We just got Splendor Duel and really like it.

Thanks - yes, if I can't find the recipe I will probably try to recreate it. But there are several parts I am not quite sure about... I don't think it was French toast, definitely wasn't called that and was more of a chocolate loaf. Looks delicious but quite different from what I remember. Might try it a different time though so thanks!

This may be a long shot but hopefully someone can help... I am looking for a recipe I once tried (but apparently didn't save). Pretty sure it was some Facebook video clip (so not here in the forum) but maybe someone knows it or something similar? What I remember is this: You took some sort of sweet bread (from the store), sliced it (I think not all the way through but so that the slices were still attached at the bottom), spread Nutella on the slices, poured some mix of milk (or maybe cream) and eggs (maybe sugar) over it, wrapped it in aluminum foil, waited a bit (maybe) and baked it. At the end it was kind of chocolate bread? I wanted to make it again but can't seem to find the recipe - if anyone knows where to find it or has a similar one, I would really appreciate it.

Unfortunately, I don't have time to read all the responses so not sure how redundant this is. We live in Germany and what we do/did is a) buy an unlocked phone (I previously had a very cheap Samsung and now a Xiaomi, not the cheapest model but not very expensive) b) buy a phone card at a drugstore/grocery store - we use a service for which the card is like 15 euro but comes with 10 (or maybe 15) euro prepaid. The one we use lets you sign up for a monthly plan that is completely free. It doesn't work for internet per se but does work well for What's app (which we use for messaging) and of course you can use wifi when available. You can also get a certain amount of data for 24 hour for like 99 cents (I can't get this to work well though as it goes very fast but possibly I am doing something wrong) c) The nifty thing is that generally if I go to other EU countries the data will be much better as you get (for free) the lowest option they have which is generally better So your son could get a cheap phone in Germany, a Sim card, and would be good to go in Germany and UK (at least it worked well there on my last trip in December).

My 17 year old son just got his taken out last week (all 4). We went to the same oral surgeon I used when I was his age (well the same office anyway). It wasn't pleasant - mostly ds was shocked how brutal the process is - but so far no complications and at least it is done. My son is just finishing with his braces - his teeth are fairly big and his mouth rather small so they wouldn't have fit (at one point the orthodontist thought we might have to pull regular teeth because of the space issue but luckily not). It was done with local anesthesia.

I would agree that there aren't many Mexican restaurants - we have gone to a Mexican fast food place before that was quite tasty and seemed mostly authentic. However, you will feel many, many Greek and Italian restaurants (both somewhat different from the US counterparts) as well as plenty of Asian (especially Chinese/Thai), Middle Eastern, and Indian restaurants. We live in a smaller suburban town and have about 5 Italian, 2 Greek, 1 Turkish, 3 Thai/Vietnamese, 1 Indian, as well as various German restaurants. Munich will offer a lot more. At the moment both sushi and burger places are very popular. I do think though that Germans tend to go out less for dinner than many people in the US (depends of course on individuals). It seems to me that the price for eating out is higher compared to cooking than in the US (partly because grocery prices in the US always seem very high to me). Anyway, I don't think you will have any problems with food, especially in Munich. It shouldn't be a problem to find most ingredients to cook what you are used to. You might have to make some substitutions (e.g. until a couple of years ago cheddar was very hard to get/expensive but it is fairly easy substituted with gouda or similar).

As to Munich, the only real negative is the price for housing but if the employer takes care of that you should be good. Great city with lots on offer - museums, parks, concerts etc. You also have many lakes nearby and the mountains are only about an hour to the south. Most everybody will speak English but I do still advise to learn as much German as fast as possible as it will just make it easier to meet people, take part in activities etc.

No worries, I am happy to answer any questions you have (as long as I know of course). Noone in my family really has any food allergies so I don't personally pay a lot of attention but I do know that stores have all kinds of glutenfree/dairy free products (let me know if you want me to check on anything in particular). There are allergen warnings on products (i.e. may contain traces of....). I would assume it is similar to the US but there may be differences of course.

Unfortunately, I do not have time to read through the entire thread right now but I have lived most of my life in Germany (and am living there currently). I did live a number of years in Munich which I love. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have!

Really appreciate everyones's input! Not sure Las Vegas would be the best choice (kids aren't mega excited about it). So for now I think I will start looking for flights and see how timing/routes work. If nothing great comes up (like good prices for flights to Seattle or New York or whatever) we'll likely just add a couple of nights in LA (my favorite). I will definitely consider a trip to Seattle in the future though as it sounds a lot more doable than I expected.

Yes, I am a bit concerned about that as well. I actually visited the Grand Canyon just once as a teenager myself - not on a daytrip but as part of a longer tour and wasn't that impressed with it as basically all we did was make photo stops at different places. I would much rather have done some hiking there etc. I wasn't thinking of it so much as as "let's visit the Grand Canyon" but more a "what else can we do if we are in Las Vegas" (though we could maybe have done something with one overnight).

That really is interesting - I had no idea you could do Seattle and the surrounding area well without a car. Definitely something to consider!

Something to consider. It does sound nice - somehow I always assumed Seattle/Portland would need need a car to really enjoy. One of the reasons I am considering Las Vegas is (forgot to mention that earlier) that there are a lot of timeshares there. We have quite a number of exchange points saved up (because pandemic) so I would quite like to use them (and save money as well) if possible. But it isn't absolutely necessary so definitely will check out flights/possible things to do up there. I have been to Crater Lake many years ago and really loved it.

Yes, that is what I am concerned about. I have been there before in the summer (and we have previously been in Palm Springs during that time of year). It shouldn't matter for the indoor stuff/casinos etc. but it would have been nice to do some nature things (like maybe the Grand Canyon) and I am worried it may just be way too hot. Good to hear. I think it may be fun but not sure if there is enough for a whole week. And I have started to look at possible activities and it does look like most stuff is quite expensive. Love San Diego but we did spend a week there on our last trip. Also, like I said we will stay in Solana Beach for a week and I am planning to go down to San Diego two or three days so probably won't spend another week there this time. Still considering LA or something/anything else.

So, after the last couple of years I am finally once more planning a vacation. We plan to spend one week each in San Francisco and Solana Beach (just north of San Diego). As we live overseas I am considering spending a third week somewhere but am still unsure where. I love LA and wouldn't mind spending some time there but we have been there before so I am thinking maybe something else might be better. Actually, even though we have been to the US for longer trips quite often, all the kids have seen so far is parts of Floriday (hello Mickey) and Southern California so I would kind of like to visit something new/different. I am trying to keep cost down a bit so trying to find something that would be easily reached from either San Diego or LA (flying is fine but should be a common route so the prices aren't crazy). I would rather not drive myself so quite a lot of destinations won't work so well. Anyway, one possible option is Las Vegas - I have been before but the kids haven't. We will travel in August (this week would be at the very end of the month) and kids would be 20 and 17. I am of course aware kids wouldn't be able to drink/gamble (nor would I want them to) but I am not quite sure how much else there would be to do (especially in late August). Not too concerned about "moral corruption" per se (i.e. I know it is Vegas) but do want to have fun stuff to do. So I would really appreciate anyone who has been to Las Vegas with older kids (or lives there) giving some input or any other ideas for spending that last week!