Gotta Go Back in Time or Grand Salami

We did something a couple weekends ago that I didn't get down on the journal (or "gournal" as Andy from Wet Hot calls it) that I need to recap. So that means we "gotta go back in time" (thank you Dana and Kevin).

A few Sundays ago we spent time in four different countries in one day and we did it all by car. We started the day in Lux and drove east out of town and country into Belgium about 25 minutes away. The destination in Belgium was IKEA, or Hell, as I may refer to it. We needed lamps and light fixtures and some other b.s. for Rudy's room. Not to bag on IKEA, I'm just still bitter over the 2 weeks of furniture assembly I had to upon the arrival of our stuff from the States. Damn those little s-shaped wrenches and odd human-like figures in the instruction manuals. (see below)

After swimming through the masses in the maze that is IKEA, we had planned to eat Swedish meatballs in their cafeteria. Unfortunately, everyone and their mother was there that day and we didn't feel like waiting a half-hour for shitty food just for the novelty of it. So, we checked out and went to the little giftshop on the main level and Sara picked up some goodies for us (me) to eat in the parking lot. She grabbed a bag of Swedish Fish and a couple tubes of Reindeer salami. The salami took care of my minimal recommended daily allowance of sausage for the day, even if by technicality. And the Swedish Fish? Well, they were the stuff dreams are made of. I know we've all had Swedish fish before, but not this fresh. These things were practically still kicking as if they were just pulled from that glorious rainbow ocean of sugary goodness from whence they come. The best analogy I can give is to compare it to a fresh a can of Copenhagen in Kentucky....a can that was made that day or the day before and was shipped only a few blocks away to a local Circle K....you flip it over and the date on the back says yesterday and you know you are about to experience something magical. I think that's what heaven probably tastes like -- note I haven't had a dip since early August so it's still a bit on my mind.


After Belgium, we headed south into France to the town of Ottange where we hiked for a couple hours as Rudy slept in the car in the Kelty Kid on my back. We started the hike in France and then wrapped north over the border back into Lux and then back into France to wrap it up. We were on the GR 5 Trail, more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_5. Here's a shot of Mom and Roo standing at the border of France-Lux just before we started the hike and he jumped on my back in the big carrier: 

After the hike we started our final leg and moved northeast into Germany and a rendezvous with Cord and Katarina, owners of Weingent Dr. Frey which is a vineyard in Kanzem and der Saar. They are extremely cool people and walked us around their vineyard which has been in Katarina's family for over 100 years and of which the land itself has been used for growing wines for around a 1000 years. Yes, 1000. They have a couple kids, one very young son of 3 months i believe and a 2-year old son named Leonard. Rudy and Leonard hit it off and looked and acted like brothers by the end of our time there. Here's a couple good shots of them:

We drove away with 12 bottles and it's going fast. Great way to spend a Sunday even if we did get a little lost here and there. Nice work planning Sara.