Oktoberfest in Hagenbrunn!

   

Lederhosen nutella!

Oktoberfest dress!

Strutting their stuff

  

Backyard BBQ!

Last weekend was Oktoberfest and we spent it in Hagenbrunn (just outside of Vienna) with Rene and Frank. I love love love visiting them and it's not just because they home cook the most beautiful and tasty meals, or because you can walk three minutes down the to Schmidt (a traditional Heuriger where you can eat scumptious pork and drink delicious wines), and NOT because they have a pool and an outdoor BBQ area and .... wait, yes. It IS for all those reasons that I love to visit. Indeed.

Delicious piggies.

Jefferson borrowed some lederhosen and I bought a traditional dirndl so we were dressed in style and it was tons of fun.

There was a cover band and for some reason Rene and I decided that since the only American song they usually play is "Country Roads" then we absolutely must request it - for I am from America (nevermind that I am not from West Virginia - NEVER YOU MIND). So we danced our way to the stage and requested it and they made an announcement that I was from Chicago so everyone turned to me and clapped and then they played that song for me. Hilarious.

We escaped!

You know those escape rooms? Where you have to figure out puzzles and find clues in order to get out of the room? Well we were locked in one for my birthday (thanks to the Wilds!), and we had a zombie in ours. We were led into the room with no zombie in it and about a minute later she burst through one of the closet doors and made everyone squeal like ninnies. Every five minutes the zombie would be let out further on her chain so she could get closer to us. If the zombie touches you - you're out (dead/infected = have to stand against the wall in shame).

We all survived - and we escaped! Sarah Wild wins for best zombie distraction. Ruth, Jefferson and Cat win for taking the lead on figuring out clues. I win for it being my birthday. I was the one to open the door at the end, but only because someone shoved the key at me and screamed OPEN THE DOOR! And yes, at first I tried to open the wrong door - how was I to know? One funny part was that there were two people in there with us (strangers to us) that stayed in the corner furthest from the zombie the whole time because they were scared. They know it's fake, right? I'm not sure they did.

We had zero casualties and escaped in really good time (which I can't remember right now). Woot!

We also had some visitors recently - Fell and Art! We all went on the London Loo tour together - and yes, that is a tour all about toilets. We only went into one toilet together (and it was impressive), but we learned a TON about the history of toilets and plumbing in London. Did you know when they first made public toilets they only made them for men? Because women don't do that stuff. RUDE.

At the Jubil-loo

Underground Ur-RYE-nal that rises up at night!

We also learned that the first sewer system made in London (~1858) was made by taking over part of the Thames - and is still in use today. Which means it was a system built for a lot fewer people - and that is why when it rains too much those same sewers overflow and go straight into the Thames. I told you that water was gross and not to be touched.  I now know where you can go potty in a pinch all over downtown London and for that alone the tour was worth it.

Art cooling off Fell in the black cab

Riding around town.

We are currently in the happiest place on earth: Rene and Frank's outside of Vienna. We had both lunch and dinner at Schmidt yesterday (winery just down the road), went for a dip in the pool, walked around the tiny town and fields of grapes - and this weekend we'll go to Oktoberfest here - woohoo!