With our cruise canceled, we must get planning the next trip!
On our list...
Visitors:
1) Laura R. (bff from high school & maid of honor at my wedding, about 1 week.) So. Freaking. Excited!
2) Richard R. (Nephew, loves road trips. about 2 weeks.)
3) Kyle's mom (about 3 weeks)
So, here's where we want to go before we move:
1) Luxembourg
2) Strasbourg, France
3) Paris, France
4) Rome, Italy
5) London, England
6) Prague, Czech Republic
7) Bastogne and/or Brussels, Belgium
8) Berlin, Germany
9) Garmisch, Germany
10) Salzburg, Austria (I am determined!!!)
This of course will change, depending on who wants to go where and what the deals are for then, and since this is ridiculously hopeful, we'll just see what happens!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
European Travels: Bavaria & Austria
January 19-23, we took a drive out to Edelweiss Lodge & Resort. It's a government/military resort, a very nice place, and they offer great deals & packages, depending on rank. (We got super cheap nights & free breakfast everyday!)
This was our second trip to Edelweiss, which is in the eastern & southern area of Germany, in the Alps, and very near the Austrian border (our GPS sends us through Austria to get there!)
But traveling with a very vocal and active 8 month old (who thinks she's more like 15 months) definitely made this trip very memorable, as this was our first "family" trip.
We drove to Edelweiss, about a 5 hour drive on the Autobahn. We took our time leaving the house to alleviate stress, and thankfully we made great time - there and back!
Friday, we took a guided tour of Kristallwelten & Innsbruck City, Austria. Glad we did because driving over the Alps on a winding, mountainous 16% grade while snowing and slick = some seriously scary shiz. But some great views!
By the time we got to Innsbruck around lunch time, it was snowing, and only got heavier as the time passed. Luckily, we lugged her big stoller with us, and she was nice & cozy in many layers, blankets, hat, gloves, and the stroller even closed up to keep her dry!
We had lunch at a Greek restaurant with a lovely couple who had been in the military for 27 years! Great conversation, and very admirable to hear their military story, as well. I don't think anything will keep us in the military past 20 years - if we make it that long!
The baby was asleep when we came across a beautiful square with a cathedral. We stopped for some photos b/c ain't nothing better than detailed architecture + perfect snow + camera!
On our way back to the bus, we wandered into a lovely little park, which looked as if it was straight from the set of the movie. The wet snow stuck to everything, and it was such a bright, crisp white snow. Also found a chess board, which was simply amazing. Reminded me of Harry Potter!
After Friday, our plans went downhill. We were advised not to drive to Salzburg b/c with traffic & weather, it could take up to 8 hours (google maps put it's around just over 2). Our other plan, to take a train up to Zugspitz (the highest point in the German Alps) was foiled because it was closed all weekend because of high winds. Bummer!
But we did not let these setbacks keep us locked up in our hotel room! We returned to some castles we visited last summer to see them in snow. Plus, the drives were incredible in and of themselves! Here's some pictures of our other adventures this weekend!
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| View of the Alps from the hotel's parking lot the day we arrived. |
This was our second trip to Edelweiss, which is in the eastern & southern area of Germany, in the Alps, and very near the Austrian border (our GPS sends us through Austria to get there!)
But traveling with a very vocal and active 8 month old (who thinks she's more like 15 months) definitely made this trip very memorable, as this was our first "family" trip.
 |
| Sleeping in the car, off & on during the drive. Mommy stayed in the back seat most of the drive to keep up with feedings and entertainment while on the road. |
We drove to Edelweiss, about a 5 hour drive on the Autobahn. We took our time leaving the house to alleviate stress, and thankfully we made great time - there and back!
Friday, we took a guided tour of Kristallwelten & Innsbruck City, Austria. Glad we did because driving over the Alps on a winding, mountainous 16% grade while snowing and slick = some seriously scary shiz. But some great views!
 |
| Entrance to Kristallwelten, the Swarovski museum. |
By the time we got to Innsbruck around lunch time, it was snowing, and only got heavier as the time passed. Luckily, we lugged her big stoller with us, and she was nice & cozy in many layers, blankets, hat, gloves, and the stroller even closed up to keep her dry!
 |
| Looking around, but staying warm. She actually napped off & on while exploring the city - the cobblestone streets put her right to sleep! |
We had lunch at a Greek restaurant with a lovely couple who had been in the military for 27 years! Great conversation, and very admirable to hear their military story, as well. I don't think anything will keep us in the military past 20 years - if we make it that long!
 |
| Dom St. Jakob |
The baby was asleep when we came across a beautiful square with a cathedral. We stopped for some photos b/c ain't nothing better than detailed architecture + perfect snow + camera!
 |
| Enjoying our stroll in Innsbruck. |
On our way back to the bus, we wandered into a lovely little park, which looked as if it was straight from the set of the movie. The wet snow stuck to everything, and it was such a bright, crisp white snow. Also found a chess board, which was simply amazing. Reminded me of Harry Potter!
 |
| Giant chess board! |
After Friday, our plans went downhill. We were advised not to drive to Salzburg b/c with traffic & weather, it could take up to 8 hours (google maps put it's around just over 2). Our other plan, to take a train up to Zugspitz (the highest point in the German Alps) was foiled because it was closed all weekend because of high winds. Bummer!
But we did not let these setbacks keep us locked up in our hotel room! We returned to some castles we visited last summer to see them in snow. Plus, the drives were incredible in and of themselves! Here's some pictures of our other adventures this weekend!
 |
| Driving through Austrian & German towns - look at all the snow on the roofs! |
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| Neuschwanstein Castle & Hohenschwangau Castle |
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| Linderhof Palace |
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| The grounds at Linderhof Palace |
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| The grounds at Linderhof Palace |
And just for fun... To get an idea just how much snow is really on the ground here...
We took this picture when we were here in July 2010!
 |
Until next time... Auf Wiedersehen!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Canceled.
Welp. It is official. We have canceled the cruise to Greece... It was not a difficult decision, though after seeing these website on the ship we were going to take:
Review Site Number 1
Review Site Number 2
Yikes! We live in Europe, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad, since we understand the whole "European attitude towards Americans" ... but who wants to be Euro'd to death and gawked at for over a week for mediocre food, pushing & shoving in lines, and chaos when spending over 3 grand for what's supposed to be a romantic "honeymoon." No, thank you. Not worth the risk.
On that note, we have freed up quite a bit of money for other trips in Europe... so Rome is back on the list!
Review Site Number 1
Review Site Number 2
Yikes! We live in Europe, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad, since we understand the whole "European attitude towards Americans" ... but who wants to be Euro'd to death and gawked at for over a week for mediocre food, pushing & shoving in lines, and chaos when spending over 3 grand for what's supposed to be a romantic "honeymoon." No, thank you. Not worth the risk.
On that note, we have freed up quite a bit of money for other trips in Europe... so Rome is back on the list!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Evelyn is 8 months!
Oh, my, my. Where did this month go? I expected this month to be a slow one, in anxious anticipation of my husband; but instead, it flew by at warp speed!
Evelyn is 8 months today! (Another on time! Who knew?!)
And here are the highlights!
She is confident in her crawling; venturing out more, and thus, getting into more... Yikes.
She is starting to pull up to knees - not quite to her feet, unless she has something at the perfect height to hold on to.
She says "dada" "mama" "lala" "naynay" and "baba," and "ah-gee," among others not as easily decipherable.
She is very talkative, and demands attention sometimes - by screaming.
She still loves attention - especially from new people. She engages with just about anyone who will look at her.
We have done some exploring since being back in Germany, and she has done very well. Hoping this bodes well for future European excursions!
She eats 3 meals/day: cereal & fruit for breakfast, fruit & veggie for lunch, and cereal & veggie for dinner.
She has tried chicken... It smells like dog food... =/
She still drinks about 4-5 bottles a day, but depends on the day...
She is getting the hang of picking up food and feeding herself, though still has trouble getting things in her mouth every time.
She can still wear some 6 month clothes, but we are moving into 9-12 month.
She weighs apx. 20 pounds.
She wears size 3 diapers.
She loves her bath time!
She can sleep through the night, but after traveling took some time to get adjusted (for everyone) (unfortunately).
She finally has a tooth! The second should be here very soon as well.
We celebrated Christmas last weekend with KR, and she very much enjoyed her new toys!
This month, my mom & I ventured to Germany from Arizona with the baby. She is quite a trooper!
We reunited with daddy on January 6, 2012 - and she crawled right up to him. She is loving his attention!
Evelyn is 8 months today! (Another on time! Who knew?!)
And here are the highlights!
She is confident in her crawling; venturing out more, and thus, getting into more... Yikes.
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| January 5, 2012 |
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| December 22, 2011 |
She is starting to pull up to knees - not quite to her feet, unless she has something at the perfect height to hold on to.
 |
| December 20, 2011 |
She says "dada" "mama" "lala" "naynay" and "baba," and "ah-gee," among others not as easily decipherable.
She is very talkative, and demands attention sometimes - by screaming.
She still loves attention - especially from new people. She engages with just about anyone who will look at her.
We have done some exploring since being back in Germany, and she has done very well. Hoping this bodes well for future European excursions!
 |
| January 11, 2012 |
She has tried chicken... It smells like dog food... =/
She still drinks about 4-5 bottles a day, but depends on the day...
She is getting the hang of picking up food and feeding herself, though still has trouble getting things in her mouth every time.
 |
| December 18, 2011 |
She weighs apx. 20 pounds.
She wears size 3 diapers.
She loves her bath time!
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| January 10, 2012 |
She finally has a tooth! The second should be here very soon as well.
We celebrated Christmas last weekend with KR, and she very much enjoyed her new toys!
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| January 8, 2012 |
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| December 28, 2011 |
We reunited with daddy on January 6, 2012 - and she crawled right up to him. She is loving his attention!
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| January 6, 2012 |
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Reunited at last!
After a 6 month deployment, and countless challenges... Our world is finally complete. =D
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| January 6, 2012 |
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| January 6, 2012 |
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| January 11, 2012 |
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