a discovery in the Alps of Austria.
I now realize that the adventure of discovery is not found in the spectacular sights I have been able see. The real adventure of discovery can be found in the new eyes I have from each experience in our journey. We had a marvelous experience of taking a short vacation with Joe’s football team in the Austrian Alps and we saw magnificent views from 6000ft. We also experienced the goodness of people. We saw parents who hug their children and hope for their future, and friends who help friends when they are hit hard with cancer. You can’t let a different language get in the way of good friendship.
Sam preferred the trampoline over the bob sled!
The boys went to a bob sled run nearby and tried out this fun activity.
Gracie went to Austria with us. . .she climbed the mountain too. When we came back down the mountain we all got caught in a rain storm, this is why Gracie looks like a wet rat.
Our lovely hotel in the mountains. Westendorf is a great place to come in the winter for skiing too.
Joe, always full of energy. . .he and the rest of his team decided to jog down the mountain. . .everything is a competition for Joe, and he said he got back to the hotel first!
We made it to the top!!!!!
Because the weather was a bit dreary for swimming, Joe's coach had us all hike up the moutain. . .this is one of the views. It was more than 5000 feet high. I was the last one up and the last one down, but I did it!!! The Germans are amazing at walking. . .
The view from our hotel in Westendorf, Austria while on a weekend trip with Joe's soccer team.
Roads that should be less traveled….
Venice and Florence are two distinctly different cities, yet they share a common theme when it comes to driving. The boats of Venice that weave through the canals are no different than the autos and mopeds that weave through the traffic of Florence. There are no traffic rules, only traffic suggestions. It was entirely too stressful navigating through the streets of Florence. What the hotel brochures call “ The great experience of the historical center of Florence”, really means “You must have great driving experience and expert map reading ability to find this hotel in the historical center of Florence.” The very narrow “one-way roads” surrounded by tall buildings make it nearly impossible for accurate GPS locating, so navigational systems just don’t work. The difficulty of locating our hotel was compounded by road closures that our navigational system was not aware of. The architects of 17th century Florence just did not design-in the roads of historic Florence with the turning radius of a 2005 VW passat wagon. Would’nt you expect more from the village that produced such forward thinkers as Galileo and da Vinci?
Sam and Joe enjoying a break from all the walking in Venice. . .
the "streets" of Venice. . .
A view of Venice. . .
A replica of Michelangelo's David overlooking Florence . . .where everyone but Sam and I got off the bus!!!
Feeding the pigeons in San Marco square in Venice was the highlight of the Venice trip for Sam and Joe. . .
Full view of the Basillica. . .
The basillica in Florence, known as the Duomo. We climbed almost 1000 steps in total getting up and back down the the top of the building where you see the scaffolding. Funny thing about Europe. . .wherever you go to see great things, you will always see scaffolding!
Taking a break in Florence before we all get separated on the bus!!!!
We took my mom to a local biergarten for a typical afternoon of Bavarian food and beer. We don't think this was one of her more favorite meals. . .
Don’t get off the bus. . .travels in Florence, Italy
While in Florence with my mother (who flew to Germany to visit), Sam, Joe and Robin, we took a tourist bus ride around the city. It was a great tour and a great opportunity to see the city. On our last day there, we took the bus again to reach one of the locations we wanted to see. The plan was to return to the bus after visiting the location, return to the bus and get back to the hotel in time to get our car and head out to Venice. Sam, Joe and I headed to the top of the bus which was open air, but Robin and Mom stayed below. That was the first mistake as it would turn out. The bus reached a spot high atop the city to drop off passengers. The announcer said that the next bus would be there in 30 minutes for those getting off. Joe asked me if he could get off to get a drink. I told him no, because the bus wasn’t staying, but to check with his Dad. Joe headed down below. However, unbeknownst to me, my mother, Robin and Joe decided to get off the bus. Apparently they had understood that the bus would be there for 15 minutes before leaving. Sam and I had no idea they had left the bus, until. . .we reached the final agreed upon destination. Sam and I got off the bus, but we didn’t see Mom, Robin or Joe. Imagine our confusion, and then all the bad words coming out of my mouth! Where the @!X*$% were they?! Confused, Sam and I decided to walk around a bit and decided that at least we knew they would have to come back to the hotel as planned. At 2 pm, in walked Robin, Joe and my mom. Imagine their thoughts when they saw the bus leaving without them, but with Sam and me still on it! Apparently about 10 other passengers on the bus had also understood they could leave the bus. Imagine their surprise also as they turned to see the bus leaving. . .one Phillipine family had left all their bags, including passports and money on the bus. Robin, being one of the only visitors who could speak English became their personal helper to contacting the bus company. The lesson learned here? Don't get off the bus without your entire family and your bags! Fortunately, we only temporarily lost part of our family. . .
Houseless, but not homeless
We sold our house in Garland last week. When I shared this news with a collegue at work, his reply was “now you are ‘homeless'." And then he asked, “Why do American’s sell their home so often?” Is that what we did? Did we sell our house, or our home? In that house our family grew together with a binding strength of love. So strong is that love, we can move thousands of miles, into a different country, and call our "semi-detached" house in Lohhof, home.
