[Caveat: Courtney didn't actually write this. But we imagined this is what she would have said if she were the author.]

I’ll start by saying that I'm not actually thankful that Sarah and Dave moved to Europe because I miss them. But I am thankful that I got to visit, get a slice of their Euro adventure, see their life in Munich and around, and have some hearty, late-night catch up sessions with SBZ.

As a real estate agent, I don’t always have to be in an office Monday-Friday, so you would think that finding time for a the trip would be easy. But of course, as a real estate agent, I also kind of always have to be nearby and available. So the spring turned into summer, and back to fall again, and I had no visit in sight. When Sarah pointed out that she and Dave were already contemplating their return, I had a look at the calendar. No way were they making it back here without me finding the time to visit. So: Thanksgiving! No one wants to buy or sell houses then, so it proved to be the perfect time.

I packed my bag full of, well, mostly stuff that Dave’s family sent me to schlep over to Munich. Then off I went! But not alone - Sarah suggested I bring along my boyfriend, Pat, since she has fomo and hadn't yet met him. I was happily surprised by the invitation and that he quickly bit the bullet for a last-minute plane ticket and joined the fun.

Pat and I left San Francisco without any real plan or agenda (Dave usually takes care of that - score!). We were pretty sure Sarah and Dave had mentioned the Dolomites. That's at least what we told our friends and family, but honestly, we had no idea. For our arrival, Dave had prepared us with classic Dave-style instructions (too long, too detailed). I landed a few hours ahead of Pat, so I took a bus then hopped in a cab per the instructions. And that's when it happened: my first true German experience - I got yelled at!!! Just like Sarah had been describing on the phone to me, about how Germans are rude and mean. Now I knew precisely what she's been talking about, and I felt a little bad for her / slash was a little impressed she's been able to tolerate it for so long.

After ditching the cab and lugging my heavy suitcase for like 45 minutes through dark streets of Munich, the fiasco was forgotten when all four of us were warm and cozy, German biers in hand, at an old, authentico restaurant near their house. If you’ve already visited them, you know what I’m talking about because apparently they bring all their guests here. It's their fave, and for good reason. To create an agenda for the next few days, Dave drew us a map of central Europe (Switzerland is landlocked? who knew!) and gave us options. He always has options.

Long story short, there was a Bluegrass "festival" in Munich the next night - yes! This is the perfect thing to do with Sarah and Pat (see photo below). So, we decided to stay a full day in Munich, see the town, then head to Italy.

Staying in Germany for a day meant we could also finish that bottle of wine. 4am later, Sarah and I were deep into best-friending when we stumbled into bed. I was so happy that we could get get some solid 1:1 time together so quickly.

Oh, and the other best thing about the first day? The way Truffle greeted me when I arrived. She must have recognized my voice on the front door intercom and came jumping and sprinting to greet me at the elevator. It melted me.

The next day, we got up late (very late) and we blamed it on jet lag - woops! Dave was out the door at 8am, doing whatever chores it is that he always has to do. Pat, Sarah, Truff, and I took a long, leisurely walk through her neighborhood, along the Isar River, and ended up in a super awesome market (Viktaulienmarkt). Sarah left for home (she had work calls, bah), so Pat and I got to explore Munich on our own. It didn't take long before we found the Hofbrauhaus, where we had a huge glass of... wine. Sssshhh.

The next morning, we were off to our mountain hut adventure. Dave didn’t know too much about it, except that it was going to be a bit of a shit show to get to if we didn’t hurry.*

*We didn’t hurry, and it was a shit show.

We rented skis and got in the one of the last trams up a crazy steep mountain, probably one of the steepest mountains I have ever been up. We quickly were in dense fog and could barely see two feet in front of us. We called the hut, but reception was bad, and we were pretty confused after the vague instructions to download two chairs from the top. It was also freezing cold, the sun was setting, and the fog was thick and getting thicker. We figured, it's a hut on the ski mountain, so everyone will know where it is and be able to point us in the right direction. It can't be that bad, right?

Sarah and I took off our skis began to download. Dave and Pat skied off into the clouds, with Truffle running behind. We immediately lost visual of them and we immediately feared for their lives. How were they going to ski down an unfamiliar mountain, with Truffle, in bad weather? I was nervous, and that got Sarah nervous, which got me even more nervous and her more nervous...

We got off one chair and tried to get some guidance on where to go. But the lift ops didn't speak English, and we don't speak Italian, and no one seemed to have ever heard of our hütte. We rode down a second chairlift, hoping it was in the right direction, with still no sign of the boys. In camp-speak, this was definitely the trip low-light with max fear factor. The Polizia skied up to us - uh-oh...Well, it turns out that ski patrol in Italy are the "police" and they had safely escorted Pat, Dave, and Truffle most of the way down the mountain. Phew! In the end, it all worked out, we got to the hut (via snowcat, straight up a hill for 10 minutes), and all was good.

We were let in by Jasmine, who proved to be the simply The. Best. Host. Within minutes, we were sitting in front of an open fire, in a gorgeous mountain hut in the middle (quite literally) of the Italian Alps, with Italian wine, mountain cheese, and freshly sliced local ham. Everything was going to be alright.

An AMAZING meal later, we were stuffed and ready for bed. The hut’s bedrooms were very simple but beautiful with hardwood everything. But those damn European beds - two singles pushed together do not equal a queen. But, whatever. Everything at the hut was comfy and cozy, and since it was offseason, we had the place all to ourselves. It was like we rented a private cabin the mountains with personal chefs and a personal Jasmine.

The hut is named Bella Vista. In German, “Schöne Aussicht.” This translates into “Beautiful View.” The next morning, without the fog and dark, we could see the vista. And indeed, it was very, very bella (see photos below).

Then, we spent THANKSIVING skiing! The chairlift was a short 5 minute ski down the hill from the hut. We took the chair to the top, and whoa. The alps are impressive. They go on for ever and ever. And they're SO BIG. The conditions weren’t epic, but Pat and I really enjoyed ourselves - we were really IN the mountains, and I loved it. I felt really happy that day being outside with people I care about.

We went back to the hut for the Thanksgiving feast to come. It wasn’t turkey and stuffing, but it was traditional Germanic Italian cuisine: pasta and knödel and locally raised beef. It was totally rich and very delicious. Plus, we had Kaiserschmarrn for desert! After dinner, we had a competitive game of Settlers (Dave won by a landslide - we all ganged up on him and he still beat us), and we toasted all the things for which we're grateful. It was a memorable and perfect friendsgiving.

... Until I got sick with some sort of virus or food poisoning. The next day, the fog was back, I felt like crap, and I just wanted to get out of there. The boys skied down to the base with Truffle, but Sarah and I took the tram down. In the Grey Goose we went deeper into Italy; I passed out in the back trying to recover my energy.

While Pat and I slept, Sarah and Dave updated our plans from wine country. We were headed to Lake Como! Awesome, I thought. My parents talked about Lake Como, and I had always wanted to go but never made it. It was raining and that part sucked, but it didn't diminish our experience too much.

Pat and I booked a last minuted hotel, and Sarah/Dave/Truffle slept in their van in a money spot right next to the lake. On Saturday, Pat flew back to San Francisco (tear) but this meant I got to have some extra QT with Sarah (smile). After a walk to a bakery, Sarah and I took the train to Milan for some SHOPPING. Dave stayed at the lake, apparently working from the van (boring!), while the two of us walked around Milan. I scored a killer ITALIAN LEATHER JACKET. Sarah bought... wrapping paper. What? I don't know, I can't explain it either. Oh, and damn, that pasta lunch was something to write home about.

Back in Como, I got to experience a true Christmas Market! It was everything Sarah and Dave talked about. Full of cute wooden stalls, fun atmosphere, and mulled wine called gluhwein that is delicious. And it had a light show that was a unique experience. Definitely got me in the Christmas spirit.

We got back to Munich after a fun drive through gorgeous Switzerland (4th country in 5 days!). For my last day, I got bonus Sarah time. We did some Christmas shopping around Munich, went for a really pretty run along the river, had some more gluhwein, and got to experience her day-to-day life a little bit more.

All in all, I'd say that Munich is prettier than Sarah describes it. A mix of old and new, it feels very livable. But, she's right about the locals. And yes, there isn’t as much English speaking as Sarah thought before she moved. But it is cute, and clean, and safe, and close to so many epic destinations.

I am Thankful for my friends, new and old.