Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The New Forest

A few weekends back we set off to explore The New Forest with our friends, Julie and Michael and Katy and Marwan.  It's about a 2 hour drive southwest of London, making it the perfect last-minute weekend getaway.  The New Forest, created as a royal forest by William I in 1079 (for the royal hunt, mainly for deer), is now known for its great hiking and biking trails through the forest, and wild ponies - there were even Shetland ponies!  Speaking of Shetland ponies, you must watch this commercial...it's guaranteed to brighten even the darkest of days!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekr05T9Iaio

We stayed in the charming town of Lyndhurst - it became the natural "capital" of The New Forest when William the Conqueror established his hunting grounds here, then made our way over to the coast to explore Milford-on-Sea and Lymington.  We had spectacular weather during our stay, soaking in as much sunshine as we possibly could as we hopped from pub garden to pub garden :)







Absence makes the heart grow fonder...G's month-long stay in Oslo

Earlier this year, Grant packed up his bags for a month-long project in Oslo.  As the saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder," and two weeks in I flew out to Oslo to spend a Scandinavian weekend with G.

It brought back memories of when we first started dating...Grant living in Dallas, while I remained in Austin.  I think we managed to see each other every weekend.  Back then, the "Sunday blues" were no joke, and took on a whole new meaning.

There's also those feelings of excitement though, when you've almost reached your "meeting spot" on that Friday, and it was fun for the both of us to experience that again.  

Since Grant had already been there for two weeks, he had plenty of time to talk to the locals about what we should get up to over the weekend. Gotta love free (and local) tour guides.

It was off to the perfect start when we had the best sushi we've ever had at Alex Sushi!  Seriously, it was that good.  As I'm typing this, I'm foaming at the mouth thinking about that amazing meal.  It was so good, that we went there twice in three days.

On Saturday, we set out on a proper Norwegian adventure...cross country skiing!  Now, most of you know that I'm not the best downhill skier, so you can imagine my hesitation to try cross country skiing for the first time, in the county most famous for this sport.  I think children start their cross country training before they can even walk!  

And to make matters worse...it was VERY icy!


My favorite part of the day was skiing over the frozen lake behind us!


So, after a number of face plants and a few instances of walking with skis in hand, I survived!  In between face plants, it was fun to get into the rhythm a bit, and take in the beautiful surroundings.  Grant was a pro, of course, so I'm sure he's looking forward to doing it again sometime soon (I think I'll opt for a day at the spa next time around!).  

On Sunday, we were lucky enough to snatch up tickets to the FIS World Cup Nordic Ski Jump competition.  After seeing it live in person, I have a new found respect for ski jumpers.  I'm not sure why anyone would want to start a career in ski jumping after seeing it up close and personal, but more power to ya!  Seeing them fly through the air is an amazing sight!

Go Poland!


Representin' the American!  

The brave girl who had to ski down the ridiculously steep hill with the American flag



That small red dot is a ski jumper...fly man, fly!



Ringing in 29 Bavarian Style!

So, I'm a few months into the last year of my 20's.  Nine months left before I turn the big 3-0. 

Grant and I are all about seizing the moment these days, and immersing ourselves in the adventures that present themselves to us (Beijing!  hint, hint).  It's funny how as you grow older you realize more and more how little the number attached to your age matters.  We firmly believe that a number, and whatever social mores are attached to that number, will never dictate how we live our lives, be it 30, 50, or 80! After all, you only get one shot at this life.

So, now that I got that off my chest, here's a look back at my 29th birthday celebration in Germany/Austria!  Germany has been high on my list ever since we moved here, and G planned a wonderful weekend getaway for us.  

Munich in a nutshell:  wandering around the very walkable city center, filling our bellies with Bavarian beer, pretzels, and sausage!  That about sums up our stay in Munich :)

Marienplatz:  main square
Neo-Gothic New Town Hall

Old Town Hall


Bavarian State Opera


Loved this building (Residenzpost) - situated across from the Opera house...little did I know then, that the Louis Vuitton store was located inside...that would have been quite the birthday shopping spree!




Holy pretzel!


Hofbrauhaus!



Truly enjoyed meeting the locals, who kindly let us sit and drink with them!


  
Englischer Garten:
River surfing in the park

The Chinesischer Turm (Chinese Tower), which is conveniently located in the park's beer garden (second largest beer garden in Munich, to be exact)...the perfect pit stop!


This adorable dog was SO proud of his giant stick!  haha


Theatine Church


Austrian Alps:

 
Grant's highlight - driving on the autobahn! Maxing our tiny little Volkswagen Polo out at.......180 kmh


View from our balcony


Neuschwanstein Castle day trip:







Birthday dinner feast!


Thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes!  Cheers to 29!