European Adventure
Greetings everyone!
We are all still alive and doing well. It has been way to long since I've updated and my only excuse is we have been running wild!
Since our last post, Gavin and packed up and flew to MI while Stefan flew straight to Munich. The next day I left MI for Munich to meet Stefan where we stayed for a night. We liked Munich's old town section and market, but it is a big city so we were ready for some countryside and more culture!
We ventured out to Salzburg (salt castle translated!), Austria in our rental car and Stefan was enjoying the Autoban's modern technology (and courteous drivers!). We were impressed by the German and Austrian countryside as even their small towns seem well kept up. Salzburg, we loved! Its castle towers over the city and its slightly smaller population really showed us some great culture.
We then made our way to Prague (Praha!) and explored the whole city for four days. The best part of this city is it isn't just one old town section that is amazing, it is the whole city! Street after street, the architecture and feel is just amazing and unlike what we have here. We then made our way back to Germany to Nuremberg, where Stefan was staying to teach his course. I took a walking tour (ended up being one on one and was awesome!) around the city to learn all about the little town and its castle. Interesting stuff! This place has a huge Christmas market, and I can just imagine it is like Christmasland when it is up for the month of December. This is also where the Nuremberg Trials were held and the history in this area and the whole country really certainly has its complicated and dark moments.
Overall some general observations from the trip: more smokers and they take over Al fresco dining - not fair!; not much obesity likely due to tons of biking and walking or just being active coupled with overall healthier food (not as many additives or harmful ingredients and more local food); almost everywhere we went they spoke English either fluently or enough to get by and we felt they were quite friendly. Some of the traditional food included goulash, sauerkraut, brats and sausage, bread dumplings, meat and beer (of course!).
We are all still alive and doing well. It has been way to long since I've updated and my only excuse is we have been running wild!
Since our last post, Gavin and packed up and flew to MI while Stefan flew straight to Munich. The next day I left MI for Munich to meet Stefan where we stayed for a night. We liked Munich's old town section and market, but it is a big city so we were ready for some countryside and more culture!
We ventured out to Salzburg (salt castle translated!), Austria in our rental car and Stefan was enjoying the Autoban's modern technology (and courteous drivers!). We were impressed by the German and Austrian countryside as even their small towns seem well kept up. Salzburg, we loved! Its castle towers over the city and its slightly smaller population really showed us some great culture.
We then made our way to Prague (Praha!) and explored the whole city for four days. The best part of this city is it isn't just one old town section that is amazing, it is the whole city! Street after street, the architecture and feel is just amazing and unlike what we have here. We then made our way back to Germany to Nuremberg, where Stefan was staying to teach his course. I took a walking tour (ended up being one on one and was awesome!) around the city to learn all about the little town and its castle. Interesting stuff! This place has a huge Christmas market, and I can just imagine it is like Christmasland when it is up for the month of December. This is also where the Nuremberg Trials were held and the history in this area and the whole country really certainly has its complicated and dark moments.
Overall some general observations from the trip: more smokers and they take over Al fresco dining - not fair!; not much obesity likely due to tons of biking and walking or just being active coupled with overall healthier food (not as many additives or harmful ingredients and more local food); almost everywhere we went they spoke English either fluently or enough to get by and we felt they were quite friendly. Some of the traditional food included goulash, sauerkraut, brats and sausage, bread dumplings, meat and beer (of course!).
One thing that tugged strongly on my heart while we were there was the refugee crisis since it was happening in the exact areas we were visiting. It is truly a humanitarian issue. Thousands of people ended stuck when Hungary closed its border and Serbia wouldn't let them go back south. They are fleeing literally to save their lives. Several times we heard of boats crashing off Turkey were people died, many children or infants. Germany expects 1 million refugees by the end of 2015. Please pray for these people and this crisis that we can pull together as one community and settle these people in safer countries.
It was a little long to be gone from Gavin (11 days for me) so I was so happy to go back to MI and see him! I spent a week there working while Stefan finished teaching his course then we all met back in MI that weekend. Unfortunately I had a work trip come up that took me to New York that Monday through Thursday. We are enjoying a week and a half together before Stefan has a week trip in Australia and then in a few weeks a week trip to Arizona.
Some pictures for you if you'd like to browse!
And some homecoming videos ... don't mind his attire, he is potty training and just woke up from his nap!
It was a little long to be gone from Gavin (11 days for me) so I was so happy to go back to MI and see him! I spent a week there working while Stefan finished teaching his course then we all met back in MI that weekend. Unfortunately I had a work trip come up that took me to New York that Monday through Thursday. We are enjoying a week and a half together before Stefan has a week trip in Australia and then in a few weeks a week trip to Arizona.
Some pictures for you if you'd like to browse!
And some homecoming videos ... don't mind his attire, he is potty training and just woke up from his nap!
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