After a very promising start to the winter, it seems to have petered out into warm-ish gray days and the snow is all long gone. It's hard to find things to do around Munich when the winter decides to drag out the 'in-between' weather. The die-hard skiers and boarders still head to the slushy, bare slopes. The die-hard cyclists have pulled out the bikes and some of my Sunday cycling crew are out on a trip today. But neither are for me. I'm a fair-weather skier and a fair-weather cyclist. This weather just isn't fair.

Last weekend, I used up the one activity that is always great for this in-between weather. The Saffa and I headed to Austria for a wellness weekend. The concept is fabulous and I try to do it once every winter. You head to a nearby resort, preferably somewhere quaint and kitschy with lots of wood and antlers and a fireplace or two. Book a massage or a facial, then head to the sauna, the pool or the sun lounge to relax even more. Meal are typically included and very nice - a huge buffet breakfast and dinner typically a 4 or 5 course meal. Bring a good book and the camera and it's a perfect weekend getaway.

On Sunday we hiked a few kilometers up a wide trail in the mountains to a nice (and very busy!) hut for lunch and then rented a couple of sleds to fly down the mountain. There was (barely) enough snow/slush left for the run but I don't think anyone can do it without feeling like a giggling child again. Wheeeee!!

So, big idea for in-between weather exhausted and now it's another weekend at home in Munich. After tidying up the house and running a few errands, I decided I felt like another baking experiment. Oooh, did this one turn out delicious!

I decided to make a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I couldn't find cake pans in approximately the right size so ended up buying two small springform pans. This resulted in a rather tall cake and I had to bake for longer than expected but no harm to the result. I used this recipe from Joy of Baking and only made one changed. I like my carrot cake with raisins, so added 3/4 cup raisins to the carrots and walnuts before folding into the batter. The frosting called for a teaspoon of lemon zest, which I would normally have skipped but I added it this time and the citrus flavor perfects the pairing of the frosting and cake. This carrot cake is light and fluffy, very moist and full of flavor!

Posted from Munich

Rainy Evening in Munich

Posted from Munich

Weather Investigation

I needed to check if it was just my imagination, this whole 'The Weather Is Better in Munich' hypothesis. I can't help it, it's the doctor in me.

So here it is:




Source: BBC Weather Guide

So a monthly average of the number of hours of sunlight per day in some sample cities:
Boston: 7.5 hours/day
Cologne: 4 hours/day
Los Angeles: 9 hours/day
Munich: 5 hours/day

Wet days for same cities (days with >.25 mm rain):
Boston: 125 days/year
Cologne: 182 days/year
Los Angeles: 37 days/year
Munich: 180 days/year

So there you have it. Scientific.

Posted from Köln

First Snow

I was clamoring for it all week. There is something magical about the first snow of the year. Actually for me, every snow is magical. I can take winter until April if there is lots of snow.

Yesterday, I was disappointed as the rain fell down in Zurich. The wind was snapping around, breaking branches and inverting umbrellas. In the evening a calm settled over the city as the rain and wind ceased.

I met a friend out for some chatting, some drinks and dancing. When we were leaving the bar late into the night, the first flakes were falling onto the streets. Zurich is beautiful in a snowstorm, like a city in a snowglobe.

When I woke up this morning there was a dusting covering the city and the sun was shining. Throughout the day we have had snow showers and its a great day to be snuggled safe in the house. I plan to light the wood stove tonight for the first time.

The forseeable weather forecast is calling for snow, snow and more snow. I am a happy camper.



Random dude in bar last night(slurring):

Would you like to join me for one drink?

I'm drinking.

Water.

With bubbles.

Posted from Zürich

Slugs, Aphids and Hail

Growing a garden is not without peril. After our thunderstorm on Saturday, we got hit with another one on Sunday, this time with hail. It lasted a good 15 minutes and when it was over, all our plants were squashed, flowers and leaves ripped up. Everything that was still alive then sat in an ice pack for a few hours. We just finished raking up and cleaning up. We'll give it a week to see what recovers and what doesn't make it and then its back to the drawing board. The sure survivors right now look like the clowny petunias. Figures.

More Snow

It just keeps coming.. I love it! This is our backyard in Munich as of yesterday.



Unfortunately, this is our rental car this weekend.



This week I started traveling home on Thursday nights again. After a year of Monday through Friday travel, an unexpected ally changed everything. Easyjet has started flying the Munich to Basel route but the flight times are not normal business travel hours. My project decided they wanted all of us flying from Munich to take Easyjet. I said fine, but I'm not willing to travel home so late on Friday but Thursday would work. They went for it.

It was a bit of a rough start as the flight was over two hours late on Thursday so I didn't get home until almost 11. Easyjet is about as tacky of a flight experience as you can have. I miss the Star Alliance lounge and free weekly reading material but it is nice to only spend three nights out of town.

All Friday morning I had various technical problems. M. increased the security on our wireless network a couple of weeks ago and after two hours of struggling I got M. on the phone and he realized what had happened. Then somehow my SecureID got disabled so another hour went by until I had that sorted out. After things finally settled down, I got a few hours of work in, bought some groceries, and then came a phone call from M.

Guess what car I got this week?

I guessed the 6 series Beamer but was wrong. Once again, my practical boyfriend threw caution to the wind for the sake of a car. Nevermind the skiing we wanted to do or the snow that was falling heavily at the airport. Here was his chance to have the Z4! The Z4!

I'll admit that its a very cute and cool car but so impractical. If we want to ski we'll have to hand hold the skis on the roof. But, darling, it is so fast and so secure. And I love it! Grr.

With all this snow, I have been on a cooking kick. I made french onion soup and a quiche Lorraine for dinner last night. Today I made a banana loaf (or banana bread as it is called in America), one of M.'s favorites. And then we wonder why we have gained all this weight!



Posted from Munich

Finally!!

I hope this is a sign of more to come. This winter was getting depressing with no snow and cherry blossoms out in January. Time to hit the slopes this weekend!!

Posted from Basel