Rumbles and Rain...what a Ruckus!

So this week we had an Earthquake and this weekend we're expecting a hurricane - Irene to be exact. My loving mother and aunt keep calling and texting urging me to put on my engineering hat and inspect the structural integrity of my home and office high rises and willing me to seek higher ground somewhere inland this weekend. It would be comical if it didn't look so black and dismal outside. 

And the earthquake - what a ruckus that caused! Sitting here at my desk on the 27th floor overlooking the East River and Manhattan, my building was literally bouncing up and down. The uproar that ensued on Facebook and Twitter was exceptional to say the least. This cartoon perfectly captured the essence of the social media onslaught. Having lived through several of the major earthquakes in Southern California, I was rather unfazed by the temblor, my apathy unjustly grounded in my West Coast roots. Buildings here aren't quite as new nor as structurally engineered to withstand earthquakes (like four times less sound.) Shake them around enough and thing bring some gale force winds (expecting up to 70 mph this weekend IN New York City) and, well, maybe we'll be leaving the city and seeking that higher ground anyway. Just in case. 

If only the view out my window looked like this....

Trek Northwards to Michigan

This past weekend, we headed to Northern Michigan for a wedding - to Spring Lake to be specific. Two short (and tiny) plane flights after leaving LaGuardia, I touched down in Grand Rapids airport. We headed out to Spring Lake for a lovely ceremony along the shore and reception and party at the Spring Lake Country Club. Shockingly, I brought my camera but didn't take pictures most of the weekend...I think I am still on hiatus after the 500 pics from my Europe trip. That being said, I did catalog our craft beverage experience.

Upon arrival at our hotel, our welcome bag awaited us, brimming with goodies! One of the treats was a bottle of Vander Mill Apple Blueberry Cider. Paul Vander Heide, one of the groomsmen, is the owner of Vander Mill and secured the cider for all of the wedding guests. My experience with cider recalls memories of a viscose, cloying beverage, generally flavored to the nth degree with some sort of nauseating fruit smell. Naturally, that sort of experience doesn't inspire a repeat beverage order so I ventured a taste of my boyfriend's cider, which was on tap at the wedding reception. And I was genuinely surprised and impressed. Only a hint of sweet, a refreshing effervescence, and a robust flavor that didn't leave a sticky aftertaste. Over the weekend we tried a variety of cider's, including my favorite, a Michigan Wit Cider, which was styled after a Belgium wheat beer. If you're in the Northern Michigan or Chicago areas, check out these locations that currently carry Vander Mill and give it a try!

Our other imbibing adventures brought us to two breweries, both of which are representative of the explosion of the craft brewery culture in Michigan, a surge competing with the likes of San Diego, Portland, and Colorado. Our first stop was at Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids. Housed in a former funeral home, the brewery dining room is the former chapel converted into a pseudo Belgian Monastery. The actual bar counter mimics the shape of the Romanesque arch welcoming you as you enter the hall and rustic communal tables offer a shared dining experience. The lunch menu offered standard gastropub fare with an above par burger garnished with an amazing onion & bacon marmalade and bernaise-mayo (mustard and ketchup need not apply) served on a pretzel bun and alongside truffled pommes frites. Delectable. We also perused the dinner menu, whose virtues had been extolled by our dining companions. I'd consider flying back there just to try some of those mouthwatering items!

Brewery Vivant: Farm Hand Ale & IPA

We ordered a variety of their beers including the Farm Hand, the standard IPA, and the Big Red Coq (a double IPA that I'm convinced the boys kept ordering just so they could say Coq - glad we're all grown ups.) Kidding aside, that was certainly the winner - great balance of strong hops and caramel with a hint of grapefruit on the nose.

Our second brewery experience was at New Holland Brewing Company in Holland, Michigan, about 40 miles east of Grand Rapids, and the hometown of Hope College, where the wedding's groom attended. The Brewery is located in a former hardware store on 8th Street, the main strip running through downtown Holland. While much more commercial of a scene than our experience at Brewery Vivant, New Holland offered a great variety of distinct beers as well as specialty spirits brewed on-site by the brew masters. This list inclused a $16 whiskey, The Zeppelin Blend, which according to people in the know is worth the freight. As it was lunchtime, I figured the Zeppelin might do me in so I stuck with my go to favorite, the IPA, tasting the Imperial Hatter IPA. Slightly lighter than the IPA and Red Coq at Vivant, this IPA still packs a punch with heavy citrus after-notes and a hoptastic bite!

New Holland Brewing Company: Imperial Hatter IPA

The weekend wasn't just about imbibing...new friends were made, old friendships revisited, beautiful sunsets on the lake, gallivanting around Northern Michigan, and great conversations. There was just a phenomenal variety of high quality ciders and beers to accompany those activities. Slainte!

Photo Selection

Arriving back from my amazing trip I had over 500 photos to download, edit, and then try to upload a selection. As I'm sure you don't have 30 minutes to page through the edited version, I'm posting a selection that I really like. Even then they are plentiful. Enjoy!

Berlin: Hackeschen Hofe, a series of 9 courtyards styled in Art Deco architecture.

Berlin: Art

Berlin: The Post Office - just loved the facade and image.

Berlin: The infamous Unter den Linden leading up to the Brandenburg Gate.

Berlin: Perganomuseum - detail of the Ishtar Gate.

Berlin: Sausages at the KaDeWe

Berlin: The Wall on my Birthday.

Berlin: East Side Gallery. I loved this quote, one of many on the strip of murals.

Beaune, France: Exploring the vineyards of the Cote de Nuits.

Cluny, France: Marzipan!

Lyon, France: The Basilica Notre-Dame de Fourviere

Lyon, France: Halles of Lyon Food Market. Scrumptious!

Tallories, France: View on Lake Annecy atdusk.

Vevey, France: Walking about the old town.

Gruyere, France: Either an influence of HR Giger or just a unique rain gutter.

Gruyere, France: The Gruyere Factory.

Murten-Meyriez on Lake Murten. Sunset after a picnic dinner on the porch.

Zurich, Switzerland: I couldn't resist. She was BEYOND color coordinated in Pink. Even the hair band matched!

So you'll notice there are no pictures of Zurich proper. After 12 days and over 500 photos, my finger was tired as was my shoulder from lugging my camera and second lens around. So, I just wandered the streets taking mental images. Maybe one day I'll go back...if they ever devalue their currency or I become ridiculously independently wealthy.

Hope you enjoyed the adventure with me! Happy Thursday! xoxo

Summer Styling at Lakeside Retreats

Last December, when we were planning this trip, I stumbled upon this fabulous lakeside town. Having seen countless pictures, I somehow convinced myself I was headed to Switzerland, but to my surprise Annecy was still in France. Lake Annecy and the town of Annecy are on the border between France and Switzerland abutting the foothills of the Alps. The weather in this part of Europe has been uncharacteristically cool with an atypical amount of rain over the past few weeks. Driving from Lyon, we were hit with a few drops of rain and a temperature that didn’t want to quite burst through that 60 degree marker. Knowing that my friends were suffering through over 100 degree temperatures with horrendous humidity, I savored the cool air and donned my pants and sweater. Ok, so maybe I ventured out in shorts and platform sandals, but I clandestinely changed at the petrol station while we pumped gas. But who is counting?

Vielle Annecy

Another feat of directional savvy somehow got us to the Vielle Ville (old village) of Annecy where we parked at the Chateaux atop the hill and took in the picturesque view of Lake Annecy and the colorful town below. We explored the Chateaux – an old castle – and then trudged down the hill to the winding streets of the old town lined by canals from the lake. The water is crystal blue and has that quality only glacier water can give to a lake. I was afraid to get my toe near it as I was certain it would be freezing but I later discovered it was closer to the temperature of the Pacific than I’d expected. If the sun had been beating down, it would have been wonderfully refreshing. We lunched in town while it down poured around us and then walked through the Sunday market with its ever-present fresh chevre cheese, dried and cured meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, and tantalizing pastries before wandering to the lake shore to admire our surroundings. Now, in day two of being on a fabulous lake in this region, I am struck by how unbelievable this setting is. I am waiting for the moment when the backdrop falls down like in a movie set and a blank wall stares back at me. It is that surreal.

View from my room at the Abbey Talloires

Our destination for the evening was on the eastern shore of Lake Annecy, the most picturesque part of this 40km route around the lake. The Abbaye of Talloires, another former abbey turned hotel, was our sleeping quarters for the evening. Post Lyon, we were sadly used to ample rooms so the former monks quarters turned hotel rooms were a bit austere in comparison. However, the view out our windows was compensation enough. I kept sticking my head out the window to verify what I was seeing was real. And later in the evening when the clouds parted, it was beyond fabulous. I sat in my room reading my book and enjoying the backdrop, beyond appreciative for the experience and the company, and the opportunity to be sitting where I was. Priceless.

Vevey with Mont Blanc in the background - and a modern art installation

This morning I awoke to that same scenery, the sun hitting the water just right and reminding me of years of waking up on the lake at summer camps and being up in Northern Minnesota….the only difference the Alpine presence in the background! It was time to get up and at ‘em and move on to our next stop – Switzerland (or back to Switzerland.) Winding through the mountains, we jumped onto the lakeside route along Lake Geneva, driving through Nyon, a roman town founded by Julius Ceasar, passing the Olympic park in Laussane, driving along the terraced vineyards of Lavaux painstakingly planted by monks centuries ago and preserved by UNESCO, and stopping for lunch in scenic Vevey.

A commentary must be made on the costs in Switzerland (and France as well) - it's INSANE how expensive this country is. A coke at lunch was $9 while a beer was $6 - and the beer wasn't even good. It makes you cringe trying to order even the most mundane starter because nothing is less than $15 and the caliber isn't even worthy of the cost. We filled up half of our diesel gas tank and it was $100 (this was in Euros in France too.) Imagine if we'd had an unleaded tank! When you have a Eurozone that is sitting in a wildly precarious position, the costs of items and the FX rate should have some rational expression in the market. But apparently that memo hasn't reached the French. It must be stuck with that Sanskrit memo about hospitality.

Gruyere

Driving on our expensive diesel, we plugged along the freeway, appreciating the panorama surrounding us. From Lake Geneva, we were headed to Lake Murten. Before arriving, we elected to visit Gruyere, the medieval hilltop town that proffered the name for the wildly famous fondue cheese. That and the hometown of H.R. Giger, the visual artist behind the "Alien" movie series. Totally random yet fascinating especially in the context of a tiny town in the middle of Switzerland. His cafe was like the recreation of the inside of one of the Alien's bodies with spines and insane chairs and floor designs everywhere. Kind of creepy, but I liked it. Love those movies.

Town of Murten

Our final stop for the day, and by far one of the most picturesque, was the town of Murten-Meyriez on Lake Murten. Our accommodations last night were in a 100-year old country house overlooking the enchanting lake and surrounding hills covered in typical Swiss homes. People were out sunbathing, swimming in the lake, boating, sailing, fishing, and just enjoying the outdoors. Our rooms had private balconies overlooking this grand view so we decided to go into town and purchase a picnic to enjoy together. Fresh bread from the bakery, cheese, meats, swiss chocolate and two bottles of wine, and we were a happy crowd. Well, that was until we decided we need a bucket of ice for our wine and some oil and vinegar. The hotel was happy to send it up and then charge us 30 Swiss Francs ($37) for the order! Again, INSANE! We argued, they didn't care, we yelled, they didn't care, we had another sip of our wine and tried to go back to enjoying our view. Really, really enjoying it. At the end of the day, we had a wonderful and relaxing evening and are heading to breakfast this morning where we may leave with some souvenirs in our pockets as revenge. Ha!

View from my room overlooking Lake Murten

Today is my last full day of this adventure in Europe. It has been one of the best trips I have been on in a while with a constant barrage of wonderful sights to see, people to meet, and educational opportunities. And the weather, despite a few rain showers, has been a refreshing reprieve to the heat and humidity of New York. That being said, I gravely miss my friends and loved ones and look forward to being home and back in my routine. I started off the morning here with a nice run along the lake and will go for breakfast before departing for Zurich where we'll spend the night and then fly back home tomorrow morning. See some of you really soon! xoxo