German Food? Yes please!

Have you ever seen such an amazing shop sign like this one for Berlin's Galeries Lafayette below?

The French Department in Berlin

I thought it was stunning as it was up about two stories high, on the shop facade.  Inside was lovely too.  The 'Food Hall', which the Galeries is famous for (there is one in Dubai Mall), was amazing too.   It's centerpiece was an inverted glass dome that looked back up into the upper levels...

The Food in the Hall was worth taking photos off....  These Macaroons really caught my eye.  In hindsight, I wish I had of bought one of each and did a taste test!  (But at 1 Euro each, perhaps not.)

And I am a sucker for bread.

One of the things we like a lot about Germany (it being our second visit), is the food.  And because we currently live in a country where pork products are not widely available, we ate a lot of pork!  I love a good German Wiener Escalope, and this one was no exception.   Served on a bed of pan fried potatoes, a few fresh herbs and tiny cubes of bacon, washed down with some delicious Berliner Pilsner, what else can I say?...

Another day, another pork German meal - this time I ordered roast pork, served with sauerkraut, and a potato dumpling.  No doubt I washed this down with a beer too.

Our final meal in Berlin, before we flew home to Abu Dhabi, (and after we spent a week in Barcelona), we were after something typically German.  So of course, I had to order a German sausage on a bed of sauerkraut and those delicious potatoes with herbs and bacon again.

We were gone for two week on our holiday and tried a lot of different foods.  Both girls were quite good in trying new stuff and in that fact, so were Lyndon and I.  I'm pretty sure we'll return to Germany down the track sometime, if not for the food,  definitely for the beer! ;)

Time To Relax Those Feet

We walked a lot on that first day.  (And second and third and fourth....)  There are certain things one must indulge in when on holiday and after walking many, many kilometres.  And when one spots a place that looks lovely, you must enjoy the moment.

Like we did, when we spotted these inviting deck chairs, placed facing the Spree River and opposite the Berliner Dom (which was built in 1905 and serves as a house of worship, a museum and a concert hall!)...

Our feet were tired and our thirst needed to be quenched.  As Lily was napping in her stroller, Monet being satisfied with a chocolate milkshake, I chose for myself a beer with a difference...

A lovely Raspberry number.  It was still AM, after all.  And for us, that's what having a holiday is all about. ;-)

The Berliner Dom

After Miss Lily woke from her nap, she was easily amused and played happily with the packets of sugar on the tables at our feet.

Then onward on our exploring we ventured...

Trying to Cheer Up Charlie

There has been so much sadness this week in my life (and it seems in a lot of yours as well)  and I have been feeling so low, I thought I would post a couple of things that have cheered me up somewhat.  If only momentarily, they still brought smiles to my face.

The pool.  Monet and Lyndon had a blast in the pool together the other day.  If only you could hear the giggling coming out of Monet's mouth in this shot...(and yes, that is a hat on Lyndon's foot!)  There is something about being in the pool or watching people in a pool which makes me happy.  Maybe it is all about the calmness of it all.

I will leave you with this, from a favourite of mine, Dom Jolly.  This makes me laugh out loud, no matter how many times I have watched it. (Please mind the 'F-word' within the first 25 seconds and towards the end.)  It is so outback Australian, it isn't funny.  If you enjoy a drink once in a while, I am sure you'll enjoy watching this clip.  I hope it makes you smile as much as it makes me...  

Thirty + One Day

Here is the cake;

Didn't quite fit 30 ladybirds, but we sure did count 30 candles correctly!

All lit up the cake looked great...

Lyndon and I cracked open a bottle of Moet for the occasion.  And doesn't my head feel it today? I have made a mental note to myself to not do the 'Moet' sandwich (thanks Bob-Kat *giggle giggle*) again.  That is beer, followed by Moet champagne, followed by beer again.  Urgh.  Felt fine last night but this morning....headache from hell.  (Poor Birthday boy was feeling the same but he had to go to work!)  

Our dinner of slow-roasted shoulder of lamb was sensational.  I will be sure to post the recipe sometime on that (neglected) recipe blog of mine.  To say that it was probably the best roast lamb meal we've ever eaten is an understatement.  True.  We'll be talking about it for the weeks to follow; this I know.

After dinner and a bit of cake we had a few 'new' friends around to share a drink with.  It was a nice way to end the evening.

We're off to the Shangri-La tonight with a few people from the villas here (who also work with Lyndon), though I doubt I'll be having a drink.  *heehee*  Hope to see the sun set over The Grand Mosque and hear the Carols happening there tonight.  

I wish all my regular readers a relaxing and very Merry Christmas.  Hope you've all been good for Santa...

Oh, and if you are wondering what Monet and I got Lyndon for his birthday....

A Long Time Coming

Monet and I have only got a handful of days left in Australia before we head off to our new home in the Untied Arab of Emirates.  Lyndon is there waiting excitedly for us to arrive.  Neither of us can wait to see each other.  It has been a long five weeks apart.  

(Monet and my dad walking near their home...)

I am unsure when I will be posting next, I suspect it won't be long.  I know Lyndon has got the Internet all hooked up in our new home and our MacBook is waiting patiently for my fingers to start tapping away on it again.

(Monet and her cousin chatting and eating!)

Lyndon has stacked our new little fridge (our furniture arrives about 12 days after us) with some of my favourite things - glass bottled coke, Red Bull, 500ml Stella cans.  Oh! he does know how he can spoil me.  *smirk*  He has even gone and got some fresh ham for Monet, seeing that is her favourite.  

(The back patio at my parents, Monet and Grandma made the paper decorations)

The new oven has been installed, there are new block-out blinds in all the rooms, a couple of bean bags waiting for our bums to sit on, new cutlery, a big heavy-based frying pan, new beds for us...the list goes on.  Enough stuff to get us by until the day our shipping container arrives, packed with our goods from Trinity Beach.  

(Monet playing at the next door neighbours of my parents.)

I'm 'flirting' with the idea of beginning to pack our suitcases today.  Everything is ready and waiting to be packed in, it is just a matter of seeing if it does all fit back in our cases!  

(Bubble blowing)

My parents and Lyndon's parents, along with Monet and I are going out for tea altogether tonight.  

(Being a Pussy Cat!)

I have requested that only my dad drop Monet and I off at the airport.  They are horrible places aren't they?  At least this time it is not I who is being left behind - I hate that.  

We're off to begin the new chapter in our lives.  It has been a long time coming....

401

Very typical of me, but my last post was actually my 400th post on this version of biglittlesister.  I also forgot to wish my sister's partner a Happy Birthday for the week just past.  I hope I am excused - I have had a lot going on. (As if *you* all didn't know!)

We spent last weekend in Melbourne.  It was nice to do a spot of shopping in some half decent shops, but since when has Melbourne become so blue, tight jean orientated?  *blah* Living in Cairns I swear you can get away with wearing anything, anywhere, but since Melbourne is so fashion savvy it was a good excuse for us to buy a few new threads each.  We really liked the new(ish) DFO at Spencer Street.  (We liked it soooo much better than the Morrabbin Airport one we used to visit when we lived in Melbourne three years ago.)

Much to our delight, the weather was 'pleasant', even though the skies weren't blue.

  

It was nice to wander along Southbank again and meet up with friends at the Riverland Bar, down below Federation Square along the Yarra.   We like that outdoor bar so much, we visited it both on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

We met up with even more friends at a pub in Richmond and enjoyed a dinner out in a Beer Garden.  Monet and I didn't stick around too late as the Cox Plate had been run and there were too many horrible drunk people around, otherwise we had a rather good time.  

All up it was nice to spend a couple of nights in the town we once called home.  We stayed at Oaks on Market which we had stayed at once before.  It is in a good position, is reasonably priced (including buffet breakfast) and we will stay there again down the track.  We also had this view from our hotel room.

As much as we love Melbourne and as much as we tell people how much we are Melbourne people at heart, we know we're not ready to move back there.  Obviously there are other roads for us to travel at the present and according to this article in today's The Age, we've made the right decision.  (You have no idea how many people have asked Lyndon to 'take my business card with you' and asked to pass on their resume.  It is making us think the past 10 months have honestly been worth it and we got in at the right time.)

Today, Lyndon arrived safely in Abu Dhabi.  He is currently amazed by it all (the shops, the compound we'll be living in, the city, the palm trees, the current beautiful heat).  He has already told me how much he thinks Monet and I will love it.  I know he is right.  And I can't wait to get over there too now!

Monet and I are now at my parents.  I'm keen to have a drink in honour of all the good things life has in store for my little family at present and to celebrate over 400 posts!  (Any excuse, I know!)

Take A Bow.

It is Lyndon's final day for the company he works for today. Even though he has been a little poorly treated since the resignation letter four weeks ago, we are still very grateful.  (There were numerous people within the company in Brisbane who seemed peed off with Lyndon, but we honestly put it down to jealousy!  True.)  Without the company offering Lyndon a job over two and a half years, we would not have made our home in Cairns, nor would have we probably even thought about moving overseas. (So Marianne and Mum, you can blame them! *heehee*)

We'll be back to being a one car family tonight.  The much loved company car will be returned this afternoon.

I will be 'car-less' for the remaining days?/weeks? here, as Lyndon (in typical Lyndon fashion) has lined up some work for himself in Cairns until his work visa comes through...(hello visa...where are you??)

Tonight we are going out to celebrate with some of his fellow workers for a drink and a feed at a restaurant, literally just down the road from us.  

Monet needed a new dress, apparently... (no, that is not her hat!)

I lashed out and bought a new bangle (a whole $5 from 'Diva')...

I bought the 'office lady' a Krosno glass bowl (gorgeous), all wrapped up and ready to hand over later on (she's been very supportive in the last couple of months especially)...

And Lyndon?  Well, he can rest assured that there is still half a slab of Natural Blonde sitting in the fridge...

and we'll stop off on the way home (I'll have to pick him up remember!) this afternoon and he can buy himself a slab of 'Knappstein' beer, his favourite.

I'm proud of you Lyndon.  Very proud.  

C'mon visa, c'mon!!!

And for something 'completely' off the subject, read this and then watch this.  (In case you didn't realise, I have a soft spot for Mr. Tex Perkins and in case you also didn't realise, this is a piss-take.  I have a soft spot for piss-takes too....)

A Wander Throughout Wonderful Munich

We travelled to Munich, partly because two of our best friends had travelled there previously a couple of years beforehand.  They told us we'd love it.  They were right.  If we could, we'd be back in Munich tomorrow.

It was a beautiful city, with some of the most bizarre weather we had ever seen (blue sunny skies one minute, the next a thunderstorm with heavy, heavy rain!),  which reminded us of Melbourne.  I guess that is part of the reason we enjoyed Munich too.  We felt at home (of sorts).  

We spent our two full days in the city, wandering the streets and enjoying what Munich city had on offer.  We browsed the shop windows...

...enjoyed the  flower boxes in bloom and the gardens within the city...

...looked up at the amazing buildings....

and bought ourselves a few little things.  (So many shops!)  I was lucky enough to score some new Birkenstocks, well, we were in Germany, the home of Birkenstocks!

There was a gorgeous market square at the eastern end of the city mall (called Viktualienmarkt) which was filled with a busy (busy) beer garden (with busty women holding like 8 'stein' glasses filled with Lager) and food stalls.  Those Germans know how to do a good sausage!!  Mmmm....

We visited a couple of Beer Halls during our stay (goes without saying really), with the most famous one, Hofbrauhaus, being our favourite. This beer hall has a long history too.  I wonder how many of the tourists realised that it once housed a crowd who listened to a man giving speeches.  The man?  Adolf Hitler himself it seemed.  But that didn't stop us enjoying the fine food on offer here, nor the lagers.   I only had one 'stein' (1 litre) beer there which took me a while to drink I must admit...  (It was soooo heavy to lift - impossible for me to lift the glass with one hand!)

Monet enjoyed this Beer Hall too (there were other kids around), especially when the 'Ompa-Lompa' band started...

Here's cheers to Munich, we will be back one day to wander your streets, shop in your shops, venture out to places we didn't get too and get to know you a little better...

A Stop At Stuttgart

Lyndon and I wanted to travel from Paris to Munich and I had made the decision to have a stop at Stuttgart, not far over the German border from France.  It took three and a half hours on a Very Fast Train and broke up the trip quite nicely.  I think it was a glimpse of the real 'southern Germany', even though we were there less than 24 hours. And it was a Sunday.

Stuttgart city seems full of lovely grassy areas with lots of flowers in full bloom (when we were there)...

We now know what the locals do on a gorgeous, sunny Sunday afternoon...

Stuttgart also introduced us to some lovely hospitality that we found in the two cities we stayed in Germany.  It also introduced us to fabulous German lagers...

...and sensational food!

Those Germans certainly do a wicked schnitzel and tasty chips/fries.  Ooo that's made me feel all hungry!!

Stuttgart is home to both Mercedes Benz and Porche so we saw and heard those cars everywhere in the city.  Lyndon was in paradise.

The Monday morning we were bathed in glorious sunshine and spent a little time in one of the parks relaxing and studying the Lonely Planet guide...

We left for the main train station late-morning as we were headed for Munich on a lunch-time train.  But that is another post...

Stay tuned.

A Perfect Day...

Lucky for us, the rain held off but we could see it on the horizon of the Great Barrier Reef. We sat on cushioned wooden chairs overlooking the sea through the palm trees swaying lazily in the breeze... Sounds nice doesn't it? Well that is because it was. The start of our reception on the lawns of the Far Horizon's Restaurant, part of the Asagna Resort in Palm Cove.

We had waiters presenting our drinks to us (champagne for me thanks) and a delicious array of canapes and cocktail finger food to indulge in. And there was heaps of food. More than what I expected. The Wedding Planner of the resort told me there would be ample food for our party and she was right. Considering it was a late lunch (our reception/drinks began at 2pm) which blended into the evening, I know we were all full.

Our food included Barramundi Spring Rolls, Cherry Tomato and Parmesan tartlets (Monet loved these!), Smoked Salmon on cucumber...

Smoked Chicken pate on mini corn pancakes (let me tell you - they were divine!), assorted sushi rolls, seared Tuna Niscoise, basil risotto with fried Halloumi cheese, Thai green curry (served in wee little noodle boxes)...oh the list goes on. So much yummy food. Worth the money, that is for sure, because it was immaculately presented and it was just enough for the 12 of us.

It did eventually begin to rain and we were then shown a little area on the side of the restaurant that we then claimed as our own. We had a few comfortable cane couches to lounge upon and some lovely single chairs with a couple of coffee tables in the center. Not that much coffee was drunk mind you, it was champagne and beer all round I think.

Lyndon's parents left to catch their flight back to Melbourne in the early evening and at about 10pm (I think! - I had no idea of the time all afternoon, I was having too a good time to worry about things like time!) my parents headed back to their hotel, taking our Princess Monet with them. It was the first time she had slept away from her mum and dad, but she didn't care - she was staying at a hotel with her Grandparents. (Apparently she didn't fall asleep for ages which is pretty typical and never returned home to our place till about 6:30pm on the following evening!!)

There was seven of us remaining and we enjoyed each others company for another hour or so before we finished up. And paid the bill. (Owch!)

We had a fabulous time and we were lucky to spend our special day with some of our most special friends and parents. Even though neither of Lyndon's siblings could make it (my new Sister-in-Law and Brother-in-Law,) or my sister, they weren't far from our thoughts, but we knew they were there in spirit. And besides, we'll be seeing my sister in two weeks time to celebrate anyway - hmm, maybe a duty-free bottle of Moet is on the cards! *wink wink*

At the end of the evening, back at our home, Lyndon, my husband *giggle giggle* said that they day could not have been more perfect. I agree. We did it our way, in our little area of Australia, in a place we love, we felt good, our child was very well behaved and it was not over the top, or not us. It was us. It was our special day spent with special people.

*smile*