Day 291: Part 2 – Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland

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We drove through the Alps today to see what they looked like. We loved the cliffs, open valleys, small churches, and snow! It was snowing on us as we climbed higher through Lech and Zurs.

It’s the middle of may and its snowing!

I felt like we entered another world.

The towns were like ghost towns with nothing open, not even a gas station. I just read that in the winter time, these resort areas are considered high end and upscale.

Jeff loves geography and wanted to drive through places he’s never seen before. Liechtenstein is a small country surrounded by Austria on the east and Switzerland on the west. There wasn’t much to see but the boys got out of the car to say they set foot in another country. I liked the cloudscape, even though its been raining and grey most of the day. The one good thing I’ve learned by living in Holland is not be afraid of getting wet, even if it makes y hair go crazy!

The next town brought us a much needed dose of sunshine. Switzerland was gorgeous!

My favorite part was when Jeff took a detour to drive by Lake Bodensee.

I am happiest by the water and tried to get a few family pictures of my first Mother’s Day in Switzerland!!?!

I want to be really honest and say that trying to get all my kids to behave and focus their attention on the camera at the same time while the sun peaked out from behind the clouds just at the right time was a major feat and I was almost defeated! There was lots of shoving and yelling and a few tears, despite what the pictures might show!

I just want you to know I’m real and struggle and yell and get frustrated, even on Mother’s Day! My life is perfectly imperfect… Just the way I like it.

Happy Mother’s Day – we all know being a mama is hard and constant and tiring and rewarding work! I hope you find joy in the wild and messy and chaotic days and peace in reliving the memories and watching them sleep.

Goodnight, from almost home… Holland! I have wireless again back in the car…

11May2013

Day290: Part 4: Fussen, Germany

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We arrived in Fussen tonight, and even though we were tired, we still ventured out into town around 8 pm. Most of the shops were closed, but we still found the town to be charming. The highlight for me was hearing live music coming from a little corner Catholic church. We peaked in the windows and I was able to sneak in for the encore performance. How charming to be a part of this small village in a sneaky little way. The kids loved finding a Chinese restaurant and have missed eating Chinese food!

11May2013

Day 290: Part 3: Garmisch, Germany

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Jeff’s mother and grandparents lived in the small town of Garmisch, Germany near the Austria border during World War II. Today we drove by their house and took pictures of where they once lived. The town was so quaint and we enjoyed walking around in the rain.

What a bucolic town. MamMam and PopPop, I hope you enjoy a few of these pictures. We love you!! xo

11May2013

Day 290: Part 2: Olympic Stadium and BMW Museum

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Christian is passionate about stadiums. If you ask him a fact about any stadium in the world, he knows it. When he found out we were going on this road trip, he asked that we stop by the Olympic Stadium in Munich. It was a magnificent piece of architecture and we all liked waking all the way around it, even in the rain. Christian and Jeff both sat in the seats and felt what it might have been like being there in 1972.

The Olympic pool where mark Spitz from Santa Clara high School won 7 gold medals and broke all world records in his 7 events in 1972.

Finishing up our visit to the Olympic Stadium with crepes from a street cart vendor.

Life is sweet. xo

11May2013

Day 290: Part One: Dachau – Concentration Camp

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Part One: What a day of contrasts. I really wanted to see Dachau today. We were so close and I wanted to walk on the sacred grounds of a concentration camp before we leave Europe. I was filled with anxiety before we arrived. I was scared of what I might feel. And I did feel it. Tears were falling down my face and I felt sick to my stomach, but I wanted to see more. I wanted to connect the bits of history I’ve read about and I wanted to know more about the pain and suffering that was experienced by mainly Jews, and those who didn’t fit with the expectations of the the Nazi regime.

One Love. That’s all I have to really say. If we all loved each other and saw ourselves in each other, maybe we would have more peace. Really does it matter what we believe if we are all practicing love and kindness and compassion, tolerance and acceptance of our struggles and differences?

The survivors of Dachau believed in each other and held on to hope and brotherly love, across religions and nationalities and political parties. Solidarity and love still existed despite the horrors they experienced and they were all united by a common cause – survival. In the end, we are all the same. One love. Love each other. Surviving day by day and making life the best it can be. Choose the harder right. Namaste.

“Arbeit Macht Frei” Work makes you free. History’s worst line of bullshit.

The prisoners expressing joy when they realized the U.S. Army arrived to set them free on April 29th, 1945. Can you even imagine what they were feeling?

Thank you.

The barracks to the left and the main work assignment area in front.

Wreaths and flowers from all the different countries in honor of Liberation Day.

Never again. Never forget.

Crematorium. Oh my lord.

Inside the crematorium. Awe stricken. How could this ever happen? I don’t understand it.

Jewish memorial at Dachau.

I wish you peace and love and light. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Namaste.

10May2013

Day 289: Bamberg and Munich, Germany

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Beautiful Bamberg… So much to see and enjoy today.

This vacation is fun because we have a few highlights we wish to see each day and then we have free time left to explore our interests as we discover them. Like today for example, we had a leisurely breakfast and Charlie played in the new park across from our hotel near the river. We decided to spend more time in the sunshine in Bamberg, checking out the castle and churches and surrounding streets. It was like my wanderlust Wednesdays, wandering in a new location without a plan and just turning down different streets to see what we discover. I love this.

Luckily we stayed in Bamberg a bit longer than we initially planned, as it rained most the rest of the day as we drove to Munich.

Our hotel is located outside the city center on a rushing river, just outside our window. It is so rustic and beautiful. I love it.

We are very lucky (and a bit crazy) that the kids are good travelers and can stay up late, as we decided to take the bus and train into downtown Munich, at about 8:00 pm. Jeff’s grandmother arrived on the same train at the same train stop with Jeff’s mom when she was two years old to meet her dad to live with him for the first time, as he had been away at war since her birth. We felt a connection and empathy for his grandparents and we missed his mom today.

It’s so nice that Jeff knows his way around and can lead us through new places quickly. We enjoyed looking in the windows and seeing the old and new structures. Jeff is getting his fill of sausages and wheat beer. I think he’s happy!

Good night, from Munich.

9May2013

Day 288: Fulda and Point Alpha

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Last night when we were going to bed around midnight, Jeff called his grand-dad in Colorado. Colonel A. served in World War II England, Germany, France, and Austria. We like to include him in our travels and share with him our itinerary. His memory and recall of details is amazing. He shared with Jeff a few more highlights of places for us to see on our journey that he had visited so many years ago.

Fulda Cathedral

The highlight of the day was going up to Point Alpha, in Fulda, to where Jeff used to patrol the Eastern German border as part of the U.S. Army’s 11th Cavalry back in 1985 during the Cold War.

He had not been back there since and it was remarkable to walk on the other side together as a family, listening to his stories.

On top of the observation tower.

We’ve enjoyed driving through the country, seeing the wide open spaces, rolling hills, forests, yellow fields, castles, churches, statues of Jesus everywhere in random places, and quaint towns.

Driving thru the exit of a castle in Meiningen.

We are ending our first full day in Bamberg. The river flows through the town and the buildings are all ornate in a Baroque style.

There is a charm to the city with people filling the streets. We stopped to buy Charlie a slice of pizza and started to chat with a local guy while we waited for the pizza to cook. The first strange thing was the baker was smoking while he assembled the pizzas. He laid his cigarette on the edge of the counter while he proceeded to rub sauce over the pizza dough with his bare (just smoked) hand. I tried to ignore it and started to make conversation with the local guy instead of being disgusted. He was a little drunk and friendly, and kept looking at us like we were crazy. He told me that I was weird for being in his town and with the kids. I asked why that was weird and he said that it was too late for kids to be out (8:15pm) and that we were on the party mile street. He kept hitting my arm, like he was surprised to see an American family in his town. I asked him where we should go for dinner and he walked us over to a local restaurant were they sat us in a private room. It was quiet and cozy and we all enjoyed a traditional German dinner. Luckily Marcos went on his way from there, but he sure made me laugh.

Life is good.

Goodnight, from Bamberg.

8May2013

Day 287: Germany Road Trip

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The kids have off from school tomorrow and Friday for Dutch national holidays. So we are off on a 4 day road trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Jeff used to serve in the military and was a Scout Platoon Leader in the 11th Armored Cavalry and served in Fulda, Germany. We want to go back and see where he was stationed for a brief time and share this with the kids while we can.

It is a five hour drive tonight from Amsterdam to Fulda. We left soon after school let out and all our bags were loaded in the car. I packed sandwiches and snacks, fresh fruit and cheese, nuts and sweets so we could have dinner on the road. The kids are content with their DVD movies playing overhead, iPods with music and games, and paper and pens. The minivan gives them room to spread out with blankets and pillows in comfort. Jeff and I love long drives as everyone is together and mostly content without too many demands. He enjoys to drive and I love to read and play on my iPhone.

I’m excited for what the weekend will bring… So far lots of rain and yellow fields, a beautiful sunset and quaint little villages nestled in the hills.

Life is good.

Goodnight, from Germany.

7May2013

Day 286: Dogs in Holland

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Dogs are well loved in Holland, maybe even as much as bikes. They are welcome most everywhere and usually quite well behaved.

Today I took Christian to get his hair cut after school to a new barber, since the one I normally take him to was overbooked and we couldn’t wait. When we walked into the barber shop that Bob recommended, this friendly dog greeted us in a gentle way. I actually didn’t mind him at all because he wasn’t overly aggressive getting to know his “new customers.” I am not a dog lover, yet I’m trying to be more tolerant as my husband and daughter keep bringing up the idea of adding one to our family. I even overlooked his wet nose rubbing on my bare leg, which I noticed but didn’t jump in disgust. Could I actually like dogs? Jury is still out…

When I snapped the above picture of Charlie sitting in the old fashioned barber chair in the window, I didn’t even notice the dog sitting near him until I looked at my photos from the day. How cute is he? When Juliana got up from the couch I was sitting on, the dog came up and curled up next to me on the opposite corner. Again, I noticed but wasn’t bothered when I typically don’t like dogs acting like humans. I know, this is one of my “special” quirks, that I’m trying to lose. I’m writing a post about dogs, which is really weird for me… I wonder what this means…Juliana, don’t get your hopes up just yet.

….

Jen brought her dog over the other day when she came to pick up a bike. Both Jeff and I were admiring the dog’s coloring, her fur and her size. She was a miniature, golden doodle and definitely caught our attention. She had a great demeanor, was happy and friendly and obeyed nicely. I caught myself thinking… If we ever get a dog, maybe a golden doodle could be an option. What is this crazy thinking??

And my last dog connection came from Rob and Wendy. They brought their beautiful Dutch shepherds with us to Keukenhof. They were well behaved and brought love to so many people that stopped to take pictures of the dogs. I was fascinated by this. Like they say, babies and dogs are a good way to make friends. Rob was making friends at every bench he stopped at. One couple even invited him to contact them when he goes to China next year, saying its nice to have a friend in the local country and they exchanged numbers. How cool is that?? The other cool thing that Rob did was to help Christian overcome his fear of dogs. Christian was bit (nipped) in the face when he was a young boy and has been tense around dogs ever since. Rob joked with and played with Christian and made him feel comfortable around his dogs. He taught him how to hold the leash, give commands, and to walk and actually enjoy the dogs. Christian followed Rob’s lead and walked them around the gardens all day and loved it. I was very proud of him overcoming his fear and enjoying the outcome. He really liked the dogs and I’m thankful that Rob gave him the opportunity to get to know and like dogs again, and to feel safe. I also admired how much Rob and Wendy loved their four legged babies.

I actually learned a new perspective about dogs this week. Who would have thought it could be possible? Maybe this old dog might be able to learn new tricks after all.

Namaste.

6May2013

Day 285: Sunny and I’m Inside?

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It was warm and sunny today and all I wanted to do was be inside. We had a very fun and busy weekend and I needed some down time to catch up with paper work and photos, to relax and cook, and I just wanted to be home, sipping a cup of tea.

I felt guilty for being inside because it’s not what you do in Holland when the sun is out. It’s almost, well not almost, it’s expected that you be outdoors because you never know for how long the sun will shine and it might rain and be cold again tomorrow. I felt torn for declining an invitation to go for a bike ride with Patti Beth into the city because I wanted to be two places at once. I made the right choice for me, but it was so hard to choose between two great options and saying no to biking made me a little sad. Especially when I heard from Patti Beth how much fun she had meeting up with friends and walking through Vondel Park and that it might rain on Wednesday. *Sigh*

In California, I never thought twice about staying inside when the sun was out because the sun is always, well, almost always out. I got used to having nice weather almost every day, so making plans to be outside when the sun was out would be a little weird. Granted, most days I was outside playing tennis, running, hiking or sometimes sneaking away to the beach. But I never thought about it this way… that I should take advantage of the sunshine while I had it, because, well – we always had it and there wasn’t a shortage. It’s strange how one’s mind can shift. But today, I was thinking like a Californian and enjoyed the sun shining in my windows while I got caught up, cooked dinner and cleaned up all the dishes before kid pick up, and enjoyed the peace and quiet. There is something to be said for slowing down and enjoying the simple things, and today was one of those kinda days.