Sunset picnic on the Rhine

Last night goes down as one of the most special nights of my time in Europe. After a gorgeous (and very, very long) walk with Betty the dog, Michelle and I met Alex at home to prepare for an evening picnic on the Rhine. It had been a suggestion I made the day before, and because they are the world's best hosts, they made it happen! We packed up a cooler of authentic Germany sausages, condiments, bread, beer, and wine and headed out to the tram stop. I was craving pretzels ("Bretzeln"), so we stopped in several grocery stores. It took four different stores, but finally, we found them in a bakery by the river. We also picked up the cheapest bottle of Prosecco we could find to ensure we had enough to drink. 

The view from our spot on the River banks

Michelle proudly displays our bottle, which cost 3.60 Francs. Alex commented, "I wouldn't wash my feet with that!" Michelle and I had no such standards (in fact, we thought it was great and considered going to get another bottle).

Cheers to friends, food, and adventures! 

I realized today just how many photos I am laughing in. After a stressful few months, this is a welcome change. 

Michelle and I were having a grand, old time laughing it up as Alex slaved away on the disposable grill in the background.

Pretzels, wine, sausages, riverbanks, swans

Alex and the grill 

Michelle, Me, and the pretzels

"Strike a pose!"

tru luv 

Michelle and I relive our years taking prom and homecoming pictures

As the sun set

Selfie at sundown!

We walked part of the way back up to the house, passing a MacDonald's where I am not ashamed to admit I bought a McFlurry (it was TOBLERONE flavored!!!). Then, we took the tram the rest of the way up the hill towards the house. Michelle thought I looked pretty hilarious trying to pay for our tickets using the chance from my small plastic bag/purse.

We were pretty excited to sit down on the tram! 

Back at home, I intended to blog, but our hike and day's adventures had totally warn me out. I fell asleep with my window open, the sound of birds and the occasional passing tram lulling me into deep sleep.