Scoping out the site

Hi all, so I'm here for the weekend at Mr. Schnitzel's family home, in the small town in the Alps where all of the wedding festivities will be taking place! We're here for a visit, but also to scope out some things, most particularly the Landhaus Sommerau where we will be holding our ceremony and reception. It looks like the whole date change debacle is shaping up into a great idea, namely holding the civil ceremony the day before with close family and friends, dressed in Dirndl and Lederhosen, followed by drinks at Mr. Schnitzel's family home and dinner at a cozy local German pub. Sitting here, with this lovely view of the church spire of Buchenberg, I can really picture it.

We haven't gotten a chance to go over and scope out the Sommerau yet, most because it's saturday in August and they, of course, have a wedding going on! (which would actually be kind of great to spy on, maybe I'll tramp up there later...) but we plan on heading over tomorrow to get something to eat and check out the event room again, as well as one of the hotel rooms, and just generally ask some basic questions. I have been endlessly flipping through their brochure and they really just offer everything and I think they will be really flexible with our ideas. I can't wait!

Yesterday when we arrived, Mama Schnitzel fed us and we got to talking about the wedding, of course. We hadn't yet discussed who she was interested in inviting, so she rattled off a list of names that I, of course, have never heard and Mr. Schnitzel looked confused, mostly because they are his polish relatives that he has, in fact, not seen for at least ten years, since he last visited Poland. And I got to thinking about how weddings are really amazing because they bring a whole bunch of people together who haven't seen eachother for a while or maybe ever for a common, joyous occasion and I got really excited about the chemistry that fills a room when so many people from so many different backgrounds and families and cultures get together for a fun event. I can't wait to meet everyone, and for everyone to meet eachother! Really, that's the most important thing to me (as I've said before, stitching together two families!)

Otherwise, I have been relaxing and staring with a giant goofy grin on my face at my husband-to-be :) *sigh*

Bavarian outfits

In Bavaria, the tradition costume consists of Lederhosen for men and, for women, a Dirndl. Most of you probably have a good idea of what this looks like – your standard, stereotyped St. Pauli Girl type outfit just about suits the picture. They are, of course, much more beautiful than that, and manage to be sexy and voluptuous without being as…er… bosomy… as what most people picture. Anyways, living in Munich, it's great to have one, because there are several occasions each year to wear them, such as the Strong Beer Festival or, most notably, Oktoberfest! Since the latter is fast approaching, I have been on a mission to find a suitable new Dirndl for myself, without much luck. I have even visited the more upper priced locales, but to no avail: I just couldn't find what I was looking for.

What luck that today, as I was strolling away my lunch hour, I walked past a Dirndl Warehouse sale. I decided, what the heck, and went in….within 20 minutes and only ONE Dirndl-try-on later, I had what I had been looking for all along! Plum Dirndl, beautiful poofy sleeved blouse and white apron to match the white piping and trim. Beautiful, and it fit perfectly, plus the price, zinging in at €99.70 for the entire set, just can't be beat (i had been looking at Dirndls that, without the accessories, cost upwards of €200…) To top the whole thing off, the sales people were lovely and even offered me a glass of prosecco, which I (unfortunately) declined, saying I had to get back to work…. (I hope the wedding dress buying experience is this pleasant!)

And then I got to thinking about the wedding. And how it's going to be in the alps. In the beautiful, cow inhabited, church spire poking, cheese eating alps, and how really, we should maybe try to incorporate some of this lovely traditional dress that I adore into

our wedding. And I also got thinking about how a few of my friends had expressed the wish to wear a Dirndl to the wedding, and about how we may have to change our date due to restrictions on the civil ceremony… anyways, I got this crazy idea that we could do the civil ceremony on Friday evening, in traditional dress! Since it will be the "official" German part anyways, and the Saturday ceremony is going to be more typical American and have a more emotional component, it would be quite fitting. I still haven't figured out how that could incorporate the bridal party and traditional dress…perhaps we could all go Dirndl shopping together and those who wished could buy something and wear it to the civil ceremony.. I dunno, those are all just ideas. All I know is, I look pretty smashing in my new Plum Dirndl, and Mr. Schnitzel is dashing in his Lederhosen…

Those hills… so alive…

Introducing...

It's been a long time coming, but the Boy now has a blog name: Mr. Schnitzel!

Date Change...

So we just found out that the civil ceremony can only be held on the first Saturday every month (small town)… so we're looking at a date change! It looks like we may be hosting some additional patriotic festivities the day after the wedding…more to come!

A weekend away

This weekend was spent in Amsterdam, visiting two friends from the states who are spending a week vacation there. It was just beautiful, not in the least because the weather was perfect, and Amsterdam is just the right kind of city to wander around under sunny skies. We mostly just soaked up the romantic canal-lined streets and chatted, every now and then sitting down in a cafè to drink some beer or wine or simply gazing at the boats tuckering by. We also took a lovely boat tour on a small, wooden boat through the waterfront area of the city, a once warehouse/shipping port and now-turned modern living area. We gazed into people's waterside homes and admired their fine tuned mixing of design pieces with all around Amsterdamy coziness. Lovely. Yet another European city that I could most certainly call home.

It was great to see my friend Miss Spunky Glasses (currently searching for a new pair!) also because we got to talk wedding! I was awestruck when she brought a HUGE stack of American bridal magazines (magazines are really heavy!) and we spent a lot of time sitting at cafès and flipping through them and pointing out the things we liked/didn't like. Plus, German bridal magazines, like so many things wedding here, are proverbially dusty and traditional, and, well, boring. Not that German weddings are boring… it's just… there isn't a lot of spunk or creativity surrounding the whole thing, in my opinion. But maybe I just like American magazines better :)

So the planning took a bit of a hiatus for the relaxing weekend, and I came back to a stack of things to do and swearing to eat right and exercise after a somewhat indulgent trip. Since our mode of transport of choice was the night train, we were somewhat less than perky upon arrival in Munich, and for some reason when I am feeling that drag from lack of sleep, I attempt to compensate by eating extra calories. Let's just say that I topped off my burger king breakfast with a nice dinner of Pringles and wine by the river with my friend Miss Giggles by the Isar river. But I swear, starting today….

In terms of wedding planning, I feel like I have been doing more reconsidering than actual decision making. The momentum of the first couple of weeks has faded somewhat, but then again, some things are good to mull over, including:

-the dress (I have lots of ideas and examples and am already planning my dress buying trip for February/March to the US)
- the wedding party (I am waiting for our meeting on September 6th with Oliver to hear his thoughts and opinions on the ceremony, as well as to meet with our venue this weekend to talk about ceremony possibilities among other things)
- the photographer (I am rethinking my original budget/priorities and have written about ten other photographers for quotes
- -the color scheme (I saw a bouquet at a beautiful market in Amsterdam that had all my previously mentioned colors plus a shade of peachy orange – beautiful! That might be just the kick we need)
- save the dates (still trying to decide if we should go for a simple photo card, a hand drawn picture including our logo and a cute slogan or a magnet! Also still trying to decide if doing that engagement shoot is worth the money)

Phew. I have to be honest, writing this blog is actually a really great therapeutic way to sort out my thoughts. Thanks again to Miss Spunky Glasses (did you find new ones?!) and Mr. McIcecream for the wonderful weekend in Amsterdam!!!!!!

Basking in the glow...

So what exactly am I doing when I'm NOT planning the wedding? Lots, actually! The sun is shining and the boy and I are soaking it up in every possible way: grilling on the river, going to the pool and going to biergartens. It sounds cheesy, but it's reminding me of how we fell in love! What a setting.

Today it was so hot that my colleagues and I went to the English Garten and changed into bathing suits. We then walked a bit up the river that snakes through the park and jumped in, floating all the way back to our spot. LOVELY. It made it hard to go back to work, but it's easier knowing that I'll be meeting friends later on the Isar to go grilling for the second day in a row and the third time this week.

source

Just to describe the scenery a bit, the Isar is the river that runs alongside Munich. I say alongside instead of through because most major cities with a river are built around the river, which makes for some beautiful pictures, but mostly a not-so-clean river. In Munich, the Isar served as the eastern boundary of the city for centuries, so while the city has certainly expanded around it, the Isar retains that off-the-beaten-path feeling. The best part of the river near Munich is, in my opinion, near our apartment. It's called "the Flaucher", a section of the river dotted with stony islands and scruffy trees and a long wooden footbridge connecting them. The river runs through in rivlets and waterfalls, and there are several pools deep enough to swim in, or you can just let yourself be swept along with the light current. The city of Munich actually filters the river water for swimmers, so there are no worries about icky side effects!

On a short side note, this is also the second area of Munich, after the English Garten, that is famous for allowing "FKK", which is "freie körper kultur" or "free body culture". NAKED. That's right. But don't worry, we were't. Makes for interesting site seeing...

This whole area is a griller's paradise, and we lug our portable Weber, some coal, blankets and torches down any day that's warm enough. We usually get a good enough crowd of our friends together to have a great gathering. Nothing tastes better after a long day at work than a river-cooled beer (cases of beer come in plastic crates here, so all you have to do to keep it cool is stick it in the river) and a nicely grilled steak. And when the sun goes down, we light up our wax torches and turn up our portable speakers. It feels like being in some sort of Munich-born Elysian fields. To me, anyways….

Visit to the Office of Marriage

Yesterday, after work, I took advantage of the extended hours on tuesday of the Standesamt, Heiratsbüro (Civil Office, Marriage Section) and paid them a visit. Our friends, who are from South Africa and Columbia and got married in Germany recently told us that I could go just there, without the boy, without an appointment, and find out what documents I would need.

Indeed, after locating the office (sandwiched between the offices for Registration of Newborns and the Death Office (for lack of a better translation, it sounds awful, I know,

but it is referring to registration of deaths) (the irony does not escape me), I discovered a button called "walk-in appointment for first information session for necessary documents". Pushing this button prompted the machine to spit out a number here's my number:!

see at the top "heiratsbüro"? that means "marriage buro".

...which I took with me to my seat in the clean but oh-so-depressingly-sterile waiting room. The only other people there were a couple, the woman obviously from a South American country (Peru, I would later overhear) and the man from Germany. The electronic number board flipped and they were called into a room, so I was left alone to read my Harlan Coben mystery and become, mysteriously, quite nervous.

Now those of you who have followed some of my other blog or who also are living abroad as an expat will understand the fear that such waiting rooms can spear into our hearts. We've done this before. We've waited hours, only to be told we are missing a form. We've been looked at in a suspicious way, been asked to provide documentation for this and that, been poked and prodded and generally doubted. We've done this before. What if they think I'm just marrying to get a better visa? What if I look nervous? Maybe there is a special office for foreigners? All of these questions shot through my head when suddenly the old fashioned number flaps whirred on the semi digital panel displaying mine, number 74, and the room number where I was supposed to enter. I rose, heart pounding.

The rest was actually rather uneventful. I was asked a series of questions like "your name", "husband's name" (I kept saying "future husband" but the bureaucrat used the present tense, which I thought was interesting, if not a bit odd..) (PS: you know how in the US this would be a good place to make a joke, like "haha, well, we haven't quite made it yet" right. In Germany, they just wouldn't find that funny, In fact, the guy behind the desk would most certainly look at you with a combination of confusion and disdain...)..."place of birth" "husband's place of birth". The questions went on like this and then I was abruptly handed a sheet of paper to take to the cashier and pay 10 euros for. This was, I think, my fee for being advised. Ok.. I forgot to include that one in my wedding budget, but I think I can swing it. I paid the fee and came back to be presented with a checklist of documents the boy and I will need in order to apply to be married:

For me:

Birth Certificate less than six months old

Certification of authenticity of said birth certificate, internationally recognized

Copy of passport

Copy of residence permit

Copy of registration of residence in Munich

For him:

Copy of attainment of German Citizenship (he was born in Poland)

Birth Certificate, doesn't matter how old

Certification of authenticity for parent's marriage in Poland

Copy of passport

Copy of registration of residence in Munich

It's a lot, but it's not too bad. I already got on the phone with Virginia to order my birth certificate. I did have a good laugh, though, as it seems that all US or State agencies are shocked to have a citizen calling them from abroad. It always goes something like this:

"Yes, I have a question because I am a resident of Germany"

"Germany? Like in Europe"

"Yes"

"Are you calling from there, right now?"

I am thinking: wow, yes, we do have electricity!!

"yes. I need to know if this authentication form has the word "apostille" on the top, because that's what they require in Germany"

"so ma'am, you're saying, you need to request your Birth Certificate, sent to Germany?"

"Yes, with an "apostille" authentication."

"ok, please send us a self-addressed stamped envelope and a check for $22"

Right. Because I am supposed to get US Postage HOW? And since every other civilized country on the face of the planet phased out the usage of personal checks years ago in favor of a sleeker, faster, better online transfer system, how should I obtain said check? Right. Not internationally minded, State of Virginia.

At any rate, that's what parents are for. I will be sending them the documents which they will in turn stamp and write a check for a send off. Oh dear.

All in all, this was a very successful venture, and I have to say, having learned the importance of forms and documents and bureaucracy in Germany, it kinda sent chills up my spine to see the boy and my names side by side on a crisp blue German form. Lovely. Romantic, even.