Schokolade Mädchen: May 2007

5/31/07

5/30/07

Robbie has found a new friend and a new hang out! I met a super nice American girl, who just married a German in February. They live about six blocks from us. She and I have a lot in common and they have a 5 month old Hovawart, named Polo. He and Robbie were instant friends. Isn't he cute? He always looks like he's smiling!

We've been meeting on a regular basis and they've turned us on to the coolest dog friendly beer garden in Munich, the Mini Hofbräuhaus in the Englischer Garten . It's smaller than a typical beer garden but with all of the same amenities. There are so many different breeds and personalities but in general, all of the dogs get along and run themselves ragged (without leashes) in a couple of hours. Yes, Robbie is finally playing without a leash and not running away from us!

5/29/07

Going Green

As a "pseudo-vegetarian" for over 10 years, I am proud to say that I am taking another step towards becoming a true vegetarian. I've always wanted to be a vegetarian, for too many reasons to list. But the combination of constantly worrying that I wouldn't get enough iron and protein and the lack of choices at restaurants always pulled me in the opposite direction. Eating meat is convenient. While I've stayed away from pork and beef for all of these years, I have allowed myself to have poultry and fish. But after a lot of research and personal reflection, I will not eat chicken or turkey anymore. I won't shock you with details about the horrific living conditions of factory farmed birds. And they are shocking and repulsive. I know how it is....we don't want to know about the process. But I will tell you that the average American consumes 2,714 land animals in their lifetime. If I quit eating meat now, I could prevent the suffering and deaths of hundreds of animals over the course of a couple decades (vegan outreach). And it is a fact that nutritionists agree that plant eaters and fish eaters tend to live longer and healthier lives than meat eaters. Vegetarians have a lower incidence of diabetes and cancer. They have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, namely heart attacks and strokes. And vegetarians tend to be leaner than meat eaters, having a low percentage of body fat. Hello! These are just a few of the health benefits. And believe me, hard core meat eaters, I understand the argument can go both ways. But these are my reasons for my choice. I'm not trying to convince you.

There are several subcategories of vegetarians:

Vegetarians abstain from eating meat, fish or poultry.

Vegans do not eat animals or animal products - no eggs, no dairy, no honey, etc.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians do not eat animals, but do eat eggs and dairy products.

Semi-Vegetarians aka Flexitarians eat mainly vegetarian food but limit their intake of either certain types of meat. (old me)

Pescetarians do not consume the flesh of land dwelling animals. In contrast to vegetarians, they do eat fish and seafood. (new me)

Raw or Living Foodists eat only raw food, because enzymes are destroyed by normal cooking processes.

Fruitarians eat only fruit, fruit-like vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, cucumbers), and sometimes seeds and nuts.

I realize that I have to stop eating fish and seafood in order to have a clear conscious. I'm going green, slowly but surly:) And while it might be true that one Pescetarian won't make a huge statistical difference in a world of meat eaters, at the very least, I am making choices that are good for myself and good for countless animals.

5/27/07

Das Wetter spielt verrückt!

summer hailstorms...

5/19/07

Afrika Tage in München!

An African Festival in Munich.......I am impressed. I love this city!

5/15/07

Good Times

Well, after an extended weekend in Frankfurt and Köln, we are back home. On Saturday, we met Maria. We hung out with The Boy, had some world renown "Breakfast Punch", and headed to the Frankfurt Skyliners Basketball Game. I should mention that I was sweating and starting to talk loud before we even got to the game! Maria, I hope you pass on that recipe again.....I know you told me already but I can't remember:) The basketball game was pretty much the same as an NBA game in the US, with the exception of shorter periods and a smaller arena. And even though we lost, the fans were very loyal and supportive of the guys. After the game we all went to a party for the team at Sansibar, a fantabulous club with killer house music. We will definitely be retuning over the summer. Oh, and Maria picked up a can of Pam for me - I'm baking bread right now, as we speak.

Here's a picture of Ginger, Roby's future wife.

Sunday morning, we took G's Mother to the Fra nkfu rt In te rcontinental for Mother's Day Brunch. The food was excellent and the presentation was beautiful. Then we headed to Köln.

The Kölner Dom is breathtaking!

After doing the tourist thing all day, we had cocktails with another couple from Mannheim and called it a night. Monday, I spent the entire day shopping (G had meetings) but unfortunately, I did not find my wedding gown. But I did manage to find my way around the downtown area with a map. Definitely a first for me!

5/11/07

A Back Up Plan

Ich bin allein! We are in Frankfurt for a couple of days and then we are headed to Köln. G had a meeting in Koblenz and his parents are working so it's just me and Roby. So what's a girl to do? SHOP! And naturally, I've been shopping online for more gowns. I'm starting to realize that the probability of me finding my gown in Deutschland is slim. And to be honest, I'm getting tired of searching. Finding your one and only wedding gown is supposed to be fun - not a headache! I didn't want to order a gown from the US (via my Mom) because of alteration issues. But I may take that chance. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping I find something in Köln. In the meantime, I thought about the easiest option for buying a formal evening gown in the US - department stores. I'm really getting desperate, huh?! But surprisingly, I found some fantastic gowns from Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom. I really like this first gown...extremely simple but fabulous all the same!