I like it raw! (Veggies #6.7)

Big news!

Well... really, it can be classified as "news that will not shatter the earth" because it mainly affects me and that guy I'm married to.

Right, anyway, the news!

Turns out I don't mind broccoli - if eaten raw!

This "raw veggie" theory has presented itself twice recently:

The first was when I took a suggestion from a very wise former-college-roommate of mine (hi, Katie!) who accepted the Broccoli challenge with this recipe for broccoli coleslaw.

I made it over 4th of July - and it's delicious! It helps that the broccoli is drizzled with sweet/vinegar-y goodness.

This recipe led me to try to shred my own broccoli over the weekend, since buying bunches of broccoli seemed cheaper than buying it pre-julienned. (And maybe because sending that guy I like to the store with instructions to buy broccoli slaw resulted in a purchase of 4 heads of broccoli. Maybe.) The shredding attempt was weak at best, but it did leave me with a large bag full of bushy broccoli tops, which I would've felt awful throwing away. So I bought a tub o' veggie dip and tried just eating the raw broccoli with a bit of dip last night.

Totally. Tolerable!

The second example was so fleeting I barely noticed it. At a wedding shower for my new sister-in-law (husband's-brother's-wife) the hostess made a pasta salad with fresh cut, uncooked yellow squash from her garden. I really liked the crunch and how the italian-style dressing stuck to it w/o smothering.

Another win for veggies! A war I'm happy to be losing. :)

Plus, as we move into fall & winter, I'm hoping to explore some of the fun seasonal veggies. Last year I conquered acorn and butternut squash, plus I have lots of recipes pinned for soups and crock pot goodness.


Here's the recipe for the broccoli slaw mentioned above. I've edited it to match how I decided to prepare it after making it by-the-book the first time.

(Pro tip: it's a Paula Deen recipe, and you DO NOT need the 3/4 stick of butter. Ever. I don't even cook the ramen/almond/sunflower seeds, just crunch them and toss.)

Ingredients

• 2 bags (3-ounce) Ramen Noodle Soup in Oriental
• 3/4 stick butter  I just saved you a million mental calories.
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 2 bags (12-ounce) bags broccoli cole slaw (in the bagged salad section of the grocery store)
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• Chopped green onions, for garnish (I tend to forget this part)

Dressing Mix:

• 3/4 cup canola vegetable oil (what's a Canola, anyway?)
• 1/4 cup brown or white sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 ramen noodle seasoning packet (Oriental)

Directions

Put the ramen noodles in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin while melting butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat. Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally (keep temperature at low/medium heat). Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. (Be sure all of the sugar is dissolved!) Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat. Garnish with chopped green onions.

¡Madrid!

There are some gaps in the trip, I know! We are safely home in KC and I owe this blog about a week's worth of adventures. Here is a post I wrote about Madrid to tide you over!

- Ellen

~~~~~~~~~~

Madrid has been unexpectedly relaxing; it's nice to stay in one spot for more than two nights!

We've been able to get a pretty good idea of daily life. In Madrid - and most of Spain, from what I can gather - everything is moved back by about 3 hours: lunch isn't until at least 1:30 but usually 2 or 3pm, and dinner is at 8 ... or sometimes 9 or 10! (My mother would never survive.) People stay out later, too: midnight is about average for a weeknight, and 2 or 3 or 4am are often seen on the weekends.

We discovered the staying out late part early. The first night we were there we went out with our host - my friend Michael from college - to get tapas and meet some of his friends. Having not arrived until almost 8pm, we weren't leaving his apartment until 10ish. Stopping for tapas took us to 11:30 and then we met his friends at a neighborhood festival.

In Madrid, "neighborhood festival" translates to "big f---ing party in the middle of the street." Drinks are huge and relatively cheap, lots of dancing and loud music. So much life happening in one place! We also didn't get there until 12 or maybe later since we walked there. His friends were wonderful - a fun bunch that was seeing a couple of friends off on a trip to Russia of all places - but eventually Britton and I had to give in to our exhaustion... at 3am! The trek home took another hour involving a night bus and plenty of walking. I fell asleep without even changing into pjs.

We've walked a LOT while in Europe: between sights, within cities, to and from metro stations, to get food, with our backpacks, through airports and train stations. It's felt good to be so active but at the same time our feet are quickly losing their stamina. I am getting the most necessary pedicure of my life on Sunday when we're home again.

That idea of home is always an interesting one when traveling. I talked about this a bit with Rebecca in Budapest. She's often in flux between what would be a "permanent" address (her parents' house in the states), her "current" address (in Spain where she teaches during the school year, Sept. - May-ish), and her "temporary" address (in Hungary where she is teaching over this summer). And even for me while we've been in Spain whenever I say, "Let's head home for a bit" it is in reference to Michael's apartment. Home is where the heart is but also where your head can hit a soft pillow.

Anyway, back to that first night, we decided we had definitely earned a morning without an alarm - a rare treat during our trip!

"The Romans were everywhere!"

We let ourselves sleep in - til all of 10:00! Then it's up and at 'em. Our "B&B" provided cereal and instant coffee, which I have quite the affinity for after Ecuador. It was really nice to have a slow morning after some of the early and get-a-move-on mornings of the past few days.

We found lunch near the Vatican - pizza with fresh toppings and these little fried rice balls stuffed with fillings. I can't remember what they're called at the moment but they were gooood. This was one of the first meals that between the two of us we didn't finish.

Then we walked off to the Vatican! To say that it was impressive is just not a big enough statement. It's amazingly complex and beautiful. And it's huge. Every wall, piece of ceiling, altar, prayer is a work of art in itself. I wish I could have laid down on the floor looking up to be able to gaze at it all but there we're far too many people.

And there is a dress code (which we adhered to) that many people, mostly women in short skirts and skimpy tops, couldn't figure out. The Vatican is very strict about these rules - two guards stand at the steps in front of the entrance checking visitors - and they're also prepared with these paper hospital gown type things for people to wear around their shoulders or tie around their waist to cover their knees. Some people brought their own scarves and would wind up looking like they wore a long dress stamped with "ROMA ROMA ROMA" all over it. I on the other hand looked cute in a sun dress that has small shoulder frilly-ness. Inadvertent brilliance, as my dad would say!

Next to the colosseum! Which had nothing of the wait we'd be warned about and we got inside within around 30 minutes. We think it's mainly because it was the middle of the day, it was hot, and right now many Europeans are taking their own holiday. Works for us! We were prepared with lots of water and light clothing, and we stayed in the shade whenever possible.

The colosseum is also impressive but in a different way from the Vatican. The colosseum is, I believe, a testament to the Romans' incredible legacy of craftsmanship. Built well, built quickly, and built with functionality for its purpose. With all of our new-fangled technology, we still don't rival some of these structures.

And there are plenty of examples of this literally all over Rome. Ruins that are closed off, ruins that were reused, buildings that are still standing. Just as Britton realized, "Man, the Romans were EVERYWHERE!" (Yes, especially when in ROME.) ;D

And - because why stop at a full day when you can pack two days worth of things into one? - we went on a bike tour at 7:00 that night! This tour was "Unusual Rome" and complemented our time in Rome really, really well. We saw some unique sights - a panorama of Rome at sunset, the Vatican through a peephole, Hadron's (?) castle, the forum at night with pictures of how it was when it was built. Plus, we had a guide which meant our random questions were answered! I was wishing at some points during the day that we had taken guided tours, because you do get so much more info. Britton and I tend to speculate and wonder what was this for or why is it like that but can't get answers from walls or signs in Italian.

Woke up in Budapest, fell asleep in Rome

Travel day between Budapest and Rome was an early one, with the added stress of it being the first time traveling by plane after landing in London the first day.

Luckily there weren't any mishaps. I think we might have been one of the last ones to the gate though, and since it's open seating on Ryanair (budget European airline) I thought it'd be a much bigger issue than it was. We were still able to sit across the aisle from each other.

And then we were in ROME! Aaaah there were so many things to see and do, and unlike previous cities, we knew ahead of time what those things were!

Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon - see ALL the things!

We walked around for a bit - had OK pizza at what we thought was a place far enough away to not be a tourist trap. Wrong. :-/ But we made up for it with gelato!

Also - what is the deal with Europe - scratch that, the rest of the world - and carbonated water?! Uuuugh. Guess which one we bought by mistake. Blech. Good thing Rome is full of free fountains with drinkable water! So cool!

We joined a walking tour that left from the Spanish steps (which have a real name but I don't remember what it is... which is why they're known as the Spanish steps in the first place) and started off on our trek! I have to say, Rome left me amazed more times than any city yet. So much history and art, so many intricate buildings and thought-out systems. There is a church with the ceiling painted to look like it continues the wall, and like there is a dome where there is really just a flat canvas. One could sit in many of these buildings all day and always be awe-struck.

Our guide was great, too. An Italian with lots of knowledge about the history of Rome and of Italy, and answers to all of the questions asked.

And, most fun, while on the tour we met Raquel (from LA) and Ross and Colin (from Scotland)! They were a fun group and we wound up getting dinner together at a restaurant recommended by the guide. So. Delicious. Definitely made up for the ugh pizza earlier! The menu was so extensive, I just closed my eyes and pointed at a dish. And it was GREAT.

Setting records in Budapest

In Budapest we met up with one of my roommates from college, Rebecca. She's currently teaching English and Spanish in Hungary for the summer before returning to Spain to teach English in the fall. Tough life, eh? ;)

We got in after the seven-hour train ride from Munich. I don't want to sit on a trail for that long for a while. Austria was beautiful though, and I'm glad we got to see it instead of fly over it.

The trouble with getting in to a city on a Sunday at dusk is that it is generally deserted, nothing's open, and it tends to look creepier than it is. Sorry, Budapest, but you fall into that category.

On top of those factors, Budapest is also a gateway to eastern Europe which has a much different feel from western Europe. Many of these countries have been in serious trouble within the last two decades, and have been conquered or occupied for the majority of their histories. They've had bigger issues than making their city pretty for tourists.

The next morning the city looked much better. Rebecca met us at our hostel and we set out for the main square later than intended and needed to get a metro (subway/tram/bus) pass for the day. We went to the station and the line is of course 8-10 people deep. We are trying our luck with the timing. We get to the front, get a ticket, get down the escalators and the train is in the station! Run, run!

Becca and Britton make it on to a car and I'm bringing up the rear and realize the door behind them is closer, so I jump on, assuming the cars are all connected like on a train. Not so, and I can't get their attention. As the train pulls away, I see that Britton has gotten off the train and was left at the station!

Becca and I both poke our heads out at the next station to find each other and jump off hoping Britton got on the following train. Which he did! Hooray for establishing emergency plans ahead of time!

We somehow make it to the main square where our waking tour starts just as the guide is starting her history of Hungary spiel. And then we notice that it's hot! Definitely sticking to the shade as much as possible.

This tour covered the history of Hungary - of which there is a lot - and on the main touristy things: differences between Buda and Pest, the Chain bridge, parliament buildings, Margaret island, and others.

But throughout the tour, it just kept getting so hot! Turns out, as Becca informed us later, the temperature in Budapest that day set a record high for the city. The previous record was set in the 1930s. What a day to remember!

We got some dinner and sent Becca on her way "home" and then, we went and hung out on or hostel's couch. It was the first night when we just let ourselves be tired. Nothing was calling us back out to the streets of Budapest, nothing was on our agenda, and we had an early morning the next day. And I guess in the scheme of the 21 days we will have traveled, we can allow ourselves just one night in.

(photo of me in front of the Chain Bridge in Budapest)

New Europe Tours: Munich

In our search for things to discover in all of these new cities, we've come across some excellent tip-based tours (read: advertised as free but you're expected to tip the guide). Munich was our first experience with New Europe Tours - one "free" and one we paid for ahead of time.

Our first tour was the "free" tour which left from Marienplatz, one of the main squares in Munich (at 3pm - turns out when you drink with Germans the night before, you tend to sleep til 11 without realizing it!) which is famous for the glockenspiel, a large cuckoo clock of sorts. More about that later.

Our guide was fun; a young 20-something from Ireland who was losing his voice and explained at the beginning that "over 80% of the questions he asks can be answered with 'beer.'" This is our kind of guide!

The tour was also wonderful. We learned a lot of facts - some fun and some somber - about Munich and Germany. Most memorable were Dodgers Alley (a memorial to citizens who were sent to concentration camps because they purposefully avoided a Nazi memorial), a brief history of Oktoberfest and the kings leading up to its founding, and of course the glockenspiel.

Ah, yes, the glockenspiel. Not only is it fun to say, it's also boring to watch! For some reason, the touristy thing to do in Munich three times each day is to watch a not-so-intricate cuckoo clock chime horrifically out of tune from the bell tower of what looks like an old church but which was actually built in the 20th century.

It was more interesting to me that SO MANY PEOPLE packed the square! Find a YouTube video of this clock and you'll see why I'm so amazed - it's large figurines on a turntable twirling around! That's all! Though, some native Munich residents have added their own flair: at one point two jousters, er, joust, and Bavaria wins which sets off big whoops of victory from what looked like very drunk members of a bachelor party.

(By the way, if you think your bachelor/ette party was over-the-top or well organized, you are wrong. In Munich, the group of 10-20 buy matching t-shirts or matching outfits - one group of girls wore the traditional Bavarian beer maid dress - and have to interact with the crowd and embarrass the honoree. To say the groups stood out is an understatement. Oh, and they're also really drunk and causing a scene.)

Our second New Munich tour was the Beer Challenge. I'm not sure why it's a beer "challenge," other than at the beginning the guide mentioned there is a completely subjective drawing at the end to win a free tour from New Europe tours. It's a well-organized, guided pub crawl. Which is awesome!

We went to a beer garden, Hofbräuhaus, a bar across from Hofbräuhaus, and another bar. There might have been one more but that's not important.

The BEST part was it's a bilingual tour, and I wound up sitting next to a couple from Spain! After our guide gave the group a set of instructions on how to order beer within the group, they gave each other the 'I don't know what she said, do you know why she said?' look and I intervened. And then we were friends! I learned a lot about Spain - they're from Barcelona - and we had fun.

We hung out off-and-on with them as well as a couple from Brazil, a kid from Russia, and other random people from the world. The group was huge - probably 30-40 people being herded by two tour guides.

And - Bonus! - it ended three blocks from our hotel!

(photo is of musicians in the beer garden on the Beer Challenge)

Hardy and Anka at the Jodlerwirt

We realized Munich would be fun when we found the Jodlerwirt and met Hardy & Anka.

We had a big day of driving on the autobahn and through castle road (more on both of those in the previous post!) and were looking for some delicious, authentic German food.

What we found was not only authentic German food (thankfully still being served at 10pm) but authentic Germans, authentic German songs, a staff that spoke only German, a German accordion player, and lots brewed-in-house German beer.

This place was tiny, loud, and packed. We followed a waitress — definitely a Woman In Charge —through the crowd. I figured if she was pushing through, we had free reign to push, too, and we found ourselves looking at a table with another couple already there! They let us squeeze in and we ordered a couple of beers by pointing at their beers and smiling really big. (Lucky for us the Woman smiled back!)

We figured out how to order some food (chicken & beef? Or maybe pork? With mushrooms and delicious gravy, plus some pasta thing. Schnitzel? Again, pretty big language barrier at this point!) and took in our surroundings: loud, German pop music was playing while big groups of friends talked/yelled/laughed around their tables. Sometimes singing along, usually ending in a toast to whatever the song was about.

About the same time our food arrived, Hardy and Anka did, too, and slid into the table with the four of us — pretty much the only two seats left in the place. They spoke English! Yay!

They were an older couple — maybe in their late 60s? — but you could tell they refused to acknowledge that. We soon learned they live in Texas, and sometimes California, and sometimes Germany or Austria. And according to Hardy, Anka used to be a cop but according to Anka, she works at an antique store in Houston. And according to Anka, Hardy is a famous singer in Austria! Whatever it is they do, they were both delightfully drunk when we met them, an had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

When the accordion player started, Hardy would sing along and Anka would grab his and whosever hands she could (usually mine!) to sway left to right with the music. The guy from first couple at the table was, according to Anka, from Berlin, which "explained why he didn't know how to enjoy himself" when he chose to sit and enjoy the music and didn't also grab Britton's hand to sway like a drunkard through every song.

So, in between bites of food and acting like I knew what was going on by yelling syllables along with these German accordion tunes, and the swaying and the talking, we had a really good, how-did-we-get-here time, even though we couldn't speak, sing, or understand ANY of what was going on. (Turns out the Sinatra song, "bona sera, señorita, kiss me good night" is almost the same in German!)

They were thrilled that we knew how to play along ("most Americans are so stiff!") and that we just got married ("We just got married, too! In 1966!") and about their new grandbaby, which was either the second or third. The story was a little different each time.

As we walked back to the Best Western (ha! Travel across an ocean to stay at a Best Western!) we knew Munich was going to be a memorable leg of our journey.

Anka (L) and Hardy

PROST!

Getting lost in a Mercedes is way more fun

Everything you've heard about the autobahn is just about true.

Things I didn't realize:
1 - it's not just one stretch of road, it's Germany's entire highway network
2 - some parts do have limits
3 - some people still drive normal speeds; it's just a highway to them I guess?
4 - the highways aren't labeled as north/south or east/west. You have to know a city in the direction you're headed.

Things I'd heard that really are true:
1 - a large number of the cars are Audis, Mercedes, BMWs, and other built-for-speed cars.
2 - these cars drive FAST and you'd best not be in their way when the speed limits are lifted!
3 - driving fast is FUN.

We set out from Frankfurt in our rented Benz, and immediately found the highway we wanted to get us to "Castle Road" - a stretch of scenic byway that is dotted for miles with castles. It was even labeled, "Kassel" so I figured they must know a lot of tourists head out to find this road - how convenient!

As navigator, it was my job to get us headed in the right direction so that Britton could focus on driving since we didn't know what to expect. Let's jut say it's a really good thing we opted for the GPS unit.

Upon further inspection of the map, it turns our that there is a city in Germany named 'Kassel' and that it is in the opposite direction of the castle road. Oops! It also turns out there are fewer exits (Ausfahrts, lol) than on a highway in the States. And that when in Germany, the street signs tend to be in German, if they have any words at all! Go figure!

We got ourselves turned around without much further issue, and kept a close eye on the road signs until - yes! - we saw the sign that means all limits are lifted! Britton was cautious to check the road ahead for other cars, etc., and started to gradually increase our speed.

First to 90, which seemed to be a comfortable pace. You might hit that in the states, if you aren't paying attention. Then 100, a milestone of 3 digits! Giddy from the first burst, we settled down for a few minutes to keep our heads.

Next to 100 - much quicker this time. The Benz just wanted to go faster, faster! Then 110 - 120! We were passing most, but still a few others were passing us. Must mean it's ok to get a little faster!

Britton hit 130mph! It was exhilarating!

The funny thing was after driving that fast, how slow 80 or 90mph felt now. Driving to St. Louis will never be the same.

We kept up those quick speeds (not as fast as 130, but still around 90-100 on average, I'd say) and found our scenic highway, which alas, had a speed limit (about 55mph).

But the road delivered as promised! It seemed that there was a castle every 10-15 minutes! We wandered around a few, just the outsides, as our previous detours had chewed through some time.

We stopped for lunch in a small, picturesque town with a name I can't remember but had a lot of letters. Lunch was delicious. Kind of like a gyro wrapped in a large, thin pita bread that we watched the owner cook right in front of us. Best of all it cost only 4€ and fed both of us! Yummmm.

We eventually realized that if we wanted to get in to Munich to return the car at a decent time, we would need to get back on the autobahn and say good-bye to the castles. That meant it was my turn to drive.

Fun fact - 5pm in Germany is also rush hour. And just as many drivers pile onto the highways as in a major city at home. So for the first part of my stint on the autobahn, I was driving about 40mph in stop-and-go traffic with a manual transmission. Oh, joy.

It did clear up after some time, and I got to experience the thrill of driving as fast as I wanted. And as I said before - it was FUN.

And it meant we made it to Munich in time to return the car, find our hotel (best western - ha!) and find some food. That proved to be more fun than expected! Read "Hardy & Anka" for that story!

Turn off the Internet, turn off exploring?

The train rise from Köln (Cologne) to Frankfurt, Germany is so far much more interesting - visually - than other routes we've been on (and awake for) this trip. There are mountains, small towns, and a nice winding river that we've followed most of the way.

But, unlike Thalys, Bahn doesn't offer wifi. Which means I don't know what mountains, which towns, or what river I'm next to.

In a world where the information follows is around in our back pockets, what does that do to old-fashioned exploring?

What is new exploring?

Before leaving for my trip, my boss passed on some stories of when he lived in Budapest 20ish years ago. He had books, maps, train schedules and was gathering them all up at home when he realized, that isn't how traveling works anymore. Britton and I aren't carrying big, awkward maps or heavy guide books. It's all in our phones - even this blog post is being typed letter by letter with my two sturdy thumbs.

We're left to speculate uses for things instead of immediately asking Google, "what is that?" We have to memorize directions while we have a wifi signal because we can't refer to our little blue GPS dot when we don't have a working GPS phone.

Some of that has been fun - in Amsterdam there was no possible way for us to remember all of these new sounds so we made associations. 'Turn left on lederhosen, then right on Lichtenstein.'

But as a child of technology, I do tend to feel stunted when I don't have that connection to the info that the Internet provides. It's a conundrum: technology simultaneously moving us forward but holding us back. What's left to wonder, what's left to explore?

Yes, I'll try the European sampler platter, please.

We know our trip's itinerary it pretty ambitious, but that's what we want to do - see as much as we can and go hard while we're here.

When we arrive in Frankfurt, we will have reached our 5th country in 4 days. England, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and now Germany. A night in each since Paris.

I've liked each city more than the one before it, which makes traveling really exciting! We're already riding the emotional high of this trip, and then we continue to be wowed by the culture and rhythm of the next new place.

What hit me in Amsterdam was how much time we DON'T have to discover a city when we're only there a few hours. We become limited to the touristy things instead of being able to explore on our own. Plus this morning we ran ourselves out of time and since we had to hold ourselves to the timetable of the train, we had to compromise our original (more fun!) plans.

But in a way this is good market research; a small almost hor d'ourve -sized sampling of some of those cities you hear are worth a visit but never get to since they are out of the way or not as popular. Not many people we know have made Brussels or Amsterdam a part of their European adventures, and frankly we like being the ones to stride away from the well-worn paths. Plus now we know what we're most drawn to; we definitely want to try to get to Amsterdam again some day but are content with our visits to Paris & Brussels.

I am looking forward to the next few destinations. The whirlwind schedule of the first few days turns into a breeze just right for sailing. Each place gets at least two nights from now on which means a full day or more of exploring.

Brussels, please; hold the sprouts.

The alternate title to this post is, "Things I Learned About Brussels that Might Not Be Entirely Accurate Because I Took the Tour One Day and Two Countries Ago"

1. It was carved out of two other countries (France and the Netherlands) so it also has two official languages (French and Flemish) and has a bit of an identity complex in its old architecture (Ornate or modern?) and a bit of a Napoleon complex when building new things (make it bigger!).

2. It is the Capitol of the European union. If you ever hear the news talking about "Brussels decided such-and-such" (not that you will in the states) it is talking about the governing entities for the entire EU.

3. Some of their stoplights are for bikes!

4. This is the home of the famous 'peeing boy' fountain. There is also a statue of a peeing dog.

5. Belgians are very proud of their very sour beer. Luckily they also make very delicious, not-sour beer.

6. They are also known for their fries. They taste like many other fries, but they have a lot more sauce options.

7. Something about Rin Tin Tin.

8. Belgians really do eat waffles!

9. 80 degrees (F) is sweltering in Belgium.

10. I never saw a brussel sprout expect as a part of a statue.

Paris - maybe it's me?

After getting successfully to Paris, We found our hostel tucked back in a corner of the city whose claim is selling 3-piece suits and fancy dresses from their store fronts. I think in the walk between the metro stop and the hostel we had to have passed 15 different shops all selling the same things.

We had a night bike tour scheduled for 7pm, so we needed to fill about 3ish hours. We chillaxed in the room for a little bit, enjoying the free wifi and planning where to eat and how to get to the bike tour meeting place - aka The Eiffel Tower!

The metro took us pretty close to the tower, so we found a place along the line to get some crêpes!

Can I just take a moment to RAVE about the amazing public transport in Europe? Because it. Is. So. Convenient! Even in countries where we can't read the signs we have yet to have an issue getting around. Plus it tends to be affordable.

Anyway, back to Paris, I have to say that 24 hours for me was plenty. I saw what was important - our bike tour took us by the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Arc de Triumph (sp?), the lock bridges, and plenty of other landmarks that I'll remember when I look through the photos. True that we didn't go in to these places or spend as much time as we could. For me though, Paris was a 'alright, checked those boxes, off to the next fun place!'

We did eat some delicious crêpes. They were so full of deliciousness that I couldn't finish mine.

Paris did make me want to learn French. I listened to four-and-a-half podcast episodes in the weeks leading up in the trip, so I should've been an expert, right?? But oddly enough none of the vendors asked my name or how I was. Hmph.

Perhaps next time.

Curse you, Eurostar!

Ok, maybe I should wait for cursing until we're *off* the train, but the experience we just had was straight out of an action flick.

Saturday night, after a full day of family and packing we realized we hadn't finalized out plans for Paris (this entire trip is so last-minute that I'm surprised we remembered to pack underwear) so we reserved our hostel and got spots on a night bike tour, each with a down payment. Then skipped on over to the Eurostar website to buy tickets for the high-speed train between London and Paris and discovered they were FIVE HUNDRED dollars. Apparently Europeans plan ahead, and Eurostar tickets go on sale as far as 6 months in advance.

We looked into flying, which would've been cheaper but would've got us in too late for the bike tour. There were somewhat cheaper train tickets, but they also got in too late. Bus would've been hella cheap but take NINE hours, which is both uncomfortable and still gets us in too late for bikes. Eurostar it is then, we'll just chalk this up to having to have SOMETHING go wrong on this trip and knowing the extra time in Paris will totally be worth it.

Fast forward to today, we get in around 7, and after a nice breakfast at a tiny diner in London we wander over to Charing Cross Station and the surrounding area to buy Britton a Coke and then find our way to the train with about a 35-40 minute margin of error.

Those minutes saved this trip.

When we didn't immediately see a Eurostar ticket kiosk, we asked for directions from one of the perky Olympics volunteers. 'Oh, you want Eurostar? That's at King's Cross/St. Pancras. You'll take the underground to such-and-such a stop, make a transfer an then it's just a couple more stops.'

Say what.

This began the movie scene. We jaunt down the escalators to the (correct!) tube line, and the train is there within a minute. We ride, anxiously, to the transfer station and are moving at a brisk pace which almost immediately turns into a run which is another example of how this is a story of MINUTES - the connecting train is WAITING, doors open, at the station. We run on and the doors close.

We get to St. Pancras and of course can't find Eurostar without asking. When we finally do find a kiosk to print out our tickets, it is 11:14 - the train leaves in 14 minutes. I explain the situation to a woman who tells us to go directly to Window 3 where the next attendant assures us we'll be fine.

We fly through security and a couple from the States let us hop in front if them at immigration. The woman in the immigration booth was particularly chatty when she saw our US passports. (While I'm thinking, 'Oh, you haven't been to KC? Bummer! You know, I've never been to France and I HAVE A TRAIN TO CATCH, WOMAN!)

Then we run more, following arrows and checking departure boards. We board the train at 11:22am, SIX minutes before the train is scheduled to leave, and the train pulls away from the station at 11:28 on the nose. With us on it.

*high five!*

European Adventure - Prologue

This will probably be a quick note - more an acknowledgement of having time to myself for a moment than a blog post. Plus, I'm still at my office and I love using the LARGE screen instead of my laptop. Ah, the spoils of doing Good Work.

To say I am excited to finally get to Europe is an enormous understatement. I'm ecstatic, elated, jubilant! But it has all been overshadowed up until now by all of the other Big Life Events - whether they're in my life or another's.

My previous post outlines that pretty well. Since deciding a few weeks ago that we're going to Europe on Sunday, we have been flying through life at full speed - celebrating, traveling, packing moving, dancing, running, talking, planning. It's been tough, frankly, to sit back with the fiancee and remember that we are about to make this big, important leap together and isn't that wonderful! More on our minds is preparing and mapping and trying not to step on each other as we each learn how to live in a shared space again.

(B and I have known from the beginning we're a pretty classic "opposites attract" story. Introvert meets extrovert; left-brained tries to apply logic to right-brained conversations; impatient vs. calm and collected. Planning this trip has brought those to light even more - how we plan, how we want to travel, how we process information is all pretty conflicting.)

I'm grateful that we have a few days to chill out before everything picks up again so that we can really focus on our trip, and on us. (Friday is our Big Day and Saturday will be filled with family and packing, then Sunday morning we head out for NYC before boarding the plane to London!) Hopefully we can sit, discuss, nail down a final itinerary.

I am planning to blog as best I can while we're traveling. My guess is it'll be spotty at best - we have a pretty agressive country list to get through - but if you want to follow, this and Facebook will probably be the place to do it!

Here we go!

No time to slow down!!

If you have ever had a time in your life when it seems as if EVERYTHING good that could ever happen to you is happening RIGHT NOW, you know how I feel at this moment in my life.

Next weekend...
1. I'm running a 5k and packing
2. Traveling to Springfield for a long weekend - his brother gets married, plus we'll hang out at a wedding shower for Britton's best friend (who gets married in Sept.)
3. Attend my cousin's wedding!
4. MOVE MY WHOLE LIFE in to Britton's loft

THEN, the following weekend...
4. Britton & I get married!
5. My dad debuts as the Mayor in the community theater's "The Music Man"
6. Unpack my life and pack it back into a backpack so that on Sunday we can...
7. Leave for a 3-week honeymoon to Europe!

And all of this happens while I'm also working my full-time job! Who needs a time to breathe anyway?

Blech-oli

Literally gagging at my desk.

Currently eating steamed broccoli as part of lunch (I didn't make it - it's from a little deli in my office building).

This is pure torture.

Broccoli is disgusting.

So. A challenge for YOU, Mr./Ms. Reader:

I want to hear from you if you've found a recipe that meets the following criteria:

1. Includes broccoli as the featured or co-featured ingredient
2. Is not smothered in cheese
3. You enjoy this dish so much, or are un-offended enough, that you make it on a regular basis

Bonus points if you are a person who DOESN'T LIKE broccoli.

Aaaaand, GO!

If the veggie looks like a starch, is it still a veggie? (Veggies #6.6)

The veggie - Cauliflower.

I've never had a really strong opinion either way about cauliflower. Not after I figured out it was nothing like broccoli. But it also doesn't jump to my mind when I think vegetable, either.

The starch - Potato.

I don't really care for potatoes. It's a texture thing. If they're in chip or french fry form, I can tolerate them. And once in college they were so cheesy-creamy-delicious that I forgot they were potatoes. But yeah, not really a fan.

The magic - Steaming & blending.

My rice w/ steamer is a) adorable and b) super handy!

Blend, blend, blend, blend...

I steamed about half a head of cauliflower until it was good and mushy, then threw it in the food processor until it was like a pulp.

Then I added a little butter and Parmesan cheese (not much!) and put it on a plate and it's just like mashed potatoes! Except without the grainy starchy-ness of potatoes! AND there's even a little nutrition to the cauliflower, where as potatoes are pretty much all carbs.

Ta-daaa! We ate ours with a plate of fried fish & okra. But if it's a vegetable, it's good for you... right?

If there's a vegetable on the plate, it can't be bad for you.

Next on the cauliflower front, from my friend Jessica:

Soon.

Veggie Office Help (Veggies #6.5)

It's becoming better known at work that I'm not keen on veggies. The fact that I live in the city, get regular exercise, occasionally bike to work, try to recycle, and know about how to eat healthy makes me a bit of an anomaly in the office, and most coworkers assume these hippie tendencies must also mean hippie diet.

Not so, dear office mates. Not so.

So I've garnered some support as of late and some yummy recipe ideas, too. And my good friend Mark often brings good to share (along with a daily chuckle) and he's very veggie-conscious.

He shared some sugar snap peas with me the other day with some hummus for dipping, and I have to admit it was a super simple and had a really delightful crunch to it.

So, I say this is Veggie Solution #5! (Halfway!)

May 30th, 2012

So, I should have posted yesterday but this silly full-time job got in the way.

Happy only-four-years-left-to-complete-this-list birthday to me!

Coming soon:
- Mashed Cauliflower
- Portabello Mushrooms
- Vegan Sloppy Joes
- Still running!
- probably some other things, too!

Manatees make me hyperventilate.

Now is as good a time as any to address the elephant in the room about switching some of my list items.

The most dramatic is the #6 switch - from scuba diving to cooking vegetables - and it's the one I've been writing most about lately.

My sister likes manatees. A lot.

In a nutshell, I realized that I wanted very little to do with submersing my face in water and breathing through a tube at the same time. I realized this while trying to pet a wild manatee.

Last summer - almost a year ago?! - my sister and I drove from good ol' KCMO all the way down to Crystal River, FL en route to Orlando so that she could start an internship at SeaWorld. Crystal River is known for one thing on a national scale: it's one of only a handful of places where you can get in the water with a wild manatee.

Now, if you haven't met my sister there is something important that you should know: she likes animals more than humans. And if she has a chance to interact with an animal - and I mean ANY animal - she will take it. She will approach raccoons at dumpsters. She will kiss Beluga whales. She will feed seagulls Cheez-its from the balcony of the tiny hotel room your family is sharing for a week so that when anyone walks out they are intimidated by the rats-with-wings who have been enticed by the salty goodness.

She has taken dozens of pictures of EVERY SQUIRREL she has seen since arriving in Florida, and has the Facebook albums to prove it.

When she discovered that you could swim with manatees she about died from the decibles emitted by her own squeals of delight. True story.

This is how I came to find myself on a flat-bottomed boat at 6-in-the-morning in a city without a Starbucks. Along for the ride with us were a mother-daughter duo - the daughter basically a carbon-copy of Martha, an the mother an embodiment of the feelings of 'no-really-I'm-fine-on-the-boat-you-go-ahead' that I was trying to mask.

"No, really. This is great!"

When we got to the spot with manatees, and I realized I had to get in the SAME water, I started to freak out a little. Heart pounding, shallow breathing kinda freaking out. Fun fact - when you're trying to get a good, deep breath, a snorkel mask is the last thing you should be wearing. Martha was blinded by excitement, which was good because she just kept insisting I get in because "THIS IS SO COOL!!!!!!"

Baby manatee! Turns out they *don't* eat humans. Or meat.

Martha, fearless as usual!

Turns out when I put my face in the water, I start reeeeeally hyperventilating, despite my best efforts to calm myself. And the cherry on top of all of this is that my mask wasn't working properly - little suction thingies on the bottom designed to let air out but keep water from coming in had bent so that there were holes just big enough to let a sneaky amount of water in. When you're already convinced you're going to be eaten by a wild manatee, the thought of drowning is not welcome.

I climbed back on the boat after some frolicking with a baby manatee to figure out my mask. After that, I convinced myself it would be better since I'd be able to breathe a little more normally. I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't right either. I really liked petting the baby manatee - he was very sweet and playful and didn't, in fact, try to eat me. I even convinced myself that he hugged me at one point. But I really wanted out of the water and to have the constant feeling of suffocation lifted off my face.

That was when I decided that scuba diving is NOT for me.

I could handle breathing from a tube (once it worked), and occasionally wiping the condensation off of the mask, but I cannot handle the thought of having anything that tight on my face long enough for me to get any good out of scuba-ing. And I can't handle my nose being plugged for that long.

I could see a valid argument that my list shouldn't just be full of fun things and baked goods, but things that ultimately make me better and challenge me to "get out of my comfort zone." To that I say, this isn't the item that would accomplish that. All that would happen is I would be uncomfortable for 3 hours just to say I checked something off the list, and that isn't what the list is about. The list is about life experiences, not just a checklist. If there is an equally challenging or meaningful experience waiting to be put on the list instead, it'd be wrong to keep that experience waiting!

Plus, it's my list so neener-neener-neener I get to do what I want!

OMG KALE CHIPS (Veggies #6.4)

Have you ever eaten kale before?

I hadn't either, but here's the deal: if you tear it up, toss it in olive oil, add a little salt, and bake for 20ish minutes, it turns into this light, crisp, airy, crackly, salty snack.

For me, this is heaven from a baking sheet. I LOVE the crunch of, well, anything crunchy. In high school I would come home, take a plastic cup over to the refrigerator and fill it to the brim with crushed ice before filling it with water. Then I'd eat it. (That might have also had something to do with the anemia at the time, but even still I will crunch the crap out of an ice cube.)

Anyway. Kale. Right.

Easy. Delicious. Crunches like a potato chip with the nutrition of spinach! Win!

First wash & dry the kale. Then tear it into chip-size pieces. I recommend tearing them off of the middle stem; that part doesn't fare too well after being baked.

Put the pieces in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. You really don't need much - a couple tablespoons at most for a large bunch of kale is plenty. The kale will turn from a dusty green to a much brighter veggie green. Be sure to coat the leaves well by using your fingers to spread the oil around.


Lay out on a cookie sheet without any of the pieces overlapping. If they overlap, they won't crisp up like they should. Shake your desired amount of salt on there.


Bake at 350˚ - After the first 15 mins, I'd check every two minutes or so until you learn how fast it cooks in your oven.

I forgot to take photos before throwing them in the oven.

When the edges are turning brown, or they kinda slide around if you shake the pan, or they don't flop when you try to pick them up, you're done! (I tried all of these. I'm wary of just looking at things and saying, "yep! done!" so I start poking at them. Sometimes with sticks.)

If you try these, let me know what you think! I have started demolishing bunches of kale in a single sitting, so you know it's good. Since making this for the first time about a month ago, I've bought at least 5 bunches to make it again.

Note: I tried taking some to work in a tupperware after baking them the night before, and letting them cool completely before covering. They lost almost all of the good flaky crunch and were wilty the next day. I re-baked them when I got home, and they were better, but I still haven't mastered transport. If you have any ideas, let me know! 

Conquering Veggies #6.3 - Office Asparagus

Once upon a time I thought asparagus was only delicious when it was a vehicle for bacon.

(Though, it is still very delicious in that way.)

Turns out that asparagus can be cooked in less than a minute in the microwave, and then with just a hit of salt it's tolerable! I might even like it. Just a little. Also this makes it ridiculously easy to take and eat at the office.

Fun fact - a bunch of asparagus should be stored
upright in water in your fridge, and my stemless
wineglass just happened to be the right size!
Also - the recipe on the tag was basically
"cook and smother in cheese." No help.

How to cook it: I took the asparagus to work in a tupperware-like container with a lid that snapped on. When I was ready to eat it, I just popped the top off, added about a tablespoon of water, set the top back on (w/o snapping it all the way shut) and microwaved it for about a minute on high. They came out so green and crisp!

The thing about asparagus, for me anyway, is that it looks so
dull and drab before you cook it. Not very enticing.

But just LOOK at how beautifully green these babies are now! YUM.

Buen provecho!

Next up (soon!): KALE CHIPS. HOLY YUM, BATMAN.

Conquering Veggables #6.2 - Acorn Squash

Sooooo... didjya read my post about butternut squash?? Because the acorn squash is very similar! As in... the exact same. It's all about getting the right cutlery to really show that squash who is the BOSS. (Hint: it should always be you.)

Cut. Slather. Bake. Eat. Repeat!

Tops & bottoms cut off, seeds out

Slathered in olive oil and s&p goodness

My mom also has an excellent recipe for stuffed acorn squash - I think there's couscous, crasins, and italian sausage involved. Now that I'm not so timid I'll have to get that from her for next fall. (It's too spring-y now for me to think about winter meals. Unless there's suddenly some raging sale on acorn squash. In which case it is ON!)

¡Buen Provecho!

Conquering Vegetables #6.1 - Butternut Squash

One veggie conquered, nine more to go!

Thank goodness my friends Kassie and Rick decided to try being vegan for a month. It forced me to think about what I was cooking and definitely encourages the incorporation of more veggies. Like, lots of veggies. I'm no an expert on being vegan - I catch myself wondering if an egg baked in an avocado has any animal products - but I'm getting a little more adventurous because of it.

So one night I attempted roasting a butternut squash for a dinner with friends. This one wasn't vegan - it used butter and parmesan cheese - but it was damn delicious. The most intimidating part was learning how to cut open a giant butternut squash. This is easily overcome by searching YouTube for "How to cut a butternut squash." I found dozens of tutorials, but I liked this one the best. (This is the original site - I haven't taken a good look, but it all looks delicious!)

Taking what I learned from the original attempt (which, again, WAS DELICIOUS) I switched some of the ingredients - olive oil instead of butter, and I didn't mess with the bread crumb mixture this time.

So - step one, cut the damn thing open. You can see in my picture I eventually got fed up and just broke the two halves apart at the thin end. (And yes, I too giggle at the shape of the butternut squash.)

Step one-and-a-half - turn the oven on to 350-400ish. You might want to look that up.

Step two - smother in olive oil & salt & pepper. Just smear it all on there and shake the S&P to taste.

Step three - Bake! Place face down on a cookie sheet (I line mine with tin foil). It takes about an hour, or until you can jab your fork in and it doesn't stick.

Step four - Let it cool. The skin will probably be all bubbly and a little burnt, but generally the squash isn't. Once it's cool enough that you can handle it w/o burning yourself, the skin will peel right off!

Step five - slice and dice, and eat!

I put cubes of butternut and acorn squash on a spinach salad with crasins, black beans, and drizzled it with this vegan salad dressing which is kind of expensive but reeeeeeally delicious.

Ta-daaaaa! A completely veggie meal that I enjoy!

Chiggity-check #6.1!