Nachdem eine Reise durch Deutschland...WE'RE BACK!!!!

Family,

We’re back!!!!! And a good evening to you from across the Pond. I hope that everyone is doing well and having a FANTASTIC Labor Day weekend. Today found us back at home after 11 days on the road in the continent, and I have to tell you – WHAT AN AMAZING TIME WE HAD.

Okay, I figure the best way to do this without the entire readership getting bored and running off is to break it into chunks, so today we’ll cover the Munich leg of the trip. And so, without further ado:

First off, Rice – you were 100% spot on – Bavaria is pretty much my vision of Heaven. Perfect weather, friendly people, great food, and FANTASTIC BEER. For those of you have visited (or lived there before in the case of the Shogun) Bavaria, I’m sure you’ll agree. For those of you that don’t know, here are some of the key points:

1. There are 6 breweries in Munich – yes, that is DEADLY.

2. Food in Munich is exactly what you think of when you think of Germany – 47 different kinds of sausages and a meatloaf that is…well, a huge hunk of meat in the shape of a loaf of bread (leberkase….ummmmmm…).

3. There are beer gardens EVERYWHERE, and you just belly up to a table and start chatting with the cats beside and in front of you (and don’t worry, they all speak English).

4. The Glockenspiel “performance” is like ten minutes long. By the time it’s over, your neck is BROKEN from looking up.

Okay, let’s start with (a messy) day one. We caught a 4:45 taxi for the airport, and we were on the ground in Munich by 10. After checking into the hotel, we followed brother Riegel’s advice and hit the Viktualenmarkt, which is basically their open food market. After some leberkase with sweet mustard and bratwurst (and beer, of course), we wandered to one of the most famous (and touristy) spots in Munich – the Hofbrau Haus. There we jammed with the band and hung out with our new local friend Edmund, who proudly told us that “the Smithsonian in DC has nothing on the Deutches Museum.” Well, I’ll tell you one damn thing the Deutches Museum has that the Smithsonian doesn’t – an EIGHTEEN EURO PRICE TAG. Thanks, but I’ll stick to the dinosaur bones I can see for free.

After 2 liters of Hof brau (3 so far for the day), we went to the Englischer Gardens and the Chinese Tower, which is apparently the second largest park in the world. There, we walked through the naked meadow (that’s right – as in NO CLOTHES), where I saw some images I won’t be able to carve from my memory even with a cranial saw. The key point to note here – THERE ARE NO FEMALE SUPERMODELS IN THE NAKED MEADOW – ONLY A TON OF DUDES WHO LOVE THE FACT THAT THEY CAN BE NAKED WITHOUT BEING THROWN IN JAIL WHERE OTHER PEOPLE WILL PROBABLY LIKE TO SEE THEM NAKED. Let’s just say I thought about stripping down myself because I knew the “spare tire” would NOT have been the least attractive feature there.

At the Chinese Tower, I went to get MORE BEER and came back to find this dude hitting on Jenny. When I sat down (thereby confirming she WASN’T LYING ABOUT HAVING A HUSBAND), the dude didn’t go away but preceded to talk to us for another 20 minutes. Classic. The Germans claim to be very tolerant – good thing I was as well.

By the time we’d left the gardens, we’d had 5 liters of beer. That’s right – picture a 2 liter Diet Coke, and fill it with strong beer. We’d had two and a half of those when we decided to walk home in a new city without a map. The result? We showed up BACK AT OUR TABLE AN HOUR LATER and had to take a cab home. As we neared our hotel, the cabbie said, “I know a great brewery where you can get good food and beer.” Five minutes later, we were at the Augustiner Brau, where we had another liter of beer and more sausage. Yeah, we slept pretty good that night…

The next day found us up early (believe it or not) and out to BMW World. This place was great – I got to drive a simulator 4 wheel drive in snow in the Bavarian Alps, sit on some of the motor cycles, and see tons of really, really expensive cars.
It was “delivery day,” where folks from the states fly over to Munich and pick up their cars. They then have 14 days to drive around Europe, at which point they leave their cars at the nearest airport, fly home, and then have the car shipped to them. Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet deal.

After that, we toured the Olympic Village, site of the 1972 Summer Games. The Highlights included walking onto the pitch where the 1974 World Cup was played and seeing the pool where Mark Spitz won 7 Gold Medals (now a public pool for 3 Euros a day). It was a really¸ really neat tour.

Throw in a crepe and a visit to the Olympic tower to view the city, and you have a recipe for success. We hit the Lowenbrau Brewery that night and then had dinner under the Glockenspiel in Marianplatz. All in all, another GREAT day.

The next day saw the two extremes of German history. We started at Dachau. I think Brother Riegel summed it up best when he said “A sobering memorial to some of the darkest days of humanity’s history.” Not much else to add to that – I’m really glad I went, and I hope to never go back.

What followed, however, will definitely be a repeat at some point in our lives. On the Shogun’s suggestion, JT and I hopped a train with the locals and found our way to Rosenheim, Germany, site of “Herbstfest” and the second biggest beer fest in Deutschland. Gang, this was AWESOME – talk about a truly hilarious time. First we hit up the Auer Brau tent, where Jenny made some new friends. And Sean & Ray, you’ll be happy to know that the old Macguyver looking dude thinks that Obama is a “great man who will fix all.” I’m not sure what “all” entails, but he was too happy for me to harsh his mellow. However, I did get his address to ask about your respective fences and lawns. I’ll let you know when I get a response...

After the Auer Brau tent, we rolled over to the Flotzinger Brau tent, where we found a much younger (and rowdier) crowd. These cats knew how to party, and they knew the words to EVERY song that the massive band played. I will say that, at one point, they played Sweet Caroline, and I was clearly the ONLY CAT IN THE JOINT that had ever heard it. Carolina people (both North and South) – it was a disappointment to be the only person in a tent of 5 thousand saying “Bum-Bum-Bum-Good times never seems so good-SO GOOD-SO GOOD-SO GOOD!” But such is life…

The next day was back into the city, where we saw the Glockenspiel go, went up the Frauenkirche, went into Peterkirche (kirche=church), ate at the Viktualenmarkt again, hit the garden again (even more naked dudes this time – I will never recover), saw the surfers on the Isa River (you have to see it to believe it), hit the Hofbrau Haus, and finally had dinner at the Lowenbrau Keller before rolling home to pack and sleep.

I’ll give you the next 4 days (and maybe even the rest of the trip) tomorrow, but I figure you’ve had enough for tonight.

So that’s DEFINITELY all the news that’s fit to print. Chat tomorrow! It’s great to be home! Bring on the payroll implementation (and new job for muffin puffin)!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Introducing...NEW JOB JENNY!!!!

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond. VACATION TOMORROW!!!!!! We are SO EXCITED we simply CANNOT wait. Our flight is at 7:50 AM tomorrow on BA (British Airways), arriving in Munich at 10:55 AM. Reminder – NO BLOG FOR THE NEXT TEN DAYS! But don’t worry, we’ll resume with a fury upon our return. We even got a great deal on a cab all the way there, so the vacation is starting off with a bang!

So today was a CRAZY day. Trying to get out of the office before vacation is almost impossible, so kudos to Ray Tavares (that’s right, Dinger – "Old School Cool") for taking on 99% of the work I left behind. Ray I would say I owe you a beer, but since you know I’m NEVER good for it, I’ll just say thanks instead and ask that Rev give you a Bombardier on my behalf next time you're over (and we need to hang with Knockout next go around).

I met Mark and Liz for two pints at the Cat and Canary (Honey Dew in a “manly glass” – (which I have now officially abandoned unless it’s in a bottle – sorry muffin) and Peroni – which I’m now an uber-big fan of) before heading home for the final packing touches and the moment of truth…the HAIR CUT.

So let’s start with the "before" pick. Notice the stylish points in the hair (much like da debbil), the weaves, the curls, the waves, the straight lines – all in all, my head is the blueprint of Darwin’s map of evolution. Style beyond style, which is EXACTLY how all of you define Sam “The K is for tact” Taylor (Dings - that one was for you).

And now, the “after” shot: I mean, tell me my wife isn’t a surgeon. Personally, I’m just glad the clippers didn’t explode, but I am now officially a space monkey, ready to be shot into orbit. I feel ten pounds lighter. And for the record, Bob and Jan, your daughter is still the hottest woman in the UK, and your son-in-law has actually LOST 2 pounds since arriving!

However, the following differences between a UK clipper and a US clipper are:

1. There is no left ear/right ear in the UK. You have 8 speeds - that's it (Chuck, I got a #2 or a #4 Clipper guard, what do you want...ah, the memories).

2. Unlike the US, the blades on a guard here will impale you like a citizen of Tyre after Alexander the Great's invasion.

3. Whether it's plugged up or not, the thing runs on a battery. What that means is that, if you buy it 20 minutes before cutting, you will have to stop 47 times to let it recharge before continuing, EVEN IF IT'S PLUGGED INTO THE WALL.

So, the biggest news before departure: introducing…New Job Jenny (version 6.0 – batteries included)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today was muffin’s last day in her current job, but eComm Team – you’ll be happy to know that she was VERY diligent and was still on line at 10:30 PM (Linda can verify - and she was not boracha!)!

When she returns from vacation, she’ll be part of the International E T & D Finance Team (sorry Tait – I don’t think there are many pink slips in her future, but I’ll tell her you said Daunte still sucks), working down in exotic and tropical Zone 5 Croydon. Way to go, Territorial Muffin Puffin!!!

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Sorry so short (and C-Web, sorry if you were bored again tonight), but we have packing to do and miles to go before we sleep before our 5 AM taxi tomorrow!!! Can someone say Costa Coffee?

Mark - safe flight home.

Liz - enjoy the QC -safe travels to you as well.

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Ladies and Gentlemen...WE HAVE HANGERS!!!!!!

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond. First and foremost – NOTICE!!!! After tomorrow’s installment of the blog (that would be 27 August), the Taylors will take a break from their nightly postings due to their planned vacation. However, the blog will return to life on 7 September (viva Argentinean independence) with a special “double issue,” detailing the exploits of the Taylors and giving you the 5-10 best photos from our trip. Apologies in advance to all the faithful out there, but the missus and I are unplugging from everything.

So, next big item – pictures! Tonight my lovely wife went to a goodbye shin-dig for Carolyn Parnell, an expat who’s been here for 2 years and is repatriating soon (you'll remember her from the "celebrity sighting at the cheese shop" incident). In addition to farewells and vino, tonight was a “please take whatever you want out of my house free so I don’t have to throw it away or watch Sam blow something up because he doesn’t know how to work converters” party, and we are now the proud owners of a stylish new clock radio (if only I were Rod Roddy).

Also - we have more hangars!!!! We continue to move every closer to that lofty yet slightly unattainable goal of hanging up all of our clothing to avoid constant ironing. Hey, when life is this good, something’s gotta be tricky, right? Actually, JT, thinks we might actually have achieved the pinnacle - we have found the Holy Grail!!!

As for me, after 3 days on the wagon, I eased my body back into what it can expect in Germany by meeting the one and only Mark Johnson for a beer and dinner in Canary Wharf (Price – since you are now just skimming for new beers – it was a Kirin on draft). A pint and a green curry later, I felt fat and happy. And hey, I worked out today, so no complaints.

All that’s left to do now is empty the washer/dryer unit and hang up all the clothes on the rack because THE DRYER DOES NOT DRY AT ALL – NOT A BIT – NOT A WINK – NOT AN IOTA. I actually took the last batch out after 40 minutes of drying and was about to WRING OUT MY BOXERS (not a pleasant thought really, I know…).

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Chat with you guys tomorrow before the hiatus!

Love,

(A soon to be very relaxed) Sam and Jenny

Krispy Kremes and Christmas Dreams...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond. Honestly, nothing of interest to report tonight, so we just wanted to tell our friends and families that we love and miss them, and that we're already looking forward to the following:

1. Bob Tacy challenging his wife, daughters, and son-in-law to an "Oh, Hell" death match.

2. The Cheese Sampler at the Opryland Hotel - 'nuff said.

3. Meeting the newest edition to the Rice family.

4. Eating Hawthorne's with T-Rowe and company (and celebrating the fact that Carolina is undefeated whilst Duke is unrated - sorry, Mandy - couldn't resist).

5. Getting the Taylor clan together again, this time under happier circumstances.

6. PICASSO'S CARIBBEAN CREEPERS.

7. Fat Tire on draft.

8 Watching Bowl games with dad (as he falls asleep at 7 PM).

9. Jenny's mom blowing a gasket when Copernium Cable fails.

10. Playing craps and Pai Gow with EVERYONE we know.

We are in the countdown mode to vacation - just two days to go!!!! Honestly, I have tried to keep it at bay, but it's chasing me like a banshee now. Tomorrow we'll start packing, ensure we've got everything printed out, and (hopefully) cut my hair. Fret not - provided it happens, we'll ensure we get a "before & after" photo to commemorate the occasion.

It should be noted that, despite my best efforts to be a healthy chubby bunny, the lovely Lynda Grimshaw sabotaged me today by bringing in KRISPY KREME FOR LUNCH! I fought with all the will power I could muster, which lasted all of 3.8 seconds. Two donuts later, all I could think of was that I should sign up for my next marathon, injured foot or not...and for the record, some tightness but no real pain to speak of today!

Last bit - my wife wants the Iron Chef in mortal combat - he names the secret ingredient. Tonight was veggie Madras and Quiche - I'm tellin' you - she will run Johnson & Wales within a year of our return. :-)

Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print. I promise we'll have a picture tomorrow (Warf, CP - don't give up on me yet!).

Love,

Sam and Jenny

The Quest to beat Kannouchi resumes...and a REALLY good dinner...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond. Today was another great (albeit) quiet day in the Smoke. I skipped the workout this morning (I can’t believe how well I slept last night!), choosing instead to get some exercise after work. The good news – the foot held up under the pressure of actual strides!

I shattered all personal records in the “injury era,” including the following notable highlights:

1. Longest continuous period of cardio exercise: 37 minutes

2. Longest continuous run without screaming in pain and begging for morphine: 7 minutes

3. Farthest distance traveled: 4 km

4. Fastest pace achieved: 10.8 km/hr

5. Longest total time running: 12 minutes

6. Most calories burned: 286

Honestly, while I know it’s still a LONG way back, it really did feel like an actual workout, and it felt guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuud.

I got home to the smell of a stir-fry. That’s right – my wife is the next Rachael Ray – period. She whipped up a vegetable medley with sweet & sour sauce all over a bed of rice – it was delish!

Tonight will be uber low key, with just some reading and relaxing (I picked Red Dragon, in case anyone had a bet either way, and I’m happy to report that it’s pretty solid a quarter of the way through). We’ll see whether or not we favor the morning or the evening workout, but I’d like to slide in some weights (if you can call it that) as well.

I realize that this was less than exciting, so I offer up the fact that the hospital Florence Nightingale’s (I’m everywhere Fokker – play some defense!) left to go to Crimea is in my neighborhood . That’s a pretty neat thing to walk past every morning on your way to work, eh?

That’s all the news that’s fit to print. Chat tomorrow (as we chase the 7:30 barrier in my quest to become a knight of the Royal Kenyan Order).

Love,

Sam and Jenny

A solid rest period, a chapter of a friend's life closes, and another incredible carb fest at Limehouse...

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond. Today’s weather was absolutely AMAZING – I hope we get another month or so of this! It was absolutely perfect – no humidity, sunny skies, that “just right” temp, a light breeze – Jenny was right when she compared it to Florida in October. All I could think was "IT'S FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!!"

First off, we slept in today, and I mean SLEPT. 13 hours of sleep later, however, we were fit as fiddles and rarin’ to go. Actually, that’s a lie, because Saturday had absolutely wrecked us and we were in no mode to seize the day too quickly. So my cute little muffin puffin whipped up a great little lunch (which was perfect since I was craving the Fromagerie down the street) of cheese, crackers, apples, and coffee.

In addition, I tried a new food called Bovril, courtesy of the lovely Lynda Grimshaw. All I really have to say is “GRIMSHAW – ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US?” A few points on Bovril:

1. It’s a beef extract (that’s right – BEEF EXTRACT). Picture melting Slim Jim beef jerkey into something you could drink.

2. It’s 42% beef extract, 24% yeast extract, 6% salt, and 100% DONKEY TRASH. WOW…

3. A lot of people mix it with milk and drink it as a beef broth. If you are one of the people who do this, I bet you also swallow nails for breakfast to clean your teeth.

4. I’ll be trying it again in 2 weeks time to see if, like Marmite, it just takes time. That’s assuming the amount I’ve ingested to date hasn’t burned a hole through my esophagus.

After brekkie, we headed out to Hammersmith (West London), where we attended Lisa’s going away party. Yep, it’s real this time – she leaves on Thursday at 10 AM. Money – best of luck out there. Dan – you take care of that girl now, you hear? :-)

The place was called the Ruby Grand, and it was a great little spot with outdoor seating. It should be noted that Jenny and I resisted the temptation and managed an AFD!!! Yep, I’ve never been happier to order “two orange juices and a water” from the bar – LIFE CHANGING.

We left there around six and traveled 18 stops across 3 tube lines to meet Johnson, Mirza, and Goodyer at…wait for it…wait for it…La Figa. Does anyone want to guess what I ordered? And does anyone want to guess how GOOD it was again (as always)?

Now we’re back at the flat after a very short day. The only drama left is figuring out which book in the arsenal I am going to start on tonight. The 3 finalists are "Hannibal", "Red Dragon", and "The Hab Theory." I’ll let you know tomorrow how it all turned out.

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Chat tomorrow! Have a productive week!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Shakespearian and Blue Jack keep the Taylors alive...

Family,

And a GREAT evening to you from across the Pond. Today…well, WOW – it was AMAZING. Okay, for starters, I had ten WONDERFUL hours of sleep, popping up around 9:10 for a shower. After that, it was off to Waterloo Station, where we met the gang and I had a GREAT Costa Vanilla Latte (the St. Peter drink? Yeah, that’s two days in a row…).

We caught the 11:20 train (Liz – no worries on the wardrobe malfunction – you looked HOT) out to Esher, arriving around noon for drinks and lunch at Chez Branca. Talk about a Malibu flat in the midst of England! This place was AWESOME, and the spread/drinks were even better! I made the girls Bloody Mary’s (and no, GC – it wasn’t quite like the Meineke Car Care Bowl), while I tried my first ever Pimm’s (50 proof) and Lemonade.

Okay, I’ve heard about this stuff for ages, but I’d never actually tried it. DUDE – talk about the party that rocks the piñata – SO GOOD (peppy cheekies). The girls had some as well, but they were pretty big on the Bloody Mary's (including the horseradish sauce - Cat - you would have been so proud).

We hung out at Casa de Branca for about 2 hours, where I had two sandwiches that could have fed the Indian National Railway for a week and even tried a new beer: Circle Master. This beer, ladies and gentleman, is important, as it’s the last of the Wychewood Brewery beers on my list. That’s right – I have now completed the Quadrivium (Hobgoblin, Fiddler’s Elbow, Scarecrow, Circle Master)!

Also, the Branca clan is fantastic – Liz (Mike’s wife, who is the dude we work with) was great, and the kids were wonderful. Also, Buddy (the family Golden Retriever) had just arrived a week before, and he was SO CUTE. All in all, this is a good gang. I mean, check them out! And I can say with 100% certainty that Andrew (Mike's son) could take ANY of my boys in Grand Theft Auto. Warf - if he were playing "Driver - you are the Wheelman," I guarantee you he could find a way to "get the President out of there." That's all I'm sayin'...

After that, it was off to the track (after Liz re-applied make-up, of course), where we had an absolute BLAST. We drank champagne, beer, and Pimm’s & Lemonade, enjoyed the sunshine, and successfully used every voucher and free/value bet offered to us. Talk about a blast!

How did I do, you ask? Well, I managed to walk away down only 11 quid (18 USD) through 7 races, including 2 victories (Go Shakespearian and Blue Jack!) and several other places. Key points from the races:

1. In England, you can do a “swinger bet,” where you pick any 2 horses that have to finish in the top 3. Dad – this has your name written ALL OVER IT.

2. They don’t have a Superfecta in the UK.

3. You don’t bet “across the board” in the UK. Instead, you bet “each way,” meaning you’re betting the horse to win or to “place.” However, “placing” is different in each race depending on a) the number of horses running and b) whether or not a handicap is in effect.

4. They DO NOT sell Mint Julips in the UK.

5. Women DO NOT wear redonkulous hats in the UK.

6. There is no "one place to bet" in the UK. You've got the Track bookies, the national chains (OTB's), and all the little "wildcat" gambling houses (dudes down by the track who'll just take bets - note that they tend to give you slightly better odds).

7. ALL races in the UK are on grass.

8. They divide races between furlongs around a track (like we have) and flat out sprints in a straight line (Usain Bolt style). I much prefer (and fare better in) the races around the track.

9. My wife is absolutely SNORING LIKE A BANSHEE RIGHT NOW ON THE COUCH BESIDE ME.

And in case anyone’s scoring, JT finished down 30 pounds. No worries, pumpkin – I love you and you were the hottest girl there!

After the races, we caught the train to Victoria Station, where we walked to an old haunt – The Bag O’ Nails. Once there, I had a Becks Vier and Stella. Best of all, Megs showed up (the bar was RIGHT ACROSS from her hotel – LITERALLY). She had a pint with us before we all sauntered to a truly old haunt – the Buckingham Balti House. I had a Vindaloo and a Balti Very Hot, both of which I shared with Mark Johnson (who, for the record, a) is an Eagle Scout, b) plays the Trumpet, c) sang at the 1980 Olympics, and d) is a really cool guy).

I must confess that we did con Megs into trying the Vindaloo, after which point she shot me 187 birds and said that she was never speaking to me again. Irene – 131 days! But we’re having a good ride until then!!!

We’re now back at the flat, where JT and I are going to sleep until about 5 PM tomorrow, as I am EXHAUSTED. It was a GREAT day at Sandown Park, and I am SO GLAD that we hit the races. That being said, I simply CANNOT WAIT to hit the hay.

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Megs – safe travels tomorrow!

Love,

Sam and Jenny