Sunset

So yesterday we took a break from KK2 to catch a beautiful Hawaiian sunset complete with green flash! Here are a couple of shots...

Aloha!

KK2

Sunday TJ and I spent the better part of the day at the beach and the secret pool...but were so jetlagged that we forgot to take pictures! Luckily we remembered yesterday, but spent most of the day at KK2. KK2 is an address of one of the properties at the resort that is for sale that J.D.'s Mom is staying and it is simply gorgeous! We went over in the early afternoon...I layed out while J.D. and TJ horsed around in the pool. Here they are before the action started...



And J.D. standing on the edge of the infinity wall with the golf course and ocean behind him.


And water aerobics races....

And then they finished out in the hot tub before heading down to catch the sunset.

We came back to KK2 after the beach for pupu's (appetizers) and nice laughs. Here is the property view by day...

And by night...

It was a lovely day (as per usual here) with the sun, the ocean, and great friends!

Aloha!

Aloha

We finally made it to Hawaii after over 17 hours in the air and 25 hours of complete traveling. You would think that we would be exhausted...but not us we are in full force! In fact we woke up at 4:45 this morning and have been awake ever since...mostly working out and laying on the beach. I promise it has been awesome! We were very fortunate to catch the sunrise this morning over Mauna Kea outside of our room at J.D. and Jess's condo (see above photo). And the best part...we saw two celebrities today and I couldn't be more excited! My fave...Christian Bale in a swimming pool! And this is only our first day. More later...

Aloha!

Mannheimer Christmas Market

Some people go to the Mannheimer Market to shop for Christmas gifts or listen to live Christmas music...but not us. I save the Mannheimer Market specifically for the food, the friends, and the drink. It took us about 5 seconds to get some food and our first cup of gluhwein. It was just as I remembered it! There are two sections, the PG section near the water tower where I am here...



And the super fun eating and drinking area by the Engelhorn shops...and across the street from where T used to live for our first month. This is where friends meet up for happy hour and then some each night after work from the 25th of November to the 23rd of December. Here I am with Meredith, Kristina, and Karen three cups in...

Last night also had a first. Usually we drink the gluhwein, but now I have a new favorite called Obstweinpunsch (fruit wine punch). Its even better than gluhwein, in my opinion! It was fun and it makes me excited to get back after Hawaii as we have decided to hit the Heidelberg one next.

Tonight we will attend the annual ex-pat Thanksgiving and then tomorrow we begin our long journey to Hawaii for Jess and J.D.'s wedding so the next time I blog it may be from the Aloha State! Say your prayers for a safe trip for us.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Amsterdam, Take Two

TJ and I went to Amsterdam in April with another couple visiting from the States, but this time we took my BF, Rebecca and had another super fun time! Last time we did the Anne Frank House, the Van Gogh Museum, and a canal tour...but this time instead of going to the Van Gogh Museum we went to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum to hang with some of our favorite waxy celebrities! Here are the highlights...

Bec and JT...we like to pretend she is his date to an event in this one!


Me and my longtime boyfriend (since 1987), Mr. Bon Jovi - excuse us while we smooch!



TJ hung out with a British DJ and spun some records for a bit while Bec and I said hello to some others...

And then before leaving he had to say hey to J-Lo and her big booty!

Bec and I did visit the Anne Frank Museum and take a canal ride...but the rest of the time was mostly spent in bars and restaurants. This is Bec at our first night:

It was where we met Bob and Loraday, a couple from the US about your parent's age. They loved us though- especially Bec and myself with our funny catholic stories. We continued on there for most of our night, had dinner, and christened the hotel bar later on.

The next night we went to the movies before dinner...and that was an experience! We decided to see New Moon as I am a fan of the books and we could get it in English there. We could get it here in D-Land as well, but we would have to wait until the 26th (which is the opening night of the Mannheim ChristmasMarkt). We also couldn't go on the 27th (ex-pat Thanksgiving), or after that as we leave for Hawaii...so that left Amsterdam. So the movie theatre was huge and mass chaos. There were tweens everywhere! And once we got in the theatre there were only like a dozen seats left with the rest filled with much younger people screaming and freaking out. It was hysterical! We couldn't stop laughing- but were thrilled when a couple of people in the neighborhood of our age came in! So the movie begins and it is another screamfest! I am telling you I have never seen a movie that had an experience like this, and it continued through the credits. The girl sitting next to TJ recited every word and then clapped if she got a sentence right...crazy. Any way it was a good movie and far better than Twilight. Clearly, after that we need food and drinks...but not necessarily in that order. Here we are in the Mexican Restaurant- with me after my 2nd margarita in 15 minutes.

It continued throught the rest of the night- complete with a stroll down the RLD so Bec could experience it for the first time. One time is enough for us! Amsterdam does not disappoint- with fun around every corner and in the least expected places!

Auf Wiedersehen!

Basel, Switzerland

Yesterday Bec and I took off for Switzerland to the border town of Basel on a beautiful blue-skyed day. It was a pleasant surprise...I have been through there several times and have never thought anything was there. Once again I was wrong. The city isn't inundated with a bunch of sights, but it does have its share and is incredibly cute and extremely clean! Here are a few sights...

The first photo is the front of the Rathaus (City Hall)...the lines in the photo are from the tram line.


The next two photos are of the inside courtyard of the Rathaus, and their Christmas tree is already up!

Outside of the Rathaus is the Marktplatz, where incidently there was a sort of Farmer's Market. Its not uncommon in a lot of European cities to have a regular daily market as many people here shop daily.

And I really liked this tree too, it made us want to start decorating immediately...

Probably the best and the most hard to find sight was the Cathedral. It was so pretty! And it was huge and sat perfectly on the river offering the best views.

There was even an indoor/open air area with memorials that simply looked like art. This only one of many corridors that displayed these memorials...

And, of course, the gorgeous riverfront view from the back courtyard of the Cathedral.

As we trekked about the city yesterday, we didn't just sightsee. We had lunch, did some shopping, and came upon some very fun and interesting things. Outside Butler's we found the perfect accessory for any Christmas time Swiss adventure. Reindeer ears!

And probably the best find in Basel was the wonderful novelty store called the "Condomeria". Yep, its full of condoms in various forms...they even had condom Christmas ornaments and several kinds of condom pipes! So if you need a great gift idea, please go here...

We had a great time, as per usual!

Today we spent the day in Heidelberg on the Hauptstrasse, at the Castle, and on Heiligenberg. It was another crystal clear, beautiful day and it could not have been better to see the sights. We aren't done there either, so we will head back Monday after our weekend away in Amsterdam! We'll let you know how that went on Monday too.

Auf Weidershen!

Rebecca and Cinderella's Castle

Monday, Rebecca and I made the trip to the Bavaria to visit the inspiration for Cinderella's castle. It is true that I am no stranger to this place as we were just there last week on our way to Garmisch...but this time...for the first time it was not raining! So it was very enjoyable...we even made the trek up to Marienbrucke (Mary's Bridge) to capture the beauty from the back of Neuschwanstein. It was also really fun to go with Bec because she had just taken her son to Disney to the fake Cinderella's Castle last summer...and now the fairytale is complete. FYI to you all...it is Cinderella's Castle from the outside, but not really on the inside as it is dark and extremely over the top! It was great and we got some awesome souvenirs.
Yesterday it was a super rainy and crappy day here, so we made our way to Weinheim for a short sites day, and then spent the rest of the day shopping...which is my kind of day. Again, fun had by all! More later...
Auf Wiedersehen