Week 48 - March 4-13 Part 2

Picking back up in the good ole US of A, we started our trip down to New Orleans early Thursday morning.  We had tricked Karen and Steve into being our road trip partners for this long haul.  Good conversation and good driving made the trip fly by.   Once in New Orleans, we dropped our luggage at the Airbnb, and we were ready to start the fun-filled weekend.  Jessica and Mary Lee had organized a series of events to take place over the coming days that would allow their guests to each get to spend some time with the brides and to get to appreciate the wonderfully unique city that is New Orleans. Thursday's night activity: The Rock and Bowl.  This hip joint featured 18 lanes of the classic American pastime as well as a rocking Zydeco band (Chubby Carrier on the mic and accordion this particular night).  If people weren't bowling they were dancing, and if they weren't dancing they were drinking.  It was a good way to warm up the whole crew for a fun weekend.  Turns out, not having bowled in over a year does not make your bowling game better.  We had fun all the same getting to catch up with family we had not yet seen while in the US.

Friday was devoted to playing the role of tourist.  This was Tyler's first time in New Orleans, so we had to hit all the traditional spots.  First order of business: beignets.  According to some, Cafe de Monde in the French Quarter is the ONLY place to get your beignets and chicory coffee.  We went through the To-Go line and stood under the eaves while the rain came down, devouring the fried treats and getting powdered sugar all over our faces.  From there, we had planned a casual tour of the French Quarter on foot, but the rain just wasn't letting up.  So we opted for a driving tour of the surrounding neighborhoods instead.  This included the 9th Ward, the neighborhood known for the tragic and devastating impact Hurricane Katrina inflicted upon it.  Still today, many square blocks lie completely devoid of homes or in utter ruin.  To see this area of natural destruction, was certainly an impactful and unforgettable experience.

Our beignet breakfast was wearing thin, so it was time to hit a local lunch spot suggested by the brides: Juan's Flying Burrito.  Yes, we were eating Tex-Mex yet again (don't judge).  This place delighted by offering all the expected mexican dishes and by taking advantage of the regional delicacies (crawfish and shrimps) on the specials menu.  This tasty lunch fueled us up for an afternoon of bar-hopping and basketball watching.  Later, the rain mercifully let up for an evening Ghost Tour in the French Quarter.

We started Saturday off with a big breakfast with Jessica at a spot just around the corner from our Airbnb.  From there, we moved to the Garden District to try to catch some of the St. Patrick's Day parade.  It looked like the whole neighborhood had put on their green and lined Magazine Street, but the parade itself wasn't quite as organized.  The whiskey and Guinness had gotten the better of some parade groups.  Some were merging with others behind them.  Others seemed to have disappear completely, as there would be long gaps of occasional empty space.  It was enjoyable to watch all the same, and the sense and community and neighborly friendship was evident.  Long before the festivities were over, we headed back to our place to get ready for the wedding celebration.

Jessica and Mary Lee hosted a lovely reception on the cozy back patio of The Bulldog Bar.  As if they had planned it, the rain stopped completely just as the party was about to begin. After all guests had arrived, a close friend of the couple MC'd an official welcome and kicked off several heartfelt speeches.  As sister of the bride, Molly was one of those invited to speak. After weeks of needless fretting and hand-wringing over preparing for this event, she brought down the house with a touching, funny, and sincere toast to the brides.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house (or that is the way it looked to Tyler through his crocodile tears).  The brides took the mic in turn to thank the guests and even gave an impromptu acapella performance of "Tennessee Me" by the Secret Sisters.  The rest of the night was a blur of delighting conversation and wedding revelry.  Jessica and Mary Lee were fortunate to be born into very loving families and have done an amazing job of surrounding themselves with engaging and loyal friends.  We had an absolute blast chatting with those we knew or getting to know the ones we didn't.  Too soon, the celebration was over, and we were Uber-ing back to the Airbnb for a few hours sleep before getting on a plane first thing the next morning.

And just like that, our great American vacation was over.  After almost a complete year in Europe, we knew we were missing family and certain foods, but the experience of going home was even better than we had anticipated.    

Week 48 - March 4-13 Part 1

As has become the recent trend, we are very far behind in our blogging efforts.  January and February were a bit of a grind for us.  At our Northern latitude, few hours of sunlight were made fewer by the constant presence of dreary, drizzly clouds.  Couple that with our continued-three-time-per-week effort to master broken Dutch (and therefore little time to explore more of Europe).  In short, we finished the winter months feeling a bit worn down.  A trip home to the U.S. at the beginning of March was just what we needed to pep us back up.

We planned the trip around the much anticipated celebration of Jessica (Molly's sister) and Mary Lee's (Molly's now-sister-in-law) union in matrimony!  But before we got to that exciting weekend in New Orleans, we had a little less than a week to spend time with family and friends in Tennessee.  Arriving into Knoxville on a Friday night, you may well be able to guess our first priority: Tex-Mex food!  In this case, the best spot in Knoxville for this fix: Chez Guavera.  Seriously, this place has the best margaritas and tostadas in town.  After this lovely dinner with Mandy, Jessica, and Mary Lee, we were ready to crash and try to get adjusted to local time.  On Saturday morning, we decided the best method to feel at home was to punish ourselves with a run on the Cherokee Boulevard.  It seems Knoxville has a bit more elevation change than Antwerp, and we were just short of passing out at the top of every hill.  Saturday evening brought more valued time with family/friends and another opportunity to stuff ourselves on local cuisine.  Karen, Steve and Allison hosted us with a dinner of mouth-watering ribs and other delicious fixins.

Our packed agenda put us on the road Sunday.  Molly went to see her Granny and Aunt Syd in McMinnville, and Tyler headed home to Kingsport.  After a delicious lunch and pleasant visit with her family, Molly then made her way over to Kingsport as well.  In addition to family time, the other key priorities in Kingsport: Pal's Sudden Service and a trip to Bays Mountain Park.  In you aren't from the area, you are forgiven for not knowing the best burger joint in East Tennessee.  With an expanding network of stores in the region, Pal's has received national recognition for their quality and service.  If you ever get a chance to drive though or stop in, you can't go wrong with a Big Pal or Big Chicken, Frenchie Fries, and Sweet Tea.  On a healthier note, we took advantage of the beautiful spring weather to take a journey up to Bays Mountain with Tim and Robin.  This was Molly's first time to the park, so we did the full tour of the animal exhibits.  The main attraction is the enclosure for the Grey Wolves, which seemed like it was going to be a bit of a disappointment as the wolves were sleeping.  However, a few minutes later, a couple of rangers came by with a group and tried to howl in a way to communicate with the wolves.  At first, it seemed the wolves didn't have much interest, then the alpha male lifted his head and gave a howl.  The whole pen exploded with activity: howling, playful biting, and more howling.  It was quite a show.  As soon as the howling stopped, they went right back to napping. After our brief stay in Kingsport, we left early on Tuesday to head back to Knoxville (stopping for some breakfast Chedder Rounds at Pal's on the way out of town of course).

A Pals milkshake stop

Bays Mountain selfie

Tuesday and Wednesday were filled with more opportunities to see family and friends, shopping for items only found in America, and more scrumptious meals.  We had great meals at Tomato Head, the new Balter Beerworks, and the Otten homestead (Bronco Burgers for the win).  A very big Thank You to everyone in Tennessee!  It was great to see all y'all, and we really appreciated coming home to good times and good meals.  Although we took a special trip to the Netherlands to buy a new camera and Molly made a big show of carrying it across the Atlantic, we took embarrassingly few photos!