Back in the U.S.A.!!!

Well, I am back here in the good old U.S. of A. After a wonderful two week trip to Germany and Austria, I had to regrettably come back to the U.S.A. so I could go back to work. It's not that I don't like working, but vacation is just more fun! ;) Fortunately, the security coming back was not that bad, and our flights (minus Rich's -- his was cancelled and had to stay another day in Germany) were on time, and we made it home safely. Since my last post from Germany, Sarah, Rich, Ev, and I traveled to see Sarah's family in Haidensäg, spent 4 days in Munich, 2 days in Rothenburg, and then flew home on Sunday.

Our time in Haidensäg was wonderful. Meeting Sarah's family in Germany was like meeting someone again that I had known for all of my life. They were very warm, caring, and open people that welcomed all of us into their homes. They fed us VERY well, we drank a lot of beer and Blutwurz, and we all just had a downright great time! I know I didn't want to leave on Monday.

After spending 3 days in Haidensag, we drove to visit more with one of Sarah's cousins in her and her husband's hometown of Deggendorf. There we learned how to play Eisstockschiessen, which is a game similar to Curling, drank tea and coffee, and watched their vacation and wedding picture DVD's.

Munich was a fun city to spend quite a bit of time in. The city has been rebuilt very well, to have a feel of old and new since the devastation from World War II. Going to see the Glockenspiel, Linderhof Castle, Neuschwanstein Castle, the local churches, and shopping around town was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun NOT to have to drive from place to place. Public transportation in Europe for the most part is quite easy and convenient to use.

Rothenburg was definitely a highlight of mine during our trip. The town today stands very much as it did during the medieval times. The wall surrounding the main part of the city was still mostly intact, the buildings looked different than in other European cities I had visited, and the people had a different character about them. It was a "living dead" city. It truly survives by tourism today. After the 30-years war in the 1600's and the devestation of the plague, Rothenburg, for the lack of better terms, fell asleep to the world and didn't prosper like the surrounding cities. Its industries were gone or failing, many people were killed by disease, allowing the city to remain much as it was nearly 400 years ago. I recommend anyone to visit Rothenburg if you visit Bavaria.

Our trip was a great trip, with lots of drinking of Hefeweizen beer, good food, great company, and beautiful sights. I would love to have the chance to live in Germany for a few years if I could someday. Europe is just an amazing place, with a deep rich culture that America does not have. Now the wait is on until Sarah and I's next trip around Christmas. We are going to Poland!

To see all of the pictures that we took in Germany, please visit the following link:

2006-08 -- Germany / Austria Vacation Photos

Hello from Germany!

Well I am currently in Germany sitting in a hotel lobby using their Wifi uploading all of the wonderful pictures that we have take so far!!! Germany is incredible, well at least what I've seen of it so far. We flew from Indianapolis to Chicago, then from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany. From Frankfurt, we hopped into a rental car, and drove to Heidelberg. We walked around there, saw a castle, and had dinner.....then crashed!!! The second day we headed down into the Bavarian portion of Germany and stopped for the day at a beautiful lake. From there, we drove into Austria and stayed in Salzburg for 2 days. Salzburg was a fun area. Think Mozart....Think major castles and fortresses. What else could you ask for ?!?!?!? From there, we headed to Passau, Germany, which is where I am writing from now. We arrived the last night, had dinner, and took a trip today on the Danube River. Unfortunately the weather didn't treat us well, and looking at the forecast, may not treat us well for the rest of the trip. Tomorrow we are headed up to Haidensag, which is where Sarah's family (on her father's side) is from originally. We are going to stay there for a few days, and then make our way down to Munich. After spending 4 days there, we hit our last stop of Rothenburg. Once finished there, we drive to Frankfurt and head back home!

Hopefully, if I have time, and an available internet connection, I can post more pictures soon! If not, I'll see you all when I get back!

To view the pictures we have take from Germany, going to the following link:

2006-08 -- Germany / Austria Vacation Photos

P.S. Beer is wonderbar!!!!!