I have to say life after the CPA exam is awesome! Reading the last post I made back in November made me realize how fast time is flying over here. It really is going to be hard to fit in all these trips we want to take before our time here is up.
Everyday stuff is about as normal as it would be in the US. Taylor and Brooke are both in ballet and have an upcoming recital in May. Taylor has been preparing for her First Communion which is also in the beginning of May. I still have my First Communion dress which my grandma made for me that Taylor will wear. This makes the already very special day even more special. I showed it to Taylor and thought she may be dissapointed because it wasn't a big fluffy white dress like some of the girls will be wearing but she acted like it was just as special to her as it was to me. She really surprises me sometimes. I know that my grandma will be watching down on her from heaven on her special day.
Taylor just started spring soccer which Nick is coaching and Brooke will be starting baseball next week. She decided she wanted to do soccer instead but it was too late to change. Brooke will be starting Kinder this year and I cant believe it. Where has the time gone? I am not ready for them to grow up yet. It is really going to be hard to send Brooke to school. It has been 7 years of having a child home with me during the day. Hopefully I don't get baby fever:)
This past week here was spring break for Taylor so we decided to take our first trip here in Germany! We stayed 3 nights at the Army lodging at Edelwiess in Garmisch, Germany. It was absolutely beautiful to say the least. Garmisch is about 5 hours from our house so in order to break up the driving we stopped in a small town called Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This town is known for its well preserved mid-evil feel. When we got there it was raining and freezing cold. Not what I was expecting on spring break but that didn't stop us from having fun. We walked around the city wall and had a look at the city. This kept us dry and gave us a great view. Then we walked through the town and visited some shops and had some coffee and hot chocolate. It was the perfect stop for a couple hours to spare and then we were off on the road again. Here are a few pictures from Rothenburg.
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| Taylor on the town wall |
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| Lookout hole on wall |
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| Tower in Rothenberg |
After loading back into the car it was off to Garmisch. At one point it was snowing lightly on the car and along the road there was snow everywhere. Garmisch was beautiful and the resort we stayed at had a great view of the mountains from our balcony. Our first night we got checked in and went to the restaurant in the hotel. The food was not very good but we did get some chips and salsa that were not bad and it was nice to order from a menu in English:)
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| View from our balcony |
The next day we got up and headed for Neuschwanstein Castle in Schwangau, Germany about an hour from the hotel. Once you arrive at the parking area you have a few options to get up to the castle. There are horse drawn carriages, walk about 30-40 min uphill, or take the bus. We decided to take the bus since it took you to the highest point which is Marys Bridge and from there you walk back down the hill a bit to the castle. We walked out onto this bridge which is rather narrow suspended between two mountains. I am a little afraid of heights and when I stepped onto this bridge I was terrified. I had to keep getting off the bridge because it was so terrifying and made me soooo dizzy. I think the altitude had the most to do with it:) Nick and the girls were out on the bridge and had no problems. Brooke and Taylor were sticking their head through the railing which I had no idea about until seeing the pictures. Thank God I didn't see this, probably would have had a heart attack! Even though it was terrifying it was the best view of the castle and it was beautiful. I would definitely recommend to anyone going to Neuschwanstein, Marys bridge is a must see. After the bridge we walked about 5 minutes and arrived at the castle. We took a tour which only lasted about 30 minutes and saw about a total of 7 rooms which were finished. Much of the castle was not furnished when King Ludwig II passed away from unknown circumstances. You are not allowed to take pictures of the inside but it was truly fit for a King and extravagant with so many details. Even the King's potty was a throne, haha:) After our tour of the castle we took in the scenery for a bit and then walked the 20 minutes back down the hill which was not bad at all. We rested our feet at a lake at the foot of the mountain which was very serene. During the summer they rent row boats. There is also a smaller castle which is in some of the pictures. This was the childhood home of Kind Ludwig II. You can also tour this castle but we were beat after seeing the big one. After relaxing at the lake we headed back to the car and drove back to Garmisch. We walked around downtown Garmisch that evening which was a very charming little town and had a nice dinner outside on the patio. After getting ice cream we headed back to the hotel for the swimming pool. I think the pool was the girls favorite part of the trip:).
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| Bus ride up to Castle |
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| Taylor on Mary's Bridge |
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| Brooke sticking her head through, this is much higher than it looks in the picture! Once again, I did not approve this picture:) |
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| Neuschwanstein Castle |
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| A Princess fit for a castle |
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| Family pic at the start of the bridge :) |
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| Another beautiful view walking down from the bridge to the castle |
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| Love this one of Nick and Tay |
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| Daddy and his girls |
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| Looks like a postcard |
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| Family pic view from castle |
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| Lake Alpsee |
The next day we boarded the train for Munich. It was about an hour and a half train ride and was actually quite relaxing. Much better than being in the car since we could stretch out and move around if need be. It was a cold rainy day in Munich but that didn't stop us from exploring. We visited 2 churches in Munich including the Munich Frauenkirche where Pope Benedict XVI was Bishop. After we could walk no longer we went to the famous Hofbrauhaus. This is the traditional Bavarian style dining. Huge beer steins, Bavarian outfits, and a Bavarian band playing. It is exactly what Americans think of when they think Germany! We were surprised and Nick somewhat dissapointed when we had a male Asian waiter instead of a Bavarian blonde waitress. Not what we were expecting! The food at the Hofbrauhaus was delicious and the beer was as well. After spending a couple hours there, we raced on foot to catch our train back to Garmisch at about 8pm.
The next day we got all packed up and headed back home. The 5 hour drive turned into a 9 hour drive because of the traffic and detours we took. We stopped in a small town called Ulm that has the tallest church in the world. The girls and Nick walked the 700+ steps to the top while I sat in the church and prayed for them:) I was feeling very car sick at this point and dizzy so I didn't think it was a good idea but the girls had to do it! Nick said they did it with no problems at all. We arrived back home at about 10 pm and were happy to make it back safe and sound. We have decided that train or plane is the best option for traveling if possible:)
This was our spring break vacation to kick off our traveling season. This summer we have a cruise booked that starts in Venice Italy. We will be spending 2 nights in Venice before we board the ship and then the cruise will take us to Bari Italy, 4 stops in Greece, and Croatia. We are very excited! Also we will be going to Paris and hopefully a couple other places such as Pisa and maybe the French Riviera. We will see:)
I will blog again after our next trip which hopefully will be sooner than later.
Love to all!
Lauren
