Happy Birthday Adrielle

Saturday was Adrielle's first birthday. Michelle outdid herself putting together an awesome luau party. I'll let the pictures do most of the storytelling. A big thank you to Michelle's beehives who helped with invitations, some planning, cake making, and running the activities at the party.

Michi making the cake with Haddie, one of her young women

The finished molten lava volcano cake complete with fondant shells and icing waves

Adrielle's dairy-free soy-free habiscus cake

The birthday girl with Aunt Julia

Hanging out with Julia and Nono

Haddie and Alisha manning the shaved ice table

The craft table and in the background you can see the fishing pond

Most of the young women

kalua pork, rice, panipopo, and mac salad (among other things) because you can't have a luau without them

Almost time for cake

blowing out candles

Adrielle might have had some help from her mama and friends with the candle

Here are all the young women helpers

Cake time

And here's the video of her getting into the cake...

Happy girl with her hula hoop

Presents!!!

So excited to taste all her new toys

A special present from the boy next door, who is 5 weeks younger than her. He picked it out himself

So beautiful

It was a really fun day. Adrielle had a blast and I think everyone who was there had a good time as well. Definitely a day to remember and we look forward to all her birthdays in the future.

Vienna

After Salzburg we headed east and stayed in Tante Herta's apartment. We spent the entire next day in the city. I'd never been to Vienna that I could really remember, and we loved everything. The architecture was beautiful and distinct from what we'd seen in Germany, the weather was really nice, and it felt so rich with history that the city almost seemed to be whispering its story to you as you walked through the streets. We took the U-Bahn (subway) into downtown and this was the first thing we saw as we walked out of the station...

The Vienna Cathedral

Inside the cathedral

We took a side street and found the Argentine embassy

And of course, while in Vienna we had to get some authentic Wienerschnitze.

City Library

City Hall

Now you'll have to forgive me for the next string of pictures. It's my blog, so just let me indulge. We stopped for lunch at Maria-Theresia Platz in the Museum Quarter and Adrielle was so happy and in such a good mood when we took her out of the baby bjorn that we just stayed and played with her for about an hour. It was a really special time for all of us.

Austrian Parliament

One of the only public drinking fountains I've every seen in Europe. The metal plate says "the thirsty in this city are succored by ..." and the name of the company

City Hall again

Again, I like this angle though

The Votive Church. A really cool gothic church, this one was actually my favorite of the ones we saw in Vienna

Gerald and Tina and Salzburg

As the sun went down after Neuschwanstein, we drove northeast, passed by Munich, and continued on to Tüßling to stay with Gerald, Tina, and Roswita. Unfortunately by the time we got there Roswita had already gone to bed and she also left before we got up in the morning, so we never got to see her. Adrielle had a great time with Tina and Gerald though, as did we. They were great hosts and it was fun to see family.

Such a happy girl with her great aunt and uncle

Trying to eat the Broetchen

Enjoying her gift from Tina

Sadly, we only got to stay one night and morning with them. We left the next day and headed east toward Austria. We went to Salzburg, the city of Mozart and the Sound of Music. Salzburg is split in two by the Salzach river. The main downtown area is compacted by the river on the north and a large "mountain" (more of a really big hill) upon which they built the Fortress Hohensalzburg. The downtown area (where Mozart was born and raised) is composed of tons of shops built on narrow streets, almost all of which are too small for cars.

Just a quaint German town along our drive

Germany-Austria border, taking the picture from the Austrian side

Michi and Adrielle at the Mirabel Gardens.

Mirabel Gardens, with the Salzburg Cathedral (green domes) and Fortress Hohensalzburg in the background.

Same background, cuter foreground (excluding me)

One of my absolute favorite pictures

Also

Also also

Beautiful view from the south side of the river as we walked back to the downtown area

I love those little ojitos

The house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born, it has been turned into a museum

I believe this was on Mozart's street, this is typical of the downtown area

The Salzburg Cathedral

Inside the Cathedral

The Collegiate Church

Salzburg was beautiful, and a lot of fun to see. The architecture and feel of the city were different from everything we'd seen in Germany, and the natural features of the area make it a really unique place to visit.