Plzen Picnic

We got a late start to our first full day in Plzen, so we decided to start our day with a picnic. We stopped by a grocery store to pick up some goodies. This grocery store in Plzen most closely resembled the huge grocery stores we have in MN (as well as across the U.S.A) and don’t ask me why, but I found it strangely comforting. The grocery store was also located next to a McDonalds with a drive-thru! That was the first we’d seen here as well. Perhaps the picture I’m painting for you is not of an idyllic European town, but believe me this was not the case. Jacob and I had walked through the city’s town square the night before on our quest to try some local Czech brews (other than Pilsener Urquell) and it was quite nice. We thought it would be a nice spot for our picnic.

Prague Picnic #2

Sometimes picnics happen when you least expect them. John and Amanda headed back to the Minnie-apple early that morning, so this time we were John-and-Amandaless :( As Jacob explained in an earlier post, the 4 of us took a taxi into Prague. But with only 2 people, the taxi option was too pricey, so we had to do it the old fashion way—public transportation. Normally, we love to take public transportation, but when it involves carrying our enormous bags and squeezing ourselves into packed trains, it’s not very pleasant. On our way to the underground station we stopped by a bakery to pick up breakfast for our train-ride to Plzen. Jacob purchased a pastry with some crunchy-crumblies (that’s the technical definition I think) on top, and I got a cheese-covered pastry.

We hopped on the underground and arrived at the train station much faster than we had expected. That left us good 45 minutes to kill before we boarded the train. It was a beautiful day so Jacob suggested we eat outside in the sunshine.

Prague Picnic #1

Our pal John suggested that we all picnic in a park just on the edge of the old city, and not far from Prague Castle where we walked earlier that day.

Berlin Picnic #3

There are places to picnic besides Mauer Park, so we thought we should try one out (even though it was another beautiful Sunday afternoon and no doubt Mauer Park was hopping). Having spent the majority of our time in East Berlin, we thought we should check out a park in the West. The owners of the apartment we were staying in had recommended Schlosspark Charlottenburg—conveniently located in Charlottenburg, right next to the Charlottenburg Palace. We we jumped on the S-bahn and made our way west.

Charlottenburg Palace and its surrounding grounds was the former residence of King Friedrich I. Now it belongs to the people of the Berlin. And of course, the park is well used. There were lots of people out for a nice afternoon stroll enjoying the fall colors and weather.

Berlin Picnic #2

We couldn't resist. We had such an awesome picnic in Mauer Park on our first Sunday in Berlin, that we had to return the next Sunday for another one. It was a beautiful day. Can you blame us?

More pictures and a couple videos after the jump. And details on - *gasp* - a picnic without bread!

Berlin Picnic #1

Last time I was in Berlin, while walking through Prenzlauer berg one night with some friends, I ended up in an incredible place. Though it was dark and not much could be seen, there were a few pieces there that added up to one of my most memorable nights in Berlin. A park+ a long stretch of the former Berlin wall freshly painted by many of Berlin's artists + swings= incredible. Coming back to Berlin, I was eager to find this spot again--- this time in the light. So on the first Sunday of our stay here, after checking out several other markets throughout the city, we headed to Mauer Park, to check out their market, enjoy a tasty picnic, and see what the park was like in the day time.

It's amazing what daylight can do for a place--that and several thousand people. As we approached the park I was blown away to see SOOOOOO many people. People everywhere! People bargain hunting in the market. People chilling on the grass with their friends. People performing music for crowds. People gathered in droves watching. People spray-painting new works of art on the wall. A.Maze.Ing.

Jacob and I headed toward the large hill where there were so many people hanging out/drinking beer/picnicking/making out/all of the above, it was difficult to find a spot. Eventually we found one and set up.

This picnic wasn't too different from those past-- wine, cheese, bread, veggies. This time we assembled them into a sandwich. At our last picnic I had over-extended my collapsible wine cup, but lucky for me, Jacob was able to fix it!

As we dined we enjoyed a melange of music coming from every different corner of the park, while many adorable dogs played around us.

After our picnic, we checked out the swings!

And after we checked out the swings, we checked out the karaoke performances that were going on just down the hill in an outdoor amphitheater. Brave souls performed for what must have been nearly a thousand people. Minneapolis needs something like this!



The singer in the video above was actually improvising the song based on audience suggestions--- If I remember correctly they were: Angela Merkel, Rumpelstiltskin, and recycling. If you speak German, maybe you'll find it funny too!

Our picnic in Mauer Park was every bit as incredible as our picnic in the alps. The creative spirit of Berliners was overwhelming and it made us very excited for the rest of our time here.

Vondelpicnic

On the edge of the city proper of Amsterdam lies the Vondelpark, a 120-acre green space with mature trees, ponds, gardens, bike paths, and open field areas. Throughout the meandering paths people young and old can be observed walking their dogs, playing football, jogging, or just chilling out.

Sunbathing is allowed everywhere! Just not in your birthday suit. Paradoxically, a few years ago it was proposed in a municipal memo, in the true liberal spirit of Amsterdam, to allow the act which I'll refer to here - since this is a family-friendly blog - as makin' whoopee. This proposal was eventually struck down by law enforcement, since it would largely be, you know, against the law.

As oppose to the weather we were used to during our time in Amsterdam, this particular day was very sunny with a 90% chance of weather-related happiness. The previous days were either cloudy, rainy, or some kind of schizophrenic mix of sun, dark clouds, and downpours all in a span of thirty minutes. It was so beautiful outside that we had decided to consider it an extension of Karina's birthday, even though it was days before.

We chose a picnic spot next to a large pond where ducks, birds, and egrets seemed to be having a mixer of sorts. On the menu today was, you guessed it, bread, cheese, and wine. To round it out, we also had bell peppers, tomato, salami, and stroopwafels - mini-waffles filled with caramel which can be purchased in stacks at any grocery store for about a Euro and a half.

A fitting picnic towards the end of our time in Amsterdam. We reflected about all the different spots we've picnicked thus far - in the Alps, within sight of the Eiffel Tower, with a friend in Belgium - and how each picnic has been great in its own way. It goes to show you, even on a budget, you can still enjoy the luxuries of any destination.

Antwerp Picnic

We pondered visiting one of Antwerp's many art museums, but when it came down to it, all we wanted to do was picnic. With the help of our Antwerpian friend Hans-Christian, we settled down in a large park just outside the downtown area called Nachtegalenpark.

Two types of bread, ciabatta and whole week topped with sunflower seeds, gouda, tomato, lettuce, apples, red pesto, and biscuits (cookies) for desert made for a tasty lunch. Accompanied with some red wine and our tour guide, it was a great way to spend an afternoon.

There was a tiny, tiny spider who wanted to picnic with us. Without a moment's hesitation, I smashed the tiny being with my thumb. HC then told us that, according to his mother, killing a spider makes it rain. Not two minutes passed before we started feeling rain drops. I had considered trying to revive the spider by way of CPR, but I abstained, considering the spider's body parts were smeared on my jeans. However, perhaps because the spider was tiny, the raindrops were only occasional and sporadic, and didn't ruin our lunch. Suffice it to say that I have learned my lesson, and will think twice before killing any spiders. (That is unless it's already raining.)

We finished up just as it started raining for real. Under the park's tree canopy, we walked back towards the city center, thankful that it held off just enough to enjoy a picnic, and one last meal with HC.

Luxembourg Gardens Picnic

Our second day in Paris took us to Sacre Couer in the morning, and to Luxembourg Gardens for our picnic in the afternoon. In between those two spots, we stopped by a Montmarte boulangerie to pick up a baguette (.90) and some cheese (2 euro). We also brought a couple apples which we had purchased the night before during our hour long quest to find our hotel.

We jumped onto the metro and were at the gardens in a flash. We found a spot with a good view and set up shop.

For lunch-- bread, cheese, and apples. Sometimes all at the same time!

With views of the Eiffel tower in the distance, we chatted about our thoughts on Paris, while another couple picnicked cosily on blanket nearby.

The pigeons in the park must have known our picnic was ending because they started to close in on us. We packed up and headed to Notre Dame.

It was quite a lovely experience--- and delicious!

Strasbourg Picnic: Lunch at a Doner place

As the name of our blog suggests, we plan to do a lot of picnicking on this trip. But we have a very broad definition of picnic. A picnic, to me, is fun, casual, cheap, simple, and delicious. And sometimes the cheaper thing to do is to eat street food or carry food out to a picturesque spot. It doesn’t always have to be bread a cheese (though people who know me, know I’m quite fond of that combination). That being said, I present to you, our 3rd picnic.

Lunchtime in Strasbourg around the cathedral the streets fill with ravenous (okay not ravenous, I added that for dramatic effect) tweens and teens who are on their school lunch break. It becomes easy to see where all the best places are because there is a line forming in the street to get in. As we made our way toward the cathedral, we noticed lots of people with doners. We both thought, “Dang, that looks good, maybe we ought to check that out after all the kiddies go back to school and after we tour the cathedral.” So that’s what we did!

The doner place, located on Rue de Saint Etienne had emptied by the time we arrived, giving us plenty of space to peruse the menu. 5.50 Euros for giant doner with fries and a drink? Yes please! Plenty of food for two. And it was delicious.

The tables in front of the place seemed scenic enough for us. More adorable Strasbourg. It was a delicious meal and a great deal, and we dined like Strasbourg’s youth—on the street.

mmmmm.

(by Karina)

Picnic #2: Picnic by the alps

As Jacob mentioned in his last post, by the time we reached our hostel, we were pretty exhausted from our 40 min to 1 hour hike downhill with our 50 lbs. bags. And the patio view of the Alps was quite inviting, so we unpacked our picnic goodies and set up shop.

Our picnic was similar to #1, only with a few additional things. We purchased some Salami from Murren (the town which we hiked from to get to Gimmelwald), as well as some ginger cookies, and carrots. We were still working on the swiss cheese from the day earlier.

We were pretty amazed at our location and wondered just how we got here. It’s so strange to think of our friends, and family back in Minneapolis as little dots, on a map, and here we are, “dots on a map” in the mountains in Switzerland. The view, as you can see, was splendid, and we couldn’t believe that we were able to meet the high standards of our previous picnic.

This picnic was an extended picnic—we sat out for quite a while nibbling, uploading photos, and playing cribbage (I skunked Jacob!). It was a very relaxing couple of hours and once again humbled by the magnificence of Switzerland.

Picnic #1: A Perfect Picnic

As you read in the last post, after much searching (due to our own pickiness) (or picnickiness -ed.) we found the perfect spot to picnic.

Pretty nice huh?

We picnicked on a cliff/very steep hill on the mountatin which overlooked one of the two lakes in the area, as well as several swiss villages, snowy peaks, and para-gliders.

We dined on a nice swiss cheese, french bread, apples and wine all purchased in Interlaken

In the background, cows grazed; the ringing of their bells added a lot to the general ambiance.

As far as views go, I have to say this is probably the best I'd ever seen. We've set the bar, very very high for future picnics. But I'm looking forward to the next!

Approximate picnic price::

Cheese: 1.50 CHF

Wine: 3 CHF

Bread: 3.50 CHF

Apples: 1.50 CHF

Total: 12.50 CHF or $12.26

Tchuss!