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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Beautiful, simplicity. Charlie picked this flower for me yesterday.
The makings of Pho Soup
Mama Bowl
Papa Bowl
Keukenhof, also known as the Garden of Europe, is the world’s largest flower garden. It is situated near Lisse, Netherlands. Over 7,000,000 bulbs are planted each year.
Today was a warm and sunny day and perfect for wandering the fields with Rob and Wendy and their two dogs. We all had a great time taking pictures, enjoying the floral scents that filled the air, listening to live music and enjoying our time together. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures from this beautiful place.
Mama and Pops – I wish you were here with me today! You would have loved it.
Happy Liberation Day! Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
I’ve gotten a little bit better about planning ahead now that we have limited time left in Holland. Last month I tried to coordinate with our family here in Holland and today day they came to visit us and we explored Amsterdam together. Jeff is a really good tour guide. He knows his way around the city and which trams to take to get us where we need to go. I love this about him! I don’t have a sense of direction at all and my visuo-spatial skills are horrible. Anyway, the weather was perfect and wandering around outside felt great. Pictures are better than words…
Museumplein facing the Rijksmuseum.
Enjoying the sites from the canal cruise boat.
Albert Cuyp Market
Making poffertjes – Charlie’s favorite.
Loved this Buddha in one of the shops at Albert Cuyp. Namaste.
The Amstel Hotel. So pretty in the sunshine.
Dam Square with video monitors, heavy police presence, and roads blocked. Preparing for Remembrance and Liberation Day ceremonies.
Lots of walking and the little ones feet were tired…CJ is such a great big brother.
Our favorite – Indonesian Rijstafel at Sampurna on the Singel. Other pictures didn’t turn out, so here’s just a sample.
Best buddies!
Thank you Gerard, Anita, Kelsi, Raomi, and Rob for spending the day with us. It was perfect.
The highlight for me today was the two minutes of silence at 8pm in remembrance of all the Dutch citizens and members of the armed forces who lost their lives in World War Two and in remembrance of all Dutch citizens who have lost their lives since that time in other wars and peacekeeping missions. The entire nation comes to a complete and silent halt for those two minutes. We were on the bus heading home from Amsterdam and the bus driver pulled over and parked for two minutes of silence. It was quite moving.
Peace and love my friends. Namaste.
Who knew that today would be so beautiful? I got to run and SUP … what could be better?
I hadn’t planned on going for a run today, but the sun was shining and no wind was blowing and it was too gorgeous to be indoors. I ran 3.4 miles in 33 minutes with several stops to smell the roses, so to speak. I wanted to share the beauty around me on my run through the forests, and plus the breaks gave me a chance to catch my breath. Running isn’t easy for me… But I keep doing it. I hope you enjoy the views…
So that’s why my run was a bit slower… I had to enjoy my surroundings. Gorgeous, right?
After my run, I showered and got dressed and rode my bike to the Friday market to buy a birthday present, and some things for dinner. I came home and assembled my favorites right now: celery root mashed with creme fraiche and salt and pepper… so delicious, thanks Patti Beth for introducing me to a food I would have never noticed. I also made a roasted beet salad with goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. yum! These were side dishes for the grilling team! We went over to Barbara’s house for dinner and to paddle together. We couldn’t have asked for any better conditions. The sun was warm, the wind was non existent, and the water was smooth as glass. We supped before and after dinner at sunset. I was so happy. I love being on the water. Thanks to Barbara and D for hosting all of us. We loved your company and dinner was great!
here i am 