Munich and Salzburg Adventure

Tribe reunited in Germany and Austria for a wonderful vacation. Our time in Munich was educational, with a guided walking tour and a trip to Dachau, the first concentration camp. It was also super cool to see these guys surfacing on the river!

We took the train to Salzburg and it could not have been more picturesque. Julia and I enjoyed recreating all of the scenes (we could find) from the Sound of Music. The city is all about Mozart and hardly anything about the movie. :) The weather was 65 and sunny both days--perfect. We enjoyed a lot of sausage and pork! So good. Best part was spending time with Jules!

Wagshal Haul is the Bones!

New this week at Wagshal's, we had sirloin steak--amazing--corned beef, and local ice cream from Silver Spring. The steak was lean enough for Steven, and marbled enough for me. We got some of the usual favorites: chicken liver, Amish bacon, pastrami turkey, spicy Italian sausage, lamb sausage, roasted chicken, and BONES! Not only do we love Wagshal's for the exceptional quality of meats and products, but the service is always fantastic! I left the ginormous bones in the crockpot for 24 hours with some spices and apple cider vinegar. Very healthy and very delicious.

Beef and chicken bones in the crockpot ready to go!

NYC and Supporting OSU!

Tribe update
Julia has her own separate post this week. I'm so glad she takes pictures and communicates frequently throughout the week--it totally makes empty nesting bearable.

We went to NYC Friday morning through Sunday and had beautiful weather. Friday night we went to a Korean restaurant, Cho Dang Gol. You know it is a good sign when it is full and they are all Korean.
Friday night

We stumbled upon the Iron Bar & Grill supporting the OSU v UC game! The custom menu, vibe, and television options were awesome! We had General Tso's calamari to start--delicious--then bacon pizza and brats and krout. Great service and the food was so good. One grilled classic brat and one wild boar brat--delicious. Sauerkraut and pickles tasted homemade and yummy. We had plenty of time to watch the game and get over to see Matilda. The show was incredible, of course. The cast was so talented and it is not just for kids! No trip to NYC would be complete without a visit to the M&M World and a souvenir for the child. Can't wait to see her on Friday!

Rocklands: Glover Park

Almost every day, we can smell the wonderful aroma of Rockland's smoke pit. Tonight, we enjoyed a delicious dinner there with Julia. This Glover Park original barbecue and grilling company has been around since 1990--and now has three other locations (Alexandria, Arlington, and Rockville). Our fav is the one in our backyard.

The dining atmosphere is casual, with a mounted television screen and peanuts to munch on while you wait. They do an excellent carry-out business (seating is limited); I'm sure more will dine-in once they expand into the space next door (timing unknown). 

Fun fact: Julia used to play soccer with the owner's daughter, Bishop. They were on the Strikers team for several years together. 

We talked about the frustration of not knowing. The wait continues. We all vented a bit about the college counselor not submitting the info to Penn State yet. We also chatted about football, Chris's sporting activities, and his wrist. (Hi, Chris, hope your broken wrist is healing speedily.) 

Recommendations: Brisket and Italian sausage are phenomenal. The sides were all delicious too.

Restaurant info: 2418 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007; 202-333-2558; www.rocklands.com

Three Meats Platter with macaroni and cheese and caesar salad w/smoked chicken.

Three Meats Platter with collard greens and roasted brussel sprouts w/bacon.

Grilled Italian Sausage Platter with Texas corn pudding and apple compote.