StringGrrl sees the World

Dining in Zurich offers potentially endless opportunities for ethnic food. While here I have had great Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Nepalese, Japanese, Italian, and many others. But till now had not had vietnamese. Vietnamese food for those who have not ventured is one of the freshest and tastiest of the asian genre available. Featuring rice noodles and fresh cool vegetables and spices, it is simultaneously hearty but light. Of our favorites are Pho Tai and Bun Bo. Todays order was Bun Bo Cha Giao. A noodle salad built on a base of rice noodle vermicelli fresh mint, cilantro, cucumber and sprouts. Top it with grilled beef and fresh fried spring rolls and season with a vinagrette of chilis and fish sauce. A great spring/summer meal.  Accompany with iced vietnamese coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Cafe Nhan in the Schmeide Weidikon district has outdoor seating among asian Maples and bamboo. At roughly 25 CHF per bowl it is pricey when compared to Vietnamese restaurants in the US b...

Amber and StringGirl paid a visit to the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor . One of the largest sports venues in the world Michigan Stadium can sit over 100,000 fans (109,901 for regular football games and 114,000 for other events). From the Stadium Club level- Field being prepared for Commencement A near religious event for some a Visit to the "Big House" is truly awe inspiring for even the most jaded Wolverine-hater. If you view the stadium from street level, you are looking only at the tip of the iceberg. As most of the stadium lies below the level of State Street. Walk into the stadium and it spills down beneath your feet for a vertigo inducing thrill. View Larger Map Inside the Club level of the stadium The club level gives the privileged few a panoramic view of the multitudes that gather on game day to sit in the bleachers and cheer for (or against) the Michigan Wolverines. Completing our tour we got to head down to the locker room as well ...

 In honor of the mobile site for StringGirl and Amber I made a new graphic version of the Girl as well as a QR Code. This came in really handy when I ordered my set of Moo.com cards. Moo.com allows the user to order Business Cards, Stickers, and Post Cards with up to 50 unique images for the set. Perfect for photographers, artsists or other businesses where promoting their work visually is crucial. The print quality is just fantastic and the order arrived very quickly. StringGirl left a card in the window of Leopold's books in Detroit If you are here because you found one of these cards, please leave a comment and let us know where you found yours. Search for Travel Deals Outside Magazine Gear of the Year Summer 2010: eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior

Ahh the rites of spring..... The sun is out earlier the daytime a little longer and in the southeast michigan area we hope for a rwasonable lag between heating and cooling seasons. Despite the unseasonably warm March, April has been down right chilly. The has thwarted the many attempts by the young'ns to take a walk to the corner for some Alinosi's ice cream. This weekend we managed to get out in between the rain drops for a nice walk to the former Alinosi's ice cream parlor, now branding itself as the "Chocolate Bar cafe". As long as we have lived here, we had ventured to the corner for some Detroit made ice cream from the Alinosi chocolate and ice cream company. The small creamery still makes its product in Detroit and send its wares to a limited number of shops around the area. The Chocolate Bar Cafe, the site of the families previous soda fountain and ice cream counter for many years, is where we were introduced to their delicious flavors. With a jukebox i...

StringGirl and Amber at the entrance to the "altstadt" (old city center) Dust off your Lederhosen and Dirndl and get ready for some authentic Bavarian food when you book a table at the Schanzer Rutschnd in Ingolstadt. Featuring "heavy" brews and slow smoked meats and Bavarian sized portions, this family restaurant in the heart of Ingolstadt offered some mighty fine eats at reasonable prices. Roasted Duck, Schweinhaxe, and Beef Rib.... FTW!  A reasonable 12-15 Euro for portions of meat that might well be reported in Kilos instead of grams with Knoedel the size of baseballs and hearty meat gravy are pretty much the norm here. Vegetarians stay home as on this menu the only non meat that I say was chicken and fish. Ask any Bavarian and they will confirm that chicken is not meat. The Large portions quite shocked this diner The restaurant is in the below ground level in what appears to be an old cask hall for the brewery. Tracks laid in the floor...

Those familiar with the city of Troy would know that in the community, which is mostly developed former farm pasture, hardly boasts any "caverns" . So this one peaked my interest for some time. Stopping by today I managed to quickly ascertain the location of GZ and made the grab effortlessly. Very happy to find another of the suburban office park micros so prevelant in this area.

A visit to Detroit is not complete without a visit to the DIA and some time spent with the Diego Rivera Detroit Industry Murals. Covering most of the walls of the garden court of the DIA the mural is an epic monument to the artists views on Detroit and Industry and politics.

StringGirl and Amber went to Munich and made a new friend Reise-Affe (Travel Ape). They were excited to meet other world travelers.  Reise-Affe just returned recently from a trip to Dakar (Senegal, Africa). Also, a  star of a travel blog  he and the girls had lots to talk about.  Jens gives the girls a boost for a group portrait. But had to quickly let the girls back down to sit with Reise-Affe when his girlfriend arrived. Another meal in Bavaria with friends is always a treat. This evening it was in the Munich Mitte at  Restaurant Ringseishof . More Bayerisch dishes to pick from. More pork and more Knudel. Yum. Jens and Julia sat for this brief portrait. Search for Travel Deals Outside Magazine Gear of the Year Summer 2010: eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior

StringGirl is just a little jetlagged after a long flight from the US to Germany (via Amsterdam). She awaits her  baggage, as well as the package for Herr Kerausch.  Dr. Kerausch ordered only a little something from the US for his "Tochter" and StringGirl was kind enough to carry it along. Certainly the Dounnes agents do not mind if I carry some sport equipment for the little string girl so she can go for a bike ride.  ;-)

 This reproduction of a Jester and his monkey surprised us on our way home from Blockbuster the other day. Located in the a small and easy to miss Children's Garden sandwiched between a couple of unremarkable local businesses, the framed image of the Motley garbed fool and his monkey was provided a pleasant excuse to grab some air and visit the little garden. Staunch Friends, by William Fredrick Yeames hangs on the North wall of the pocket garden. The  Detroit Institute of Arts  is featuring this special event again to bring the beauty of many of its treasures outside to the communities in and around the "D". The Garden located just south of 9 Mile Rd. on Gratiot in Eastpointe houses, in addition to the museum quality reproduction featured above, a collection of larger children murals painted on plywood and mounted on posts along the north wall of the garden. Sparsely but tastefully planted, it is a little oasis in the land of strip malls that is the bulk of Grat...

A visit to the Henry Ford is a must for any foreign visitor to Detroit. So, when we had visitors from Brazil and Mixico recently we took some time while on the way to the airport to stop by Dearborn and visit Henry Ford's visionary museum .  I wonder often when strolling the Henry Ford exhibits, just what Henry Ford was thinking back in the early 20th century when he started collecting the artifacts that he collected at the Dearborn, MI site. When somebody dismantles an old steam pump or one of his own factories decommissioned a turbine generator; what makes the wealthy industrialist lovingly dismantle it, and send it to his company HQ to be reassembled in a giant warehouse? With an eye on posterity, he collected the objects; many of which are design and manufacturing marvels of incredible beauty. Of course many failed to see the beauty of such creations and are now lost to time. But at the Henry Ford many are preserved and viewable in their full size glory. ...