Milwaukee, Day Three

That night I didn't sleep so well, but it wasn't the fault of the amazing bed. It was all the beer consumed. I did not want to get up. And we were in no rush so we did laze around for quite awhile. We ordered room service for breakfast. (So great to be able to get food without actually leaving the room!) All I wanted is toast and so I ordered toast. When it arrived, it was literally one piece of toast on a plate. I was expecting two pieces. It was kind of funny.

Our only real plan for the day was a trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum (where our friend works now) and dinner at a German restaurant with our friends. Brady offered to pick us up for our trip to the museum. He wanted us to get there in time to see the wings close and open.



Yes, the museum has wings. The Burke Brise Soleil, is a moveable, wing-like sunscreen that rests on top of the Museum’s vaulted, glass-enclosed Windhover Hall. The wings open with the museum in the morning and close with it in the evening. They also close and re-open at noon and that's what Brady wanted us to see. Sadly we missed it. When we arrived, the wings had already closed and they did not re-open due to high winds. It is an absolutely amazing structure though. The whole Museum is pretty incredible. And it is right on Lake Michigan. The views are absolutely incredible.



Due to a lack of sleep, I was having a not so wonderful day. My anxiety from the previous day flared back up and I spent much of the morning feeling like I shouldn't even leave the hotel room. I hate this feeling so much and I have no idea what brings it on when we travel. It frustrates me. I did leave the room and make the trip to the museum, but after that, I didn't want to do much more. Brady drove us back up to the hotel and we all had lunch in the lounge. It was late yet again so Will and I shared a turkey sandwich that was quite tasty. After lunch, Brady took over and we retired to the room for some rest and relaxation. I finally started to feel a little better.

Our dinner plans were to meet at Karl Ratzsch's at 6:30. Karl Ratzsch's is a famous German restaurant in Milwaukee. It's been around since 1904. The restaurant is filled with German art and bric-a-brac and the wait staff decked out in old-style German fashions. It was a fun place to have dinner. And boy did we eat! Took it easy on the beer that night, but they have a ton of German beers on tap so I had a lager and then an amber. I've forgotten which ones though, but both were good. I had a hard time deciding what to order and ended up with Trudy's Sampler - Sauerbraten and Wiener Schnitzel served with Red Cabbage and Potato Dumpling. It was downright awesome. Like all the restaurants, they serve ridiculously sized portions and I could only eat about half. So good though. Will ordered Ratzsch's European Sampler - One-quarter Goose Breast, Wiener Schnitzel, Octoberfest Strudel, Spatzle, and Red Cabbage. Also a huge amount of food and so good. I was super curious about the goose as I've never had it before. It is similar to duck but not as fatty. Tasty.

As for the others, Brady had the Hungarian Goulash - Rich stew of Prime Beef, onion, and paprika served over Spatzle. I got the impression that he wasn't impressed with it because it was as good as the goulash he'd had elsewhere. No meat for Anna so she tried the Kase Spatzle - Sauteed petite German dumplings topped with Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato, Mushrooms, Swiss Cheese and Caramelized Onions. She gave it a good review. And Rachel ordered Chicken Alfredo Strudel - Grilled Chicken, bacon, spinach, and Alfredo sauce wrapped in Phyllo dough and baked to perfection. She said it was the richest thing that she has ever eaten. I didn't taste it, but it looked fabulous.

They all had after dinner drinks which I wish I could remember. Will had some kind of German gin which was really good. I'm not one to drink straight alcohol, but the flavor was super mild and had a hint of vanilla. Brady had some kind of cherry-flavored liqueur which tasted quite nasty to me. Anna had some akin to Goldschläger and I think Rachel's liqueur was honey-flavored. We all shared an apple strudel and a Viennese chocolate torte. Both were delicious. All-in-all Karl Ratzsch's was a great cap to our Milwaukee trip.

I wanted to get a decent night of sleep so we declined more after dinner drinks and took the shuttle back to the hotel.

Next up, the train ride home.