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!

You are of course right but like I said she has no computer/internet etc. I do plan to call her occasionally but like I said I don't really know her that well so don't want to be pushy. She was one of my mother's best friend and has always been nice to me but we aren't really that close.

Thanks again for all the great ideas! The biggest problem is that I do not know her that well/haven't seen where she lives so I am trying to stay clear of edibles (not sure about restrictions or even what she likes). Unfortunately, I do not know if she has a CD player or space for a bird feeder etc. Talking to her on the phone it didn't seem like there are any real mental issues (though of course it was only a fairly short call). But she really struggles with not being able to do things as well as she used to. For example it sounds like she could probably still play the piano, just not as well as she used to. Right now I am tending to get her a nice book - maybe this one: Amazon.com: Golden Atlas (9781471166822): Edward Brooke-Hitching: Books And maybe a jigsaw puzzle? Not sure she enjoys those ( I do so I always assume most people do).

Hm, not sure I have any (I only met her in person a handful of times). I did think I might go through my boxes of old pictures and see if I find some of her with my mother (Hopefully it will say on the back as I am not sure I would recognize her as a child/teenager). But we are on lock-down so I can't really get the photos copied at the moment... This is a great idea though!

Those are neat! I forgot to mention though that we live overseas (sorry about leaving that out) so not sure they sell those here. I guess it needs to be something more generic/sold by Amazon. I did consider an archaeology journal or similar - I will check on that. Not sure we are close enough for a book club though and I have no clue if she has any dietary restrictions or what colors etc. she likes. It would be a lot easier if I knew her better! See, I think these are fun but I think it would be kind of like the piano - she'd probably be sad that she can't paint as well as she used to. Great suggestions though - keep them coming!

Okay, I just got off the phone with my godmother and I really feel bad for her. She sounded very lonely and discouraged, partly due to COVID, partly just because of getting older etc. I was thinking of maybe sending her a little surprise package to cheer her up but not sure what she would enjoy. I don't really know her that well - she always lived a bit far from us and only visited a handful of times. However, she always sent presents for birthdays/Christmas when I was growing up and had me visit for a week once as a teenager. Anyway, here is what I do know about her: She enjoys reading (I think she just got Michelle Obama's book but not sure what else she enjoys). She is artistic and was a very talented piano player/singer. However, she struggles with the limitations of getting older - she sold her piano a couple of years ago because she felt that she wasn't good enough anymore but really misses playing (but definitely doesn't want to anymore). She has no internet/computer access etc. She is interested in nature, history (e.g. archeology) and is generally quite educated. I don't want to spend too much as I don't think she would feel comfortable if I did. I also don't want to be condescending (e.g. I think adult coloring books are really cool and would enjoy getting one myself but think she might feel it a bit "childish"). So it needs to be something that seems kind of intellectual, but at the same time doesn't make her conscious of her limitations (I know she has a hard time walking. She sounded fairly well-informed etc. on the phone but probably has a harder time processing information than she used to). If anyone has any ideas that would be really great. I'd love to send her something to cheer her up a bit as she sounded quite depressed but definitely don't want to make it worse!

Regentrude, I am sorry you are feeling so sad. It has been a difficult year and it is hard to see when it will improve. I actually do think late summer/fall could be a realistic time frame for visiting your family in Germany (but I tend to be a bit overly optimistic)... As far as the life change is concerned it is of course harder to know what might work. What are you looking for? Do you want to make a difference/impact, do you long for adventure, intellectual stimulation, purpose?

I say go ahead. And if you feel guilty about the money, donate an adequate amount to a charity/cause of your choice.

I wanted to get started on my gift shopping today and was wondering if anyone had some input on these: a) Trivial pursuit: We have an old original game and the family edition (too easy now that the kids are bigger). I thought more/different questions would be nice. I would be open to buy an entire game but would prefer just getting cards. Does anyone have experience with this and recommendations? b) DS15 has been playing some chess lately. I was wondering about getting him a book or something similar. He does know the general rules and how to play but has been showing interest in opening gambits etc (thank you Netflix). Should still be interesting/readable though. c) Tabletop simulator. I have been wondering about getting this for myself. It seems fun and I enjoy playing games. However, I don't really have any friends that would be likely to play as well. Any experience with either solo play or finding people to play with online? d) DS18 is away from home at college for the first time. Any recommendations for great, handy things to have? e) Any other recommendations welcome...

Huh, I didn't notice that it was an old thread so I kept reading all the advice to go and thought, doesn't a single person think it might be because of COVID-19/that it might be a good idea to cancel? Took me a while to figure it out!

That's just so 2020