...in the shadow of Saint-Sauveur

So...it's been a looooong time since I posted anything on this blog. My life was pretty much consumed by baby, and I didn't want this to be a blog about babies or parenting, since I have about zero insights on that. And its original purpose was to fill our friends in on what was going on in our life overseas, but we moved back to the US. So...not much to blog about. But, we're back!  Back in Europe for a few weeks for school stuff.  And back to blogging because of...hot dogs.

Our first day back in "The Olde Countree" was, in my mind, infinitely blogworthy, and overcame a year of blogging inertia. Because...we ate frankfurters in Frankfurt. !!!!!  I could be dramatic and say this was a dream come true, but that would A) be not true, and B) make my dreams look pretty lame. I CAN say, though, that after a VERY disappointing first trip to Germany, when we saw the European equivalent of Trenton, New Jersey, I was hoping for a visit to a beautiful city that would redeem my mental image of the motherland. And boy did I get what I was asking for. We got to Germany (a looooong layover on our way to France, with enough time to leave the airport for a few hours) on a national holiday, and were greeted by a brass band as we got near Frankfurt's main square.

Not bad, huh?  We very quickly put mega miles on our new stroller.  Lil' Miss Bout-Chouette did a GREAT job on the flight over, but after only 3 hours of sleep, she pretty much disintegrated into a puddle of screaming mush every time the stroller stopped.  So, we saw a lot of Frankfurt.

We also found a place for traditional food--Frankfurters, sauerkraut, and apple wine (which was just hard cider with a fancy name).

Somebody decided it was time for her first hot dog...

...which she definitely liked.  No apple wine for babies, but the sauerkraut was also a hit.  This trip is full of culinary firsts--she had her first taste of pizza at Pizza Capri in Aix, which, I would posit, is the best pizza in the world, hands down.  She ate enough of my slice that I had to get another one.

And, we were planning to hold off on sweets until after her first birthday, but we kindof blew that.  She had her first glace (not counting when I let her lick a spoon that had lightly touched some vanilla ice cream a few months ago); lavender flavor, in Place Richelme.  We want to make sure her tastebuds know that she's a petite aixoise.

 Here she is with her sunglasses and camera, ready to take on le soleil.

And, a shot during dinner in the airport on our way to Spain.  Rockin' the disposable bib, placemat, and sippy cup (although the sippy cups are totally re-usable.  Just to set the record straight so I'm not encouraging unnecessary throwing out of sippy cups).  And, what does a baby eat for her last meal in France?  Roquefort and Walnut tortellini, and poulet rôti.  It was good to be back, even for just a quick visit!