When we got to New York, there had been a terrible storm and many of the flights had been cancelled. There were people that had been there for three days trying to get a connecting flight. We had to sleep on the floors at a terminal that wasn't being used. It was the longest night of my life. We lucked out and got a flight out the next day, but man we were tired!
Leaving Germany! Auf Wiedersehen!
Hunter and Jordan (hat) looking out over Berlin from the capital building. We waited in line for hours, went through security, rode an elevator up, walked around taking pictures for about 15 minutes and then left. It was dry and warm and the view was great!
This is Sansoussi and it was the home of Fredrick the Great. We didn't get to do the tour on the inside, but once again, gorgeous grounds!
When we got to Berlin, this was going on outside of the train station. It was fun to watch them making these sculptures as we were waiting for our vans, that didn't show up!
This is the family that I stayed with for the home stay. The teacher, Kerstin, and her parents, Marie Louisa and Fritz Janke. I love them all! He spoke English, German, French and Portuguese and they were two of the kindest people that I have ever meet. They all made me feel like I had always known them. (I did in the pre-existence! Right?!)
We went to a place called the Garden of the Senses with host family and I finally figured out how to use my camera to get a close up shot. So I took this and when you blow it up, you can see so much detail on the bee.
This was Annika, her mother, Hunter and I (with Randall peeking through) at the train station when we were leaving Hanover to go to Berlin. This was the last time that we saw them and it was very emotional for me. I was also anxious to be getting home. We stayed 3 days in Berlin and then.....HOME!
When we were in Berlin, I was stressed out every time we went out with the students. It was so busy there and I was just sure that this was the time that we were going to lose someone. I was tired, anxious to get home and I really missed the family. I turned a corner and saw the American flag and started to cry. This was by the wall and we went to the museum there. We are sooooo blessed. When I read and saw what people would do or that they died to have freedom, it made me so grateful to be who I am, where I was born and I had a greater appreciation for the USA!
Do you recognize this? It is the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin. Think of the many movies of Hilter's armies marching past this.
This was a common sight as it was strawberry season and we would pass this every day on our way to school. They other thing that was in season was asparagus (white) and it was yummmmmy! Anika's mother made a lasagna with asparagus and ham slices with a white sauce. (I know, it doesn't sound that good, but it was taaaaasty!)
This is the room where the German students would hang out during classes. There were games and books and on the other side of the room they had a snack bar that was run by the students and you could get some food but mostly snacks and treats. We would have our daily meetings with our students in this room.
We had a tour of Hanover and this is the view from the top of the Rathaus, or the town hall. We had to take an elevator up there and it went at a angle. I was looking at Hunter's pictures and we must think a ton alike because he took many of the exact pictures.
This was a fun thing to see. It was a garage can(s) for re-cycling. Germany is very strict on that and I think that the USA needs to learn a thing or two from them.
The school that Hunter went to was right next to the Steinbach factory, literally! Our group got to go over and spend time picking out nutcrackers and gifts. It was a ton of fun!
We, Herr Zentz and I, went to a botanical garden park and the hosta's were huge!
My host family took me to Disney's, The Lion King. This is a special theater that was built just for the production. It was amazing and I knew what was going on even if it was in German. We had to take a fairy across the river to get there. Hunter was there as well. It was a great thing to get to share with him.
This is a home in Hannover and was a butchers house. Many homes start out like this one and with every level is expanded. There were carvings of different animals all over it.
We got to go to Volksberg to the Volkswagon plant. There was a world's fair there once and it is said that if you were there for a week, you still would not see everything that was available. There were movies, guided tours, games, car displays, etc. I told Hunter that this was the only car I could afford to buy him.
These were the doors for the main building where we checked in. This was as we were leaving and I thought it looked really neat.
This was one of the gardens at the first castle we went to that day.
This room is the knights dining hall. If you look at the walls, the design is just painted on. They are amazing how they could and can paint (such as the outsides of buildings) to make it look so real.
Hunter: Just hanging around the draw bridge.
Hunter and Annika, our German daughter! This is when we got to the home stay after our travels. It was wonderful to see her again. We love her and her family so much!
This is a park/garden that I got to go to at my home stay. (Sorry the castle picture should have been here. I will get this whole blog thing soon enough!) This is just one little area of it. Can I tell you that I don't love yard work and as stunning as this was, all I could think of was yard work!
This is one of the castles that we went through. It was one of my favorites just because of the looks. You would climb up the stairs and there were gardens and it was just incredible. Every time I would see such beautiful flowers I would think of how much Nedra, my mother-in-law, would love to see them. (Of course, I knew Jeff would love it too!)
Just another view...................
This is one of my favorite pictures that I took. I loved the way the arch was framed in by the roses and how you could see the hillside in the background. As pretty as the picture is, nothing beats the real thing!
This is one view of the ruins that we got to "play" in. There were many bumps, bruises and scrapes, but I think that everyone had a fun time here.
This is the next place that we stayed, it was Bacharach. It is by the Reine River and the country sides have many grapes being grown for wine. It was so beautiful there. This area also has many old castles and fortresses. We went to three of them. One was some old ruins and you could just walk around it all you wanted. We took flashlights because you couldn't see in them and it had a ton of secret passages and halls to go in. The building in the picture is one of the oldest homes/restaurants in the city. The date of the building is 1579.
Sorry, I regressed. This is Hunter and his best friend Jordan in Rothenberg at the Criminal Museum.
We took a day trip to Koln for the day and went to the Lindt factory where they make such yummy candies and chocolate.
This is the Kolner Dome Cathedral. Once again, amazing arcitecture and it is beautiful but you don't feel the peace that you do when you are in one of our temples or church's.
This is one view of a castle that we went through. If you look you can see the "cage" that they would hang people in for torture and to die in. (In the movie, Robin Hood with Kevin Costner, they hung his father is one of these.)
This is one of the main openings to the village of Rothenberg which is a true medieval village. There is not much that has changed and it is a step back into history. If you notice there is a stone wall that goes completely around the village. There is a walk way on the top of the wall and you can walk completely around the village. I was standing on the corner where our pension (pen-see-on) that we were staying in. They are like B & B's.
This is the tile roof that is over the walk way. If you notice, the tiles are only being held in place because there are little "tabs" on the back side that hook onto the little pieces of wood. The next layer of shingles helps to hold them in place.
This is the in town square and they are timber houses. They build the house with the timbers and then fill in the solid areas with brick and then plaster over them. Hunter noticed that on the third floors and higher that there are big barn type doors. They used to house their animals on those floors in the winter and would bring and store their food there as well. Yum! (Not to mention the smell)
There is criminal/torture museum there. The above picture is for women that are fighting. The big circles on the end are for the necks and the small ones are for each hand. They would make the women face each other and wear this around until they would stop fighting. There were different masks that they would make people wear as well. There was one that had a huge nose and that was for the person that wouldn't mind their own business. There was a huge wooden necklace, it looked like rosary beads, that you would have to wear if you were caught sleeping in church and many more things. It was actually very interesting.
This is another gate into the village. If you notice the face above the arch, it was actually used to pour hot oil onto those that were trying to break into the city.
This is in the village of Oberammergau. We went through it and shopped there on the way to Neuschwanstein Castle. Throughout these small, quaint villages, many of the buildings are painted like this. There was a house there that one each side had a scene painted from the story of Red Riding Hood.
Just a view from the van as we were traveling.
This is Dachau Concentration Camp. We went there on a Sunday and it was a very humbling and somewhat a spiritual experience. Hunter said that he could feel the spirits of those that suffered and died there. It was a very quiet place. The buildings that you can see are some that were re-built so that people could see what the housing was like. The originals had to be burned down due to the lice and terrible, filthy conditions.
This is a sculpture in front of the main building. We have many pictures of this place and I am sorry that many died at the hands of those that were so wicked.
This is one of the ovens. There were rooms next to it that had so many bodies in it that it has left marks in the paint on the walls that can not be removed. It was very over whelming.
This is in old Salzberg Austria and the only cars allowed are delivery trucks. Every business has to have a sign hanging outside as you can see. On this street in where Mozart's home is. There are some of the neatest shops here and of course, they are quite pricey. (Click on the pictures for greater detail and you will be able to see what kind of store they are by the signs. On the left is a red fish hanging so you knew that you could buy fish there. There is also on the left, a clock and cake. If you look carefully on the right, you can see the McDonald's arch's.)
Do you recognize this fountain? It is the one that Maria dances around in the Sound of Music. Hunter noticed right off that the horses have fish gills on their bodies.
This is Herrinchiemsee Castle in the background with one of the very ornate fountains. This castle as well as Neuschswanstein and Linderhoff are three of the castles of King Ludwig II. Only Linderhoff was ever finished. He died under questionable circumstances in a drowning. It is thought that it was because of the amount of money that he was spending on all of his homes. Now those homes are the some of the biggest attractions and money makers.
This is Linderhoff. Hunter thought that this was a "chicks" castle because of how ornate everything was. He really liked Neuschwanstein because even though it was very ornate, it was more of a man's castle. It reminded us of Beauty and the Beast.
This is the view across from the front of Linderhoff. The thing that always amazed me were the grounds and landscaping. And to think of the types of tools that they had to use makes it even more beautiful.
Neuschwanstein Castle (Disney patterned
Cinderella's castle
from this one. )
from this one. )
Berchtesgaden: Our first stop. It was raining and a bit chilly, but it was beautiful!
A Lake at Berchtesgaden.
On our way to Salzberg Austria for the day, we stopped and rode a tram up the Alps. I was getting a bit ill when I would look down and the tram would sway. When I looked down, I realized just how small we are on this earth!
This is Helbrun. It was the neatest place with gorgeous gardens and lots of surprising water sprays. I think the kids had a great time here.
This is the Neuschwanstein Castle. I was walking up the trail to it and this is the view from the trail. It is absolutely amazing to think of how it was built when you actually see the terrain.
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