Don't Blink...

Crossing the border from Holland into Germany, we stopped at the cutest little shop. There was the most amazing life size coo coo clock outside and we were lucky enough to be there when it was chiming. The owner gave us complimentary cherry wine (I passed) and a slice of black forest cake. This was the spot for coo coo clocks but I went for the hand carved crosses that were crafted by the owner of the shop. Even better, he signed it!

We had two stops in Germany. The first was Cologne. We had lunch here. The only high point was the completely ginormous church. It was an amazing sight and I would know how old it was but my laptop with all of my notes and journaling from the trip was stolen, thus the reason (one anyway) my blog is so behind. Anyway, this cathedral is ancient and filthy and completely awe inspiring. I put it up there with the pyramids. I mean, how did they build this thing?

After viewing the church, we wandered for a bit and then decided to grab some lunch. Adam and I found a sidewalk café and sat down to eat. I decided to use the restroom before getting back on the bus. Imagine my surprise when I looked up and saw a window in the stall that looked out onto the street. I decided to wait. One of our fellow tourists was not so lucky. He used a different restroom at a different café. The doors t the stalls were clear you triggered the lock…then it clouded over so that the other people in the unisex restroom could not see into the stall. Well, you know, things look different in Europe…even locks. And well, we have all seen two sided glass…so, it was an your easy mistake to think that although you could see out, others could not see in…you can use your imagination to finish that story…poor guy.

Moving on, we got back onto the bus and drove or a while. An amusing aside…at this point, I think it fair to say that pretty much everyone was exhausted by the fast pace of the tour. Every time we got onto the bus it was no more than 30 minutes before 90% of us were asleep…had mouths hanging wide. This time when we woke up it was to board a boat for a river cruise along the Rhine River. I just had to buy the book to help me identify all the castles we were seeing along the banks. Some had been turned into hotels, some were still homes (imagine, living in a castle and others had been abandoned. Probably the most interesting one was the one that had been built right in the middle of the river! Shaped like some weird oval dome, the current just rushing by it’s front door. Today it is used as a base for the river patrol.

Between the castles were vineyards growing up the steep hills of the river bank and occasionally we saw a man walking through the rows up and down the steep hills checking his crops. I couldn’t help but think, he must have huge calves! Aside from the scenery, the most enjoyable part of the cruise was just sitting on the top deck, in the sun, next to Adam, with the wind blowing at us and just having a couple of moments to together…So, Germany was kind of our "Don't blink or you'll miss it" part of the tour...a shame to be sure...we will have to go back someday with some expert tour guides...maybe someone who has lived there????

We got into Heidelberg in the late afternoon. I think we had dinner with the group. There might have been time to explore on our own but I’m pretty sure we just went upstairs and crashed. Next stop…

Amster-"damned."

Driving into Amsterdam, I was instantly amazed by two things: the flowers and the bikes! Wow! They were everywhere! Flowers located in every window and all along the road, filling every median and planter as if it had rained seeds and they took root in every available spot. Rows of bicycles also lined the street and there were ramps designed specifically for bicycle parking, each filled with thousands of bikes. Once I got past this amazing spectacle, I noticed the house boats.

When I say house boats, you really have to shut your eyes and imagine the glory of living on a boat. These are NOT simply boats the people are living on. These boats have been permanently docked; they have gardens growing on the decks, grills and porch furniture, window boxes and the occasional balcony has been added to the side to expand outdoor seating. Through the windows you can see hanging pots and all the evidence of a permanent home. It took quite a bit of imagination to picture our family of six living in such tight quarters. I did imagine that it would have been a very charming way to spend a summer in college.

After cruising the river and taking in the scenery, we were met by our local guide. Now, when I travel, I like to take in the history and the culture of wherever I am. I want to see and do it all. I must say that the city of Amsterdam lost a bit of its charm when we entered what is known worldwide as the “red light district.” If you’ve lived 18 or more years, you’ve heard of this place. I think all young people are intrigued by the idea of a city where women, well, let’s say “advertise” themselves in small windows that line the street. They are scantily clothed, sitting in a room the size of a closet. We saw women talking on their phone, filing their nails, ironing and others were being overtly seductive.

These “closet windows” are scattered throughout the district which runs maybe 8-10 blocks. Also lining the streets are strip clubs, coffee shops, and koffee shops. Now, you may be thinking I have some issues with spelling, which, I do. However, let me explain…A Koffee shop actually serves coffee and a coffee shop is where you go when you need a new stash of weed. (This, along with prostitution, is legal)

Now, you can imagine we Americans wandering the streets with our mouths agape as our guide goes on and on about the attitude of acceptance throughout the city. Marijuana is legal and tobacco is not? Yes. Well, as a criminology major, I don’t have a huge problem with this. If you are going to smoke something, weed is less harmful overall to your body and people who use drugs will use them whether they are legal or not…but, I think that discussion is best left for another time.

As we continue through the district, our guide continues to point out the novelty shops, ie, condom shops, bong shops, to name few. She keeps reiterating the attitude of acceptance. I keep listening wondering where is God in all of this? She goes on and on about the health insurance for the “ladies” in the windows, the mandatory health checks every six months, the free supply of condoms and the tax breaks they get on the rent for their little windows or any clothing etc. they may purchase for their “job.” At the end of the tour, she asks us if we have any questions. Of course I do! So, I ask, “has there ever been any movement to change the lifestyle of Amsterdam.” Her answer went a little like this, “as I said, there is an attitude of tolerance here and if you don’t like it, you just take your little Bible, and your little dresses and you move your family out into the country and churn your butter there.” Well, I guess the attitude of tolerance only extends to the immoral. All other lifestyles or opposing viewpoints should get out because they will not be ‘tolerated!”

Our time in Amsterdam drew to a close at a local restaurant where I sampled the hodge podge and everyone else played it safe. How weird, I am usually the unadventurous eater! After a walk back to the hotel, I spent my time in the hotel reading the books in the bedside table (it wasn’t the Bible) trying to learn some real history on the city and relate it to the things I had seen that day. Needless to say when I left Amsterdam, I didn’t look back…next stop…

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Other Favorite pics from Amsterdam:

Is this a car?

Would you sit on this porch?

Bicycles, bikes, and oh yea, bicycles.

Mind the Gap.

Just seven long months after our 10th anniversary, Adam and I finally boarded the plane for London. We would fill 10 days with as much of Europe as we possibly could. Our trip begins in London where we daringly opted to find our own way to our hotel rather than pay for the transfer with the tour company. So, even though the signs were in English, duh, we still seemed to be directionally challenged in the subway. But we did find our way onto the correct train and enjoyed the 30 minute ride...especially the little English accented voice that came on at every stop asking people to "mind the gap."

We got off the train about four blocks from our hotel and lugged our suitcases (well, we each had one and a backpack...after spending a month in Russia, this girl knows how to pack) a few more blocks to the hotel. We got checked in and immediately went down to the tour desk to sign up for our excursions and find out which show we could see that night. To our disappointment, they had no show tickets but the hotel concierge directed to a street vendor in Piccadilly Circus. Without further delay, we set out, found the bus station, got our tickets and a map and were on our own quest for discovery before lunch, London time.

I'm not sure what I expected when we came upon the Circus but a mad rush of cars and pedestrians was certainly not what I had in mind. When we got off the bus, I began my visual search for the street vendor that would satisfy my desire for tickets to a show in a London theater. When we found him, there were several locals milling about who actually knew what they were doing...so, I stood back and watched them for a moment, all the while listening to the options. Of course when he offered me seats to this and that, I couldn't decide and I didn't want to make a mistake...He was really pushing seats to Sister Act which I really had no desire to see. So, Adam and I finally decided to buy tickets to We Will Rock You, a musical comedy composed of all Queen music and partially directed by one of the former band members. Tickets in hand, we had time to explore and so we did.

We wandered about and ate dinner at a sidewalk cafe, got off the bus a little too late but still made it in time for the show, which, I absolutely LOVED!!!!! And, I think Adam would have loved it too had he been able to stay awake! But alas, jet lag had grabbed hold of him and would not let go. After the show, we were exhausted and ready for some much needed sleep. BUT, our bus somehow ended up on another road??? Or, maybe we read the route wrong but the long and short of it is we walked for about 2 hours before we were so exhausted and frustrated that we hailed a cab to return us to our hotel for what would now amount to about 4 hours of sleep before we had to be up for breakfast and our morning excursion...Day one...whew!

On Day two, we started with the city tour, which I love to do anytime I go somewhere new. It allows an overview of the place so you can really see where you want to spend more time and what you can skip. Our tour guide was awesome! She was very knowledgeable and spoke on all the history of a place before we got there. I noticed that as we walked past St. James Palace, although she mentioned Anne Boleyn, she didn't really go into the history which having just been in several books and movies is so fascinating...but apparently not so to the Brits. I enjoyed seeing the palace that I have seen in so many movies now. It seems they no longer have guards standing by as the war in the middle east has taken all of their reserves and they can no longer afford to have guards for such menial tasks. However, in the fall one of the queen's grand daughter's will come to London for University and she will stay at St. James thereby forcing the British guard to stand duty...to use her words, "what a waste."

After passing the palace, we walked down to Buckingham Palace and were placed, by our guide, in the perfect spot to watch the changing of the Guard and get a glimpse of the palace before walking along the Princess Diana Memorial walk toward Big Ben, the Parliament and West Minster Abby. These are three places that WHEN, not if, I go back to London, I will be making a B-line to. Because of time constraints and being part of a guided tour, these were all places we got to see from the outside and did not get to venture into. Also, the Tower, which used to be a prison and now holds the crown jewels is on the top of my list. Because we had to choose our excursions, we opted for the afternoon tour of Windsor Castle leaving these places for our next trip.

Before heading out to the castle, we stopped by St. Paul's Cathedral where Lady Di married the Prince. There is a big long bout of history surrounding this church and a church has been on this ground since 604AD. Most interesting, I think is that the saying, "robbing Peter to Pay Paul comes from the history of this cathedral. In the early 1600's the cathedral as it stood was almost completely destroyed by fire. In the following years, the British government confiscated tithes from the church across town, St. Peter's, to pay for a new St. Paul's...thus, robbing Peter to pay Paul...how very interesting, or not. I found the American Chapel, a small room at the back of the sanctuary that pays tribute to fallen American soldiers very moving and the whispering gallery fascinating. You can stand on one side of the massive dome, (which, BTW weighs more than 65,000 tons) whisper facing the wall and be heard clear across as if you were standing right next to the person you are talking to. I believe Adam found the poop on the statue of Queen Anne most interesting...aahh, as long as we are both having fun.

So now we are off to Windsor Castle. Along the way, we see, the highway...how glamorous but as we get closer, we enter the limits of the cutest little town , Windsor, I have ever seen! We get out of our bus and we walk about 1/2 a mile through shops and little homes to the tourist entrance of the castle. Before we go in, we are treated to views of Eaton, and the gardens which made me think first of Meagen, because she too loves trashy romance novels and what historical hero did not attend Eaton in his youth? And then I thought of my grandmother because she loves gardens. Walking through the castle was amazing. It was my first castle and so probably the most impressive as it is the largest inhabited castle in the world. Of course we were not permitted to see the wings that the royal family actually uses but to think that someone at some point in history actually built a home that large as a monument to themselves was awe inspiring.

My favorite part of the castle was not the the castle at all but St. George's Chapel. I mean the grandeur of the Castle was amazing and the history of it interesting but this small chapel located just a few feet from the castle is the queen's favorite place to attend church and to see it not be something grand like Westminster or St. Paul's was nice. It is the site of more than 16 royal weddings since 1863 and the final resting place of more than 32 royals including Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth I with her husband George VI and their daughter, Margaret. It also believed to be the future resting place for Elizabeth II. Anyway, It just seemed so much more personal than anything else we toured and I guess that is why I found it the most interesting.

Moving On, We took an evening boat tour on the Thames. We passed under the London Bridge which, was NOT falling down because they finally figured out how to build a bridge there in the 1960's, passed by the traitor gates of the Tower and the Tower bridge, the London eye. We also got the waterside view of Big Ben and the Parliament...that's right kids. It was beautiful and wonderful and we were tired and ready for bed. But, we had to report for dinner, so we did and then we hit the pillows to rest up for the next day which would be filled with travel and new adventures!

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Other favorite Pics from London:

A classic must take tourist pic.












Everything is Europe is "Toilet." I prefer the term "restroom."









All that is left of Whitehall Palace, built during the reign of Henry VIII and destroyed by fire in 1619.








Posted in the gardens of St. Paul's Cathedral. I think is more about the poo on Anne's face. But still, I think it nice that they request rather than demand.







The tower bridge at twilight. No vampire's but still beautiful.









Adam outside the Tower.

Remember the Alamo.

Another end...this time it's flag football. Rusty's team ended with the rest of the season but Flip's team got to go to the "Superbowl." It was an eye opening experience. We got a peek into the world of professional pee-wee footballers in training. Apparently, other leagues sit seasons out so that they can train for the Superbowl of flag foot ball. And still other teams pull the all stars from all the teams in their league to compose a team of the fastest, most agile children under the age of 5...really? Yes, really. Well, we took our team of mostly first year players. It was a beautiful day out. The game(s) were at a different field than we normally play on. When we got there, the boys were their normal 4 year old selves...wiggly, not listening, flying around the field. The team they were playing was lined up doing push ups and yelling out chants. We soon realized they had an offensive AND defensive coach. They had plays called "Sponge Bob" and "Superman." They had cheerleaders. We just had a good time. We lost but the kids enjoyed it and we did as well.

We also took a little car trip to Rainbow river...I am going to skip all the night-marish stories about waiting in line for 2 hours to rent our tubes, Mike locking his keys in the car, and cranky kids and just say that when we finally got on the river, it was a wonderful time, wonderful day and something I had not done since I was kid. I enjoyed taking my kids and the ride went too fast.

And then there is Texas...via Alabama. Ruthie had no gymnastics the week of July 4th so I loaded the four little ones into the car with DVD players, Game boys, coloring books and snacks. We hit the road early and headed for Dinah's Mamma's house in lower AL. We made great time and the kids were awesome the whole way. We spent the fourth with them at a lake with yummy southern fixins and lot's of fun times.

When our time in Alabama was over, we loaded back into the car and hit the road for my grandparent's house in San Antonio. I really had a good time driving with the kids. We stopped at rest stops and got out to eat. They were so good the whole way that when they weren't talking to me, they were quiet doing something else and I was able to listen to my music and just enjoy the drive.

After spending one night in a hotel, we met my mom at my Aunt Becky's house and spent the afternoon swimming, eating and getting caught up with them and my cousins. Then, it was back on the road to San Antonio. I had been meaning to get out to see my grandparents for the last year...but, with four kids, there's always something. When we got to the village (Air Force Village) I was amazed to see the improvements taking place. They now have a wonderful gym equipped with all the bells and whistles and a nice size lap pool. They are also in the process of building new condos all over the place.

My grandparents are now living in the assisted living area and they seem to be happy there. Now that I am a older, and a mom, I am not happy to see them there. I would like to see them still living independently and closer to family. Since they will hear none of that...to the point where they would not even ask anyone to take them to my cousin's wedding even though it was breaking my grandmother's heart, I have decided that I will have to find a way to get out there a few times a year. I did manage to talk them into going out to eat a meal. They took us to a little restaurant outside the city and we had great Mexican and even better desert. They put us up in a very nice two bedroom condo where they came over to visit with us.

My memories of them as a child are so different than the people I see today. I remember them being kind and generous but now they are loving and emotional. We cried together a few times and we talked about things that were "grown up." At 32 years old, I feel like I finally got to meet them as people...not too sure that makes any sense at all but they are two pretty cool people who have seen a lot in their lives, helped a lot of people and loved their family deeply.

When the visit was over, we loaded the kids into the car and hit Schlitterbaun, the World's #1 rated water park...and it was a blast...except when Ellie fell out of her tube on a slide and my mom nearly had a heart attack! Then it was more miles and more miles, a drive by of New Orleans in a torrential down pour and back home...a very full week.


Although neither Flip nor Ellie are facing the camera and there were other pictures where they were, I like this one because my grandmother was laughing out loud at one of the absurd things that regularly comes from the red head's mouth.

Once a week, my grandfather prepares and delivers little bags of cookies to all the residents and staff of the health center. The kids really enjoyed helping with this and my grandparents really enjoyed showing the kids off to everyone. I included the picture of Ruthie's back because as we walked around, Ruthie just naturally took over pushing my grandmother and I got a little choked up because I can remember that is exactly what my brother, Rusty would do. Every time we went anywhere with my grandparents, you would find Rusty behind her chair.

After a morning of visiting, we took the kids downtown to the Alamo and the wax museum. I liked the one of the kids with Lance Armstrong because not a few weeks later, Adam and I accidentally found ourselves in Paris on the last day of the tour and got to see the finish LIVE! That post is coming soon, I promise!