Luc's Birthday in little Bavaria

We went to Leavenworth, WA for a little trip away in March. We were originally hoping to go cross country skiing, but this year has been far too warm and there is little snow left. So instead we went for a little hike, a huge dose of Bavarian kitch, and a relaxing weekend in the mountains. The town is a bit over-the-top, but is is a beautiful setting at the gateway to the Enchantments- a huge recreation area that has some great 3-8 day backpacking trips that are booked months in advance. We really want to do one of these trips, but for now being in the mountains is enough.

We stayed at the Enzian Inn which embraces the Bavarian theme wholeheartedly including a morning serenade with the Alphorn. A very family-oriented town. The Inn has the best mini-golf course I've been to. It was designed by a Pro-Golfer and relies on the beautiful mountains to entertain you. There were no windmills or trap doors, just nice rolling hills and tricky putting greens.


I have to say that the Schnitzel, sausages, and German Beer were tasty.

Sometime during pregnancy my sweet tooth was turned on and now it has surpassed Luc's. Secretly I was hoping for some black forest cake here, but nothing can compare to the Outstanding cake we had in Portland. I am still dreaming of that delicious cake. We found that Amelia is not really into hanging out for 3-course meals anymore, but you can always take a slice of cake to go. We ate the cake in our hotel room. Yumm.

We stopped at Stevens Pass on the way back for a little hike in the snow. It was a beautiful sunny day. This was Amelia's first time at the snow. You can see it is a bit patchy. Next year we hope to be more organized and maybe take her cross-country skiing with us. I guess now is the time for us to get some skis.

Weekend in Portland

In Feburary, Luc went to the Ocean Sciences conference in Portland. So we decided to make a weekend of it. Amelia was great for the 3 hour car ride to Portland. She was so excited that she slept for nearly 2 hours of it. We stayed in downtown Portland, which has really great public transport and lots of fun stuff to do. We spent one day just wandering along the River walk and shopping, including a trip to Powell's City of Books. A great bookstore where we picked up some children's books in French for Amelia, although Luc argues that the "1000 words in French" picture book is more for me than for her! Then we went to Rogue Brewhouse for dinner. They make a delicious chocolate Porter. Yummy! Something like 40 of their beers on tap! We got samplers and I tasted a bit of each, but Luc got the bulk of the beer. Lucky Luc!

We also went to the zoo (courtesy of our Woodland Park Zoo Membership!). They have a great exhibit on the Pacific Northwest. Amelia really loved going to the zoo and watching all the kids getting so excited about animals. Some day she might be more excited by the amazing birds we saw eating lunch! Lots of fun.

Luc is sharing his small town roots with Amelia by showing her how to drive a tractor at the zoo.

Amelia seemed to have a great time in the city. She seems to like going to new places and seeing new things. I don't think she likes going home very much. Even though I tried to time my return trip to Seattle to coincide with nap time as our outbound trip was, she did NOT sleep. I was alone in the car with a very awake and not very happy girl. I had stacked the passenger seat with toys and passed them back to her to keep her entertained. Next time I need MORE toys!