The End

At 3:30 am we left for the airport... Our flight took us to Frankfurt and then on to Portland. Here are some German clouds above Frankfurt

Now we are officially back in the real world. The trip was so much fun! I'm happy to be back in a world of dollars, free water with your meals, cheaper food, English language, free use of toilets, and to be in our home, with our cats and near our families. But I am sad to have returned to an itinerary that consists of anything other than sightseeing and eating.

I am SO grateful to the Bass family for including me in their travels. They are so incredibly generous. And believe it or not, they are very easy to travel with. I had a lot of fun and will never forget our adventures abroad!

Thanks for reading!!!

Day 4 in Munich

On our 4th day, we met at Kevin and Katja's and got to see their cute little apartment

We split up as the boys went to the BMW museum



And the girls went shopping. Unfortunately, Ryan and I lost all of our pictures that evening when downloading them so I can't show you the pics of Laura and I in the dressing room but we both tried on Dirndls and I bought one! Here is a pic of one... they are traditional Bavarian wear for women during festivals, wedding etc, especially Octoberfest! I can't wait to wear mine!

That evening we reluctantly packed our bags and prepared to head home

Munich Day 3

On day 3 we checked out the market and the May pole before hopping onto a tour bus to see the city... it was a hot day!













That evening we ended at the Hofbrauhaus with HUGE beers and pretzels and a loud Oompah band... so Bavarian!

Munich Day 2

We drove towards the Alps this morning, headed to Neuschwanstein castle





Look! There it is! Looming in the distance



The place was CRAZY and involved standing in a lot of long lines. We entertained ourselves by trying on hats at the souvenir shops






We had to hike up the hill to reach the castle









The castle is pretty incredible. It looks fake! No wonder this castle was the inspiration to Walt when he created the Cinderella castle at Disneyland



This picture was not taken by us (obviously) but it's the best view, taken up above from the Alps








No wonder crazy Ludwig chose this sight for his massive, mystical castle with views like these











On our hike down, we watched the sky and began to worry that it might rain







Just as we sat down outside under the big umbrellas, the downpour began






On our way back we stopped at this little church in the middle of nowhere










And also pet the horses!






We went into Munich that evening, seeing the famous Glockenspeil and eating dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe


The end of another day in Europe!

Off to Munich

Sunday we piled into the car and headed for Munich. Most of the day was spent in the car so we got very few photos...

(One of the many wind fields we passed)



Once we arrived in town, dropped Kevin and Katja off at their place and settled into our hotel we all met together again for dinner. We went to a popular Italian joint that Kevin and Katja frequent where they make fab fresh pizza



Then off to bed to prep for a busy day in Munich tomorrow!

Final Post... for now!

We’ve been busy here in Munich, and have taken many pictures, but the hotel charges for internet and it’s exorbitantly expensive so I am just stopping in to say “hi” and that I will have to post when we return… See you on Thursday PDX! ;)

Vienna Day 2

Again the weather was unpredictable today... much like Oregon! It rained off and on making our travels difficult
We took a sightseeing bus tour that takes you around the center of the old city on Ringstrasse. We saw lots of old buildings, statues, etc and the tour was narrated in English which is always helpful!







When it began to pour after the bus tour we sought shelter in the underground subway station where we entertained ourselves in the gift shops



They even had a shop named Olivia!



We toured the beautiful Stephansdom and it's surrounding area





Then stopped to try the Original Sacher Torte which is famous in Vienna



Then we went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and ready for dinner and a show



We ate in this cute little courtyard... we left 2 1/2 hours for dinner and it still wasn't enough! We had to skip dessert (even though we had already paid for it!) and RUN to the concert hall




The show was very entertaining with a little symphony, ballet, opera and waltzing. Then the boys went out to the casinos (as Sean will not be old enough for such things for 2 more years) and the girls got their beauty sleep. Tomorrow we leave Vienna for Munich!