Innsbruck Christkindlmarkt

It is Christmas Market time again in Europe, and we all know what that means: food! On Friday, 12 December, I got out of work early and we headed back to Bolzano to check out their holiday offerings. It was honestly pretty ordinary except for two booths, one with local cheeses melted onto sandwiches and potatoes, and another that Ashley stumbled upon with excellent Kaiserschmarren. This is, as you will recall, a Merback family favorite, which we have eaten in Vienna, Bad Kleinkircheim, Nassfeld, Dortmund, Val di Gardena, and our home (made by Bianca and Matthias).

Look at the joy on everyone's face. We ordered three plates of the stuff and practically inhaled it.

I love this picture because of Isaac and Georgie's expressions. Isaac is furious that Georgie got a bite before he did and Georgie is in rapture over the goodness of Kaiserschmarren.

We drove into Austria that evening and found our Agriturismo in the mountains just south of Innsbruck. We were meeting the Jones family there but they didn't arrive until after we had all gone to sleep.

This was our view from the house. Innsbruck lies at the foot of the mountains in the distance. There were ski runs on the mountain directly above the farm where we stayed. After destroying the breakfast area with our seven children, we went for a hike along the valley with the Joneses. While walking I asked Tann what has been the biggest challenge of being Bishop of the American ward here. He replied, "Trying to get the Merbacks to come back to church!" After the hike we caught a train which took us directly to the Innsbruck Christmas market.

There was Kaiserschmarren again, but we elected to go with spaeztle, kiachl with sauerkraut, pumpkin soup, and little Austrian flatbread pizzas for lunch.

Even Jacquelyn was enjoying the offerings. Tann and Angela had been to Ljubljana the weekend before and Payton had asked them, "Why do you guys like Christmas markets? I hate them!" I think that this day in Innsbruck changed Payton's mind.

Someone had commented to us how they thought the Salzburg market was more picturesque than Innsbruck. I like Salzburg and all, but come on. Those mountains are amazing.

We had bought furry animal hats for our kids in Villach last year, and the Joneses followed suit this year so everyone had one, even Jacquelyn (a mouse, not pictured). Payton and Landon are reindeer, Isaac is a cinghiale (wild boar), Georgie is a husky dog, Juliet is a cat, and Samantha is a polar bear (my personal favorite). We got more than a few stares walking through the market like this.

Juliet is the only one that got a pony ride, although it wasn't really for kids older than about five. She isn't spoiled at all.

This is the epicenter of Innsbruck, the Goldenes Dachl. It was built in 1500 to honor the marriage of Emperor Maximilian. Salzburg ain't got nothin' on Innsbruck!

Isaac and Payton doing battle in front of the Goldenes Dachl. They bought these swords at the market and fought duels for the remainder of the day.

The highlight of the day was ice skating at a rink just off the main market thoroughfare. Georgie and Isaac did really well, despite having ice skated once/never before. Jubie used a training device that was ingenious. I don't know why I've never seen one before.

That evening we ate some fantastic raclette, waffles, and more spaeztle. We had an adventure trying to find the right train back to our podunk little town. I finally found it and then Tann had difficulties buying the tickets from the conductor. At one point everyone else in the train had gotten off and he opened the door to his cockpit (or whatever it is called) and yelled at us in German. I assumed he was asking which stop we were going to so I answered "Kreith". To which he shook his head in disgust, closed the door, and drove on.

After destroying the breakfast area once again, we loaded up the cars and headed back home. I hope that wasn't our last trip to Austria ever, but you never know.

A traditional Friulano meal

Some experiences cannot be bought.

We have known Daniela and Giovanni for over two years now. We have had them over to our house several times for various things: Halloween, dinner parties, birthday parties, gingerbread house construction at Christmastime, etc. Not that you invite people over expecting a return invitation, but we had often discussed how much we would like to have a traditional Italian meal with them and Daniella's parents, who also live in town. Well, we have been repaid and more. On Friday, 5 Dec, we went to dinner with Greg and Megan at the home of Cesco and Redenta, Daniella's parents. It was a TEN COURSE meal, and not just an Italian meal, but a meal with foods specifically from this region of Italy, Friuli.

We arrived at about 7:30 and met two of Cesco's cousins and their wives, one of whom spoke English but all of whom were very patient with us as we communicated in Italian. The first course was an egg and vegetable fritatta served with a specialty drink made from Prosecco, lemon, mint, and the Sciroppo di Sambuco (elderflower syrup) that Daniela makes and sells every year to raise money for her Down Syndrome charity work.

The second course was grissini (breadsticks) with prosciutto di San Daniele and salame (salami is plural).

The kids devoured the prosciutto and salame. They are like my brothers and I were when we would go over to friends' houses who had Nintendo systems. They don't eat meat at home, so they go crazy when they visit someone who does. Tomaso and Emma are on the left side of the picture.

The third course was gnocchi di zucca al pomodoro, dumplings made from potatoes and pumpkin served with a tomato sauce. Of course it came with freshly grated Parmiggiano cheese.

The fourth course was pasta e fagioli, a soup made with spaghetti and beans. They brought out a cabbage salad with a vinaigrette dressing that you put on top of the soup and eat all together.

The fifth course was polenta e musetto, corn cakes topped with turkey sausage and locally made horseradish. The horseradish is spicy, but not overwhelmingly so. At carnevale in Feb 2013, Daniella got me some musetto from a booth and all of the people at the booth watched me for my reaction. It was not even close to spicy hot Cheetos.

Here I am with the musetto. I don't know why I am making that face. To my right is Mario, Cesco's cousin who speaks English very well. You can see Cesco on the far left and Redenta to the right.

The sixth course was ossa di maiale. Friuli was traditionally a poor region of Italy (not anymore), and the people could not afford to eat pork. So they would buy the vertebrae of the pigs after the butcher had taken off most of the meat, and they would boil them and eat the scraps of meat that were left. It was delicious. Steve Edstrom would have loved this.

Here are Greg and Giovanni talking about Greg's deployment to Niger. Giovanni is great. His English is about like Ashley's Italian, but he has no fear of speaking. Wish it were the same for me.

The seventh course was frico, the famous local dish made from Montasio cheese and potatoes. It is amazing.

Giovanni had to carefully portion this one out because everyone wanted some. It was gone in about five minutes. In between every course they would go into the kitchen and do the dishes from the previous course before they brought out the next one. Genius. And it stretches out the meal, allowing more time to talk and digest so you can eat more!

The eighth course was clementine oranges, which admittedly come from southern Italy.  Many times this would be the final course, the dessert. But not today. Redenta had been cooking for two straight days and there was more to come.

The ninth course was four different dessert dishes. Cookies with jam, a chocolate cake, a local fruit cake made with corn meal, and apple strudel. Of course I had some of all of them, with seconds on the chocolate cake.

The tenth and final course was scorpino, the drink made with ice and lemons, sort of like a cross between a shake and a slurpee. It is the palate cleanser that is used to finish the meal. 

The only course that was missing was the espresso at the end, but we had been there for FIVE HOURS at that time and it was time to go home and go to bed, not time to have coffee. Georgie and Juliet had crashed out on the couch, but Isaac was still awake and acting delirious along with Tomaso.

One of the funniest things that happened that night came about because of Daniela's love of horror movies. She had heard the urban legend that if you stand in front of a mirror at midnight and say "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary!" that Bloody Mary will appear in the mirror. At midnight we all encouraged her to go into the bathroom and do it. Ashley went with her for moral support. Naturally, I hid behind the wall leading to the bathroom. When they came out giggling and giddy I made a moaning sound and came at them with zombie arms. Daniela lost it and screamed so loud that she woke up Georgie and Jubie. It was hilarious.

The four of us, Ashley, Megan, Greg, and I, kept looking at each other the entire night and asking, "Can you believe this? Did you ever think you would get to have this experience?" The food, the company, the bilingual conversation, and just the overall atmosphere of the evening were phenomenal. This is what I had dreamed of when we moved here, and it really was a dream come true. Grazie mille Redenta, Cesco, Daniela, e Giovanni!

Thanksgiving 2014 - Tuscan Do It Part 3: A Tuscan Miracle!

Thanksgiving is officially my favorite holiday. Four days off of work, amazing food, great company, and Tuscany! This year had been labeled "Suckfest 2014" by our official Famici vacation planner, Megan. Greg was scheduled to return from Niger on December 1, literally the day after we would be returning from Tuscany. In addition, this year we would be missing the Edstroms, since they bolted for SoCal. Megan still went to the effort of finding an amazing house, this time with a hot tub (!), and in addition to the Crandalls we invited the Stuarts and the McDowells to joint in the festitivities.

On Tuesday night, as I was packing my suitcase, I got a text from Megan that said, "I wanted to surprise you but I heard that you already know." I replied, "Know what?" before it hit me. I replied again, "If you are telling me that Greg will be at Thanksgiving then I am going to soil myself!" She wrote back, "Well then, get ready to change your shorts." Greg flew in on Wednesday morning after traveling all night on Tuesday and we reunited at the vacation house on Wednesday evening. It was a Tuscan Famici Thanksgiving miracle!

The house was just northeast of Lucca, which is a beautiful walled city between Florence and Pisa. Ashley's friend Caroline came down from Berlin, where she has been living for the past several months, and made the drive down with us in the Odyssey.

Here are Ashley and Caroline in the dining room, the main hang out area.

And here am I with Beth Stuart and Gina McDowell. Beth's husband Jeff is a big shot in Security Forces and they have three kids close in age to ours: Jack, Morgan, and Connor. Jeff raised the turkey, whose name was Tasty, in their backyard for several months and then slaughtered it the weekend before. Gina is an RN and Tim her husband is a pharmacist at the hospital. Their 13 year old daughter, Trinity, is one of the nicest, most pleasant teenagers you have ever met. They brought their German Shepherd, Ava, who was great company for Yorba and Verna all weekend.

Wednesday night we fully enjoyed the hot tub as we waited for everyone to arrive. We did polar bear runs between the pool and the hot tub, going from 104 degrees to about 50 degrees and then back to 104. Gina and Tim got lost and didn't arrive until almost midnight. They earned the nickname "the Griswolds" after this weekend.

On Thursday morning Ashley and I went for a run through the local villages before the cooking started in earnest. There was only one oven, so Jeff and I built a fire in the pizza oven and tried to cook the turkey that way. Major fail. Dinner was late but still fantastic. We ate outside with the lights of Lucca and the surrounding area as our view. We played "Cards Against Humanity" and one round of the envelope game to close out the night.

The next morning I woke up looking like this. I was reading stories on the iPad to Juliet, the early riser, and Georgie and Isaac joined us.

We wanted to go to a natural hot springs that day, but were unsuccessful in our search. Instead, we went into Lucca and explored, eating and shopping and walking around.

This is the church in the central square of the city. They also have an oval-shaped piazza called Piazza Anfiteatro. It was built on the site of the old Roman amphitheater (coliseum) and is very picturesque.

Dinner in Lucca. There is Greg! Around the table left to right are Caroline, Ashley, Jeff, Beth, Ben, Charlotte, Megan, Greg, Gina, and Tim. You will notice that I am not there. And neither are any children. This was my Thanksgiving present to everyone. 

Here are the kids in the hot tub. I took all of the kids home early and let them play in the hot tub as long as they wanted. Then I fed them and got them all bathed, teeth brushed, in bed, and asleep before the adults got home. My rewards were two epic rounds of the envelope game. Someone asked, "Why did Joey volunteer to take the kids home early?", to which my response was, "I didn't want everyone to see how mean I am to my kids in Italian restaurants."

On Saturday, Ashley took Caroline to Florence, so I was on babysitting duty again. We did a lot more hot tubbing and had pizza with Megan and Greg.

My other reward was playing petanque all three days that we were there. We had some epic, wide ranging matches, with clothespin baskets being knocked down, fence posts being knocked over, playhouse roofs being damaged, pool tiles being chipped, and targets being marked with flashlights and "Release" being the signal for the flashlight holder to make a hasty retreat. Tim and I defeated Greg and Ben four matches to three, with each match being a ten point contest. We play by our own rules with four balls per team per round and a point for each closest ball, so there can be huge swings in the scoring from one round to another. This is my new old man game. I need to introduce it to Merback family vacations.

Sunday morning we slowly packed and cleaned and headed back to reality. The Stuarts had to leave on Saturday morning, so they aren't in the picture. Left to right are Gina, Tim, Trinity, Caroline, Ashley, Isaac, Me, Juliet, Georgie, Greg, Megan, Ben, Luca, and Charlotte. This year felt different than the past two years, mainly because the Edstroms were missing and we didn't have that home-cooked Italian meal like last year, but it was still a fantastic weekend. The best part of all was having "Keg" with us again and picking right up where we left off with envelope games, petanque, inside jokes, and hot tubbing. This was probably our last Tuscan Thanksgiving, but you never know. Tuscan Do It 2015?

Halloween & Practice Thanksgiving

Ever since last year's epic Halloween party we had been planning the sequel. I spent an entire Saturday gathering wood for the massive bonfire I planned. I timed the mowing of our enormous yard to ensure that the grass wouldn't be too long, which is hard to do when it rains constantly. We ended up ruining the blade belt of our mower due to the wet grass with over half of the yard left, which had me in a panic. I borrowed the Crandall's mower, without waiting to hear back from them if that was okay, and wrecked their engine also. Ashley had to borrow the Jones' mower to finish most of the job, which was just enough for the party.

Isaac was Calvin & Hobbes, Georgie was Queen Raven from some TV show, and Juliet was a purple Minion from Despicable Me 2. Ashley made Juliet's costume, which was awesome, but which she wore for about 2 seconds because she couldn't see or move around very well.

Although here she seems to be able to see the TV just fine.

Ashley was quite smashing as Mary Poppins.

The Italian kids starting showing up early, and some of our American friends with cars for the trunk or treat showed up late, but no one was run over and we were able to start the trunk or treating at a reasonable time. The kids did four or five laps around the ring of cars and collected mountains of candy, which I have confiscated from our kids and am slowly working my way through. Hypocrisy is delicious. They'll get the sweet candy back eventually, once I am done with the chocolate.

Here are Isaac with two Italian friends in "Scream" masks, Georgie with her friends Lana and Destiny, and Juliet with her friends Kala, Mary, and Katie.

Jubie with Mary and Kala. Mary was Jubie's best friend at Asilo (preschool) last year.

The bonfire was a smashing success, with a flame about 20 feet tall at its peak. The only disappointment was that this was the second straight successful bonfire that Greg had missed while deployed to Niger. And no pictures! Arggh! But I got compliments on the structure and spacing of the wood from our fighter pilot friend Doug, who has an engineering degree.

Here is Juliet with Katie and Kala. They all go to the same Asilo, Katie in the same class and Kala in the class just below Jubie.

One of the girls from Isaac's class.

Ashley with Mattia's mother, a boy from Georgie's class.

The after party chili dinner was more of a monocultural affair this year, as it was a reward for the Americans for bringing their cars and candy. Still, we had a fantastic time and had several new friends over for the first time. That night and the next morning we did some serious cleaning and cooking because the next day was...Practice Thanksgiving!

Every year we have been here we have gone to Tuscany with the Edstroms and the Trifilos for Thanksgiving. Last year we added the Crandalls, the four families forming the core of the "Famici" group. This year, Kate and Steve were moving to Vandenburg AFB in southern CA on 15 Nov, so we had to have Thanksgiving early before they left. Everyone (except Megan - party pooper) had also been to the Halloween party the night before, so it was a Famici kind of weekend.

Steve and I have become twins. At two separate dinner parties in the past few months we have both worn: plaid collared shirts from H&M, dark blue jeans, and Camper shoes. It must be because Kate and Ashley are dressing us at this point in our lives.

The main table is on the left with the kids' table on the right. Kate and Steve made a fantastic turkey, even though it wasn't sous-vied because their equipment had already been shipped to CA. Ashley made Grandma Jeanette's famous rolls, which disappeared rapidly.

Afterward we played the envelope game until late in the evening and even managed to get Greg involved in the game from Niger via text messages. And then we finally had the slumber party that we had been planning since we met these friends. Ben & Charlotte stayed in one bedroom in the apartment with Luca and Kate & Steve stayed in the other with Brennan, while Megan slept in the TV room downstairs with Yorba and Verna. Greg slept in a tent in the desert.

The next morning we had breakfast and some of the most serious conversation that we have ever had as Famici. Everyone gradually made their way home and Ashley was finally able to flop down on her bed and rest after a truly epic weekend.

Bolzano and Sud Tirol

We had planned to go to Germany and Belgium in early October, but poor communication doomed the trip and we were left scrambling to find a way to fully utilize some time off. Luckily, the local options are plentiful and fantastic. We drove the three-plus hours to Bolzano in the Italian region of Tretino-Alto Adige, also known as South Tyrol (Sud Tirol) by German-speaking people. A lot of the people in this region are ethnically Austrian and speak German as their primary language.

Isaac has been wanting to go see "Oetze", the prehistoric iceman he learned about in school, at the museum in Bolzano for some time now. Oetze was found in the Alps near the Austria-Italy border in 1991 and lived over 5000 years ago. He is a "wet mummy" and a large portion of his skin and soft tissues are preserved as well as his clothing and artifacts.  He was buried by snow soon after being shot in the back with an arrow and his protective covering did not melt until the early 1990s.

Here is Isaac with a remarkable reconstruction of what Oetze most likely looked like. They know how tall he was, how much he weighed, his hair color and length, his tattoos, his illnesses, and the contents of his last meal (einkorn and goat). Incredible. He wore a bearskin hat and shoes and goat skin leggings, loincloth, and coat. He had a bow and a quiver full of arrows, mushrooms for medicinal purposes, a flint knife, and an axe with a remarkably modern-looking copper blade. His discovery pushed back the start of the Copper Age by over 1000 years.

Georgie is wearing a reconstruction of his coat, the lower half of which is preserved, which is why the upper half has the question marks.

Here she is attempting to reconstruct the birch bark cylindrical container that he carried in his backpack. He would wrap hot coals in green maple leaves, which were also remarkably well preserved, and then carry the hot coals inside these birch containers to use to start his next fire.

Another shot of the model. You aren't allowed to take pictures of the actual body, but there are tons of great pictures online. He is missing his eyes and nose, so it may be a little scary for young kids.

After the museum we ate our way through Bolzano, getting some wonderful baked goods, smoothies, and gelato. Here we are in the main piazza with the church in the background.

We drove from Bolzano up into the Dolomites to an agriturismo that Ashley had skillfully found online. This was our view. Unreal.

This is another view with the "Sassolungo" (Long Rock) peak in the background.

In this little porch area they had a ping pong table, a foosball table, a swing, and a rope ladder. All of which we fully utilized.

This is the front of the agriturismo. We only stayed one night but we really fell in love with the place.

The next morning we started hiking from the agriturismo straight into the Dolomites. We first came to  Rifugio Duac after about 45 min of hiking and stopped for a hot chocolate. Sassolungo can be seen in the background.

Another shot at the rifugio. I think Jubie's hot chocolate hadn't arrived yet.

This is the view of the ski area behind the rifugio. It was a fantastic day. Although the visibility wasn't perfect, the low, patchy clouds added to the ambience.

Our final destination, Rifugio Firenze, is in the background. Ashley and I refused to carry Juliet throughout the entire 90 min hike, and the last haul was particularly troublesome. I entertained her with a story about a 4 year old girl named "Viola" (her favorite play name is Violet) who had to rescue one of her family's goats that had been injured and was trapped in a storm. Isaac and Georgie also became enthralled and listened intently.

This is it, our final destination. Jubie walked the whole way, by herself.

The rifugio had a great playground, which has to be up there with the ones in Edinburgh and Switzerland in the category of Most Epic Playground Ever.

Jubie riding a squirrel with rabbit hutches and Dolomite peaks in the background.

Our server bringing the food, which was a great mix of Italian and German favorites. Not a bad view for lunch.

The polenta, knudel, and kaiserschmarren were particularly good. Kaiserschmarren is a family favorite. It was Emperor Franz Joseph's favorite food, which we learned (and ate) at the Schloss Schoenbrun in Vienna. Since then we have ordered it whenever we have the chance. It is like a pancake with a egg coating and powdered sugar and berry sauce on top. Delicious.

Georgie took this shot of us. Just a couple of eternal honeymooners, spending their retirement in their 30s.

While the kids played, Ashley and I took it upon ourselves to leave our mark in the Dolomites. You can barely see Ashley way in the background next to our creation.

Zoomed in. Perfectly legal graffiti. I Merback siamo stati qui.

Not to be outdone by my Yoga-instructing wife, I did my own epic handstand on the way down.

We made our way back down and started the three hour scenic drive back home. The pass we climbed on the way out of our valley (Val di Gardena) was particularly outstanding. This is the south side.

And the north side. We need to coming skiing here this winter. And then stay forever.

We made one last pit stop on the way home when we saw this view and couldn't pass it up. Way down behind us is a mountain lake. The kids listened to "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" by Judy Blume on the way home. It is funny listening to that book as a parent. Reading the book as a child, I found Fudge, Peter's little brother, hilarious. As a parent, I find him incredibly annoying. I wanted to take his mother aside and teach her a thing or two about discipline, limits, and consistency.

Our overwhelming feelings during and after this trip were of gratitude for the experience and amazement that the area isn't better known. Sud Tirol is a perfect combination of Italy, with the familiar language and 3G access, and Austria, with the amazing alpine villages and German food. Ashley completely made up for our failed Germany-Belgium trip with a perfect weekend. Way to go, Mom.