Day 5 - Wednesday

Up at 8:30, we had yogurt, strawberries and fresh mango topped with shredded cocoanut for brekkies. No pics, looks like yesterday's.

We left home around 11 and went to the Stühlinger market for fresh eggs and lemons, and Mike went to the Apotheke fo Ibuprofen. Interesting license plate en route:

Next we headed for Bahlingen to have the best pizza in Kaiserstuhl, but unfortunately had a little accident on the A5. Doh. This is the other car. He was in the left lane in my blind spot when I tried to go around a truck.

After we went home to report in to the insurance company, we were starving and headed out again for lunch. In Bahlingen, we had sodas, mixed salads that we so good we forgot to take pictures first, and a pizza Margarita and Quattro Stagiani (peppers, salami, mushrooms, asparagus).

  

After lunch we took a scenic drive to Burkheim, where we walked around the village. Unfortunately it was cold and cloudy so we were not there long.

Next we went to Endingen, but it was too cold to get out and walk around, other than to stop at Penny Markt for half-liter bottles of mineral water. The deposit on each bottle (25 cents) was more than the cost of the water (15 cents).

Back at home, we settled in for MORE 30 ROCK! We are now practicing Tracy Jordan's dance. It's become a new exercise craze!

Picnic dinner and 30 Rock. Homemade hummus, stuffed aubergine, stuffed grape leaves, green and black olives, celery, red and yellow peppers, asparagus, shitake spread, Gutsdammer, goat cheese and cranberry fresh cheese.

 We managed to finish Disk 2 of Season 1 with St. Jamain and cremant,

 Fig vodka and cremant.

 Aperol Spritz.

Day 4 - Tuesday

03/25/2014 - Freiburg

We are getting going later and later. Today we had a light breakfast of fresh strawberries, bananas, plain yogurt and toasted walnuts while watching 30 Rock.

We headed to Freiburg. We took care of business at the Apotheke and the eyeglasses store, then met Chrissy for lunch at Euphrat: Yufka with calf, yufka with falafel and halloumi.

Then we wandered around Freiburg, explored all 4 floors of a bookstore, and ended up in Schlappen for a beer and a coffee, and wrote some post cards.

Back at home, we watched more 30 Rock, Maron and Sirens and had sauerkraut, Schupfnudeln, and St. Germain Shandies (Pilsner, St. Germain and lemon wedges).

Day 3 - Monday

3/24/2014 - Colmar and Eguisheim

Cold and rainy out, but we're going to Colmar. Got up and had breakfast of hard cooked eggs and Schnitzel that was left over from Saturday Charivari dinner, while listening to a Marmalade Souls CD.

We drove in to Colmar and directly to the Korean place that sells hot dog Americain, a French invention. We got a Merguez Americain and a chicken Döner kebab.

Next we strolled through Little Venice...

And around the cathedral.

Then we stopped for refreshments at a bistro, where Michael got a beer and I got a Pinot Noir, which was cold! It was cloudy and chilly so we sat outside with blankets on our legs.

Then wandered into an antique store where we saw a gnome riding a snail.

Next we moved on to Eguisheim, which is about 7 km south of Colmar. It is a quaint little village with a beautiful cathedral in the center with storkies living on top!

 Back home we kicked back with a kick-ass dinner: crab and shrimp dip with crackers, then salmon, potatoes and asparagus.

 And watched Horrible Bosses.

Day 2 - Sunday

03/23/2014 - PJ day

Got up a little after 9 and lounged in our PJs till 10:30, when we had a breakfast of toast from leftover baguette with goat cheese, strawberries, wheat toast, scrambled eggs with onions, red peppers, leftover Schweinehaxe from last night's dinner and Gutsdammer cheese.

We watched several episodes of Workaholics,then went into Freiburg for lunch at Euphrat (Döner) or Mensa Drei (curry Würst), but both are closed on Sunday. To satisfy the sausage cravings, we went to Martinsbräu for Weisswüste, Merguez on a baguette, fries and sodas.

Next we went to the Freiburg Planetarium to see the presentation on Pluto: From Planet to Dwarf. There we sat in a round auditorium with convex domed ceiling on which the presentation was shown, in astronaut seats that recline back so you don't strain your neck to see. During a really interesting presentation (in German, of course), we both nodded off for a few minutes now and then.

Back at home we checked email and surfed while watching more episodes of Workaholics. For dinner we shared a salmon and shrimp pizza, rice-stuffed aubergine, olives, cherry tomatoes and a bubbly rosé. We watched La Total, a 1991 French movie on which True Lies was based.

After dinner movie was Tropic Thunder and made our plans for Monday: Colmar!

Day 1 - Saturday

3/22/2014 - Arrival Day

At 8:30 am it was 50°F (11°C) and raining, pretty much our predicted weather for the day.

I left Gundelfingen at 9:25, ETA 10:10. Even with a navigator I could not get to the French side of the Basel-Mulhouse airport. I ended up taking the wrong exit, and going through the TRUCK customs check, onto the Autobahn (which is illegal without a sticker), around Basel and back to France. Five minutes from the airport her cell phone rang: A French airport person calling for Michael, who wanted to know where I was. I instructed him to go to the Swiss side of the airport and said I was almost there.

Five minutes later I pulled up on the Swiss side as Michael was coming out. And I didn't even get to meet him with my "WILLIAM HURT" sign.

We both got lost trying to get to France and ended up in Basel again - with a Navigator trying to help us by routing us through the cargo area of the airport.

Finally we made it to the A5 and home where we settled in with our lap tops and a picnic lunch. It was a ghetto picnic since we had only 3 kinds of cheese (Emmentaler, Gutsdammer, Ziegenfrishkäse). Also strawberries, ham, green olives, black olives, 2 mustards and a warm baguette.

After a respite we headed out to Jacques' Weindepot to stock up for the week. Martin was there to guide Michael though the various whites and rosés.

And finally we agreed on a selection.

We came back home, unloaded our asenal, and chillaxed for a while with Gerald.

 After a bit we walked to Chravari in Gundelfingen for Salads, Schnitzel and Schweinehaxe and beer.

After dinner we walked back home, got in our PJs and watched Workaholics and played "Who falls asleep first". I won at 10:00.

Day 0 - Friday

3/21/14 - Departure Day

Flying with Air France and Delta (he who smellta must have Delta), Michael's Itinerary:

Fri 21MAR
LV 2:35pm BALTIMORE
AR 4:11pm DETROIT DELTA 1672
FIRST (R) Confirmed

LV 6:40pm DETROIT
AR 7:55am
Sat 22MAR** PARIS-DEGAULLE DELTA 98
BUSINESSELITE® (O) Confirmed Dinner

Sat 22MAR LV 8:55am PARIS-DEGAULLE
AR 9:58am BASEL AIR FRANCE 7742*
Confirmed

The current weather forecast shows that Michael will be bringing the cold weather with him. Let's hope the airline loses it.

John Robey is to pick Mike up at 11:15 EST and take him to the airport; I will pick him up Saturday at 10:00 CET in Basel.

Mike got to visit the First Class lounge in Detroit.

  

Delicious dinner for Michael on the plane.