Stateside

I used my frequent flier miles to take another trip home. At first, I did not make any plans in hopes to have a relaxing week. Unfortunately, that did not last long. I was busy but not as busy as during my trip home for the holidays. I was able to catch a Phish concert at Jones Beach, dinner at WD-50, a wedding in MA, Kenny's 25th birthday, and more!

WD-50 is worth noting as it was the best meal I have ever had. While I am a vegetarian, I believe my opinion is credible as many of the dishes were fish; I even ate snail (which apparently is related to seafood although I see them all the time here on the streets of Heidelberg). Jonathan and I both had the tasting menu, which was absolutely perfect as I love to eat lots of little things (aka appetizers) for my meal at restaurants. There were 12 dishes, which seemed to be broken down into 4 appetizers, 4 entrees, and 4 desserts. I could barely fit the final dessert into my stomach but I had to try everything! It is impossible to describe each dish as most of them I could not identify myself; Wylie Dufresne is known to use uncommon elements and techniques in his kitchen. For example, I enjoyed an ice cream bagel with freeze dried smoked salmon. It was incredible food in a vibrant atmosphere. Highly recommended!

Jonathan's cousin, Adrienne, got married last weekend in Concord, MA. The wedding was beautiful; it was held at a nearby country club. The weather was perfect and the ceremony was held in the evening on the porch of the clubhouse. It was the first jewish ceremony that I have every attended and it was everything I had hoped for, including the smashing of the glass (although when I found out that the glass is supposed to represent how fragile love is, it didn't seem like anyone should be smashing it). At the rehearsal dinner, the soon-to-be-bride asked me, "How common is the name 'von Glahn'? I explained that it was not common; in German, it translates to 'from Glahn' meaning my ancestors were once habitants from a place called Glahn. She continued by asking if I knew a Drew von Glahn. Although I had just explained how uncommon the name was, I denied any relation. The next day at the wedding, I was introduced to Drew von Glahn. He asked who my father was and surprised me when he said that he was first cousins with my father. He remembered playing as kids at the old house in Tarrytown... Who knew that I had to go to my boyfriend's family's wedding to meet my own family!

I have safely returned to Heidelberg where Tom is still obsessed with spiders and bees and Max is still obsessed with Hoffenheim : )