games, and the other usual stuff. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't really that for some reason.

Outside of the "tent"

Traditions-Festzelt tent is located in the Oide Wiesn section of Oktoberfest, which is a more traditional area. It is a huge tent, that I'm sure can seat hundreds of people. Our reservation was from 11:30 until 4, and during that time there were many bands playing, people processing in and dressed in traditional attire, and groups dancing on various stages. There was also this group who used whips to play along to the music...interesting. It lived up to our expectation of the traditional tent for sure.

Beer station

With a table reservation, you receive tickets for food and beer. The beer at Oktoberfest is only served in liter mugs, and contrary to popular belief, is chilled and nice and cold when it comes out. I really I think I only made it 3/4 of the way through one liter the whole time. Oktoberfest is also known for the roasted chicken, which is really good, along with many other traditional dishes such as potato salad, dumplings, and spetzle. You can pretty much drink and eat yourself silly there...and many people do just that.

Inside Stiftl Tent- the band is up top

The other direction inside of the tent- much smaller

On Saturday we had reservations at Stiftl Tent. Even though we liked getting to experience the more traditional tent the day before, the Stiftl Tent was much more our speed. It is considered one of the smaller tents, and has very cozy feel. There is a live band, that mostly consists of a guy singing German and English rock songs. Apparently the most commonly played song at Oktoberfest is Country Road by John Denver. Who knew? There's also a German drinking song played in all the tents for everyone to sing along with. Fun!

Before the dancing/stomping started

Anyway, back to the tent, it was a lot of fun. It was crowded and loud and most of the people around us were really nice and enjoyed talking and having fun with everyone around them. At one point everyone was standing on the benches of the tables singing and stomping, generally just having a great time. Again, the beer is served in liter mugs along with the traditional food. I knew I would like this tent when they offered us prosecco to start in a tiny mug. Yes, please!

And they're up!

So that's about it for the actual Oktoberfest. I'll fill you in a little bit more about where we stayed (you know, bringing three toddlers along and all), stuff we saw in Munich and other recommendations we have in case you decide to make the trip.

Until then, Prost (Cheers)!