Germany {Lünen & Dortmund}

After a very quick stopover in Sweden {more on that later} we woke up early Wednesday morning to travel to Lünen, Germany with Christian's parents, a town near where his mom had grown up.  It's a long drive down to Lünen, including 2 ferry rides {to Denmark then to Germany}, but the drive reminded me a lot of driving through Washington and the Skagit Valley with the rolling hills and green fields - it really was so beautiful.  We arrived in Lünen about 12 hours after leaving Sweden and immediately checked into the cutest hotel, Hotel Drei Linden Lünen, where we threw down our bags and rushed to the hotel restaurant for some traditional schnitzel and German beer.  Man, after that long drive it was exactly what we needed {and just as good as Christian had been describing for the past 2 years}.  After dinner we walked around the quaint little town for a bit before heading back to the hotel for a good night's sleep.  Thursday morning we took the train to Dortmund, the closest big city, for a day of shopping and eating.  We stayed on the main drag which was full of shops both familiar and not and had a delicious lunch at a sports bar covered in soccer paraphernalia.  After more walking and shopping, we headed back to Lünen and our hotel to meet up with Christian's cousin Tanya for more schnitzel and beer {are you noticing a theme?}.  I'm not sure there's anything better than schnitzel and beer :)

 world's best at the german border shop?

 loving a german hotel that leaves gummy bears in your room

 schnitzel!

 our cutest hotel looked right out of a fairytale

 walking around this idyllic town

 maggie & me on the train

 christian & anders

 shopping in dortmund

 on the patio at our hotel

 spritz!

dinner with tanya

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Copenhagen {Atelier September, Tivoli, Mikkeller, & Brus}

Our last full day in Copenhagen we packed in all the eating, drinking, and exploring we could manage that we hadn't yet done.  We started out at Cafe Atelier September, the cutest little cafe that is Instagram famous for their avocado bread, so of course we had to each get one with our coffees {though I wish I would've gotten more adventurous with my coffee order as the woman sitting next to us had her latte served in a bowl with beautiful artwork on top}.  Needless to say, the bread was amazing and I could've moved in to this sweet little building.  Next up, we walked around Copenhagen stopping in the tourist shops that were open to pick up souvenirs {unbeknownst to us it was a holiday so most shops were closed}.  We decided to grab a few Danish pastries and rest our legs a bit at Lagkagehuset {which I would liken to a Danish Starbucks but better} before heading over towards Tivoli Gardens.  We weren't really up for paying to go into the amusement park so we just checked it out from afar, and while walking around a sweet little gift shop outside we discovered the Tivoli Food Hall where we could sip on beers on a patio overlooking the park - perfect!  There was one more stop I really wanted to make at Mikkeller Bar, a popular Danish brewery that is popping up everywhere and that I had heard rave reviews about.  The bar was located in a basement on a quiet street and had hidden little rooms to sit in and cool art on the walls - definitely somewhere I'd be hanging out if I were a local.  After a quick stop back at the hotel to take advantage of free wine hour, we were starving so headed out to find some dinner.  We made a quick stop at Assistens Cemetery to see the final resting place of Hans Christian Andersen before sitting down for a delicious dinner of burgers, spaetzle, and fermented fries at Brus, a hip restaurant right across the street from our first night's dinner at Baest.  It was such a full and fun day exploring Copenhagen and I can't wait until our next trip back.

 this is the face of a man that is very happy to eat some avocado bread

 my future home :)

 beers at tivoli

 hans christian andersen

 dinner at brus

i loved all the do not disturb excuses at our hotel :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Copenhagen {Nyhavn, Freetown Christiania, & Restaurant Barr}

Get ready for lots of pictures!  To continue our Sunday in Copenhagen we headed over to Nyhavn, the picturesque spot along the canals with colorful homes and bars filled with people on a nice sunny day.  I couldn't stop taking pictures of this beautiful neighborhood with the boats sailing in and out - it was quintessential Copenhagen and I was so happy we caught it while the sun was shining :)  We kept walking and ended up in Freetown Christiania, the alternative "hippie" neighborhood that functions as it's own little town with colorful art, people, and way too many illegal substances for me.  After resting our feet for awhile near the water's edge, we ended up at one of my most anticipated meals of the trip at Barr, housed in the old Noma space.  I had heard wonderful things about Barr and it certainly did not disappoint.  We gulped down yummy Danish beers {we ended up walking about 10 miles around the city that day so definitely deserved them} and ordered course after course of amazingly inventive and mouthwatering dishes that I wish I could replicate at home.  After a wonderful dinner, we headed back along the opposite side of Nyhavn towards our hotel, then grabbed a few more beers at the Danish convenience store along the way to share on our hotel patio when we got back.  It was only our first full day in Europe, but already I knew it was going to be a pretty amazing trip.

 christian in christiania

 along the waterways they had public lounge chairs to sit and take in the views

 such a gorgeous space

 brown crab {served in shell} with belgian waffles, yogurt, & green strawberries

 flatfish with brown shrimp and green tomatoes

 schnitzel & new potatoes

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Griffin!

Happy birthday to this handsome dude who turns 14 today {what?!?!} and is the first guy to make me an honorary auntie.  G - you are the sweetest guy around and I hope that this year is your best year yet.  I love seeing you grow into such a gentleman and I can't wait to see you in a few short weeks!  I love you Griffin!  Love, your Auntie Stephie :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie