Day 11: Hotel Hang Out

This morning we pigged out with a big breakfast buffet and headed for the pool. The pool is very crowded in the evenings and practically empty during the day.Afterwards we walked around Garmisch a bit and I had spatzl for lunch. These are homemade german butter noodles with crispy onions. delicious! I love the outdoor seating at the cafes all over Europe!

We were trying to find a cuckoo clock but only found a shop as it was closing. It had an amazing selection but I couldn't justify the cost due to the weak $ to euro conversion. At the lodge they have a small gift shop which sells clocks also. There is less selection but they are a few hundred $$ less than out in town so it's worth it if you can find one you really like. So we went back and purchased one there. It plays the Edelweiss song and had the little log chopper man which we liked. If you haven't read my first Germany post, we really wanted to get a clock in Germany because they reminded me so much of my childhood at my Grandma's house growing up.

On the way back we did catch four cows walking down the street right to their owner's little house. The owner lured them out of the road and into the gate with a gigantic pretzel. hilarious!

Unfortunately Mom and I were walking by ourselves while the boys took our stuff and went to meet us with the van so I didn't have a camera!

We just hung out at the hotel that evening since we had to pack up early the next morning!

Next up.. Venice.

Day 10 of European Vacation: Brozeit Tour

Wed 13 August 2008 - Day 10 of our Vacation continued- currently in Edelweiss/Garmisch-Germany



Journal:
Today we went to see a cheese making factory as well as a monestary! I'm not sure if I recommend this tour or not with the Edelweiss hotel.

Again we were slow moving come morning because the girls are taking short stroller/bus naps and staying up late! It's hard to turn off the tv when you're watching the US Olympians go for the gold! Usually we sit in the rocking chairs by the hotel fireplace or take the girls swimming after dinner, then watch a bit of tv while they settle down.


Anyhow it was packed on the bus but both girls fell asleep on the short ride over to the monestary. It was a pretty warm day and we heard some funny tidbits about the Garmisch cows while on the bus ride over. The town has a sort of co-op with the cows. They all go to a large field during the day and at about 5pm walk right through town, stopping traffic (just like in Sicily!) but get this- they stay in their owners backyards! Now I'm talking about subdivision/townhouse size yards here! funny stuff.

We arrived to the very small cheese factory our in the country. It was very small but charming. One little boy from our tour bus ran back out as I walked in. He apparently walked in, took one wiff of the stinky cheese, which is comparable to a dirty gym sock, and threw up! His mother looked mortified. It was pretty comical. We were hurdled to a table to sit and hear a short speech and video about the factory and then tasted some cheese, cold meats, and bread. Val did get to try to squirt milk out of a fake cow udder. You could see the machines from a window but there wasn't any production going on. I was sort of thinking, "that's it?" I suppose if you are a cheese fanatic you'd like to be able to purchase products but it wasn't very exciting for the girls.



The Ettal Monestary is practically next door and so we chose to walk. The building is really beautiful. They produce everything they need here including of course beer and liquor as it is in itself it's own little community within this small group of buildings. It is said to be that monks make the best beer and it is not usually locally sold so it is special to be able to taste it at these monestaries. You'll have to ask D or my parents about that. I had ice cream out of a vending machine with the girls.


You can walk to the church in the monestary and that is about it. It again seemed sort of like, "that's it?" We had over an hour of sitting on the curb waiting for the bus to show up or people to shop in the tiny store. The girls were pretty well behaved given the circumstances. The food and cheese were both very good and the trip was relaxing but I felt as though we could have done this trip on our own (with a car) and then had the other half of the day to go hiking or something.






It did start pouring rain on the way home so we relaxed and napped at the hotel. Derrick and I went to dinner alone while my parents took the girls out in town. We ate at the Pullman Place in the hotel which is a fairly upscale dining area with very good food and service. We had steaks, a cocktail, and a fantastic raspberry cheesecake. Definitely go there while you stay! Bonus points if you get to enjoy it without entertaining your kiddos.


Afterwards we went for a swim and also sat in the hot tub for awhile. It is so nice to sit outside and look at the stars and mountains while soaking! It's hard to believe we only have a day left here. It flew by!

First day of School

I am totally that mom. The mom who makes their kid stand in front of the house on the first day of school to take pictures and makes a huge deal out of the first day of school. Most people who live around me for awhile figure out that I LOVE holidays and anything we can possibly celebrate so why not also the first day? We even had a special dinner and chocolate cake for dessert!

She did really well. Last week we had an open house so she met her teachers, one of whom is our next door neighbor! She is very much into art these days (wonder where she gets that from? ;) ) and all she could talk about was going to paint with her friends. We dropped her off and she said, "I'm just going to go color now, okay?". No hug, no kisses. What?? What happened to my little Val-Val?? sigh. Ellie still wants her hugs ;)

Derrick was all dressed up in his khaki's for a ceremony today so I made him take a photo too. You see, he is usually in gym shorts and a sweaty tshirt when I see him every day so it's a rare treat to see my man in uniform! What girl can resist that? He even came to see her dance class and took her to school this morning. awe, what a guy!

Our bible study started today and it's going well so far. It's a bit of a rush to drop Val off, run over to bible study, leave bible study early to go back and get her,etc. Then we run home, eat and change and run back to base for ballet. However it's worth it because she is in -love- with ballet class (which also started today!) and we like to see her thrive. She needs a little structure and pays attention to other adults much more than her own parents! I hope you are having a great week thus far! We are certainly enjoying some cooler temps since my last post. Maybe God heard my prayers :)

The lime green slippers are from her tinkerbell night gown.. her pink ballet shoes haven't arrived yet in the mail! Notice how my child is just staring at the teacher and not actually *doing* what she's supposed to be doing. She did get better after awhile.
I took these pictures through a plexiglass wall so pardon the glare!

Princess Dance Party

This is a big thank you to my best friend April who sent Valerie a princess dance mat/dvd/magic wand. As you can see by the photos below, she is in love with it and dances for quite a long time to the DVD of Disney princess songs and dance moves. I thought I'd share a pic or two so you all can see how her expensive dance lessons are paying off. ha.

Day 9: Derrick's Birthday & Munich

How are you all? It has been SO hot here and we're ready for fall to start! Today we walked out of church and it was a little bit cooler, in the 80's and rainy. It felt great for a change! I get tears in my eyes when I think about being in the states with the leaves changing, pumpkin patches, hay rides, apple picking, and haunted houses! Hopefully next year-- It is pretty certain that we will be moving to Chicago in May! hooray! It could always have the possibility of changing, I suppose, but we are penciled in for orders now which is great!



Alright. Sorry this has been awhile- Derrick has been extremely busy at work lately and hasn't been bringing his laptop home! I snagged it this weekend so I should have our trip finished up in the next few days-



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Day 9: August 12, 2008

Happy Birthday D! (Aug 12th) The big 3-8 ! I bet many of you didn't think he was 38 did ya? He's got more energy than I do at 26, that is for sure.


It was very cute to hear Valerie singing Happy Birthday dear Daddy when we woke up that morning. We decided to take the train in to Munich. There is a ticket you can buy at the Garmisch station for 27 euro that is good for 5 adults, all day, on all transport! So we took the train ride from Garmisch and then took the subway further into town.



We started at the English Gardens where the girls played for a bit at the playground. The park is absolutely huge (think miles here) and has a pretty river that runs through it. People were ditching their clothes and swimming with the current. Nude sunbathing is popular here as well as we realized walking through the open areas. At times I appreciate how open and relaxed Europeans are about their bodies although I admit to being baffled at naked men running around a field butt naked playing fetch with their dogs. It wasn't pretty.






Anyway we did get completely turned around in the park, having no idea which way we were walking, and even saw black clouds roll in and start to rain on us. Stressed and ready to leave but no idea how to get out, we all started arguing. What a fun birthday for D :) Sorry babe.

Looking at Stein's- My parents bought D one for his birthday and he loves it!!

We finally found the town's center and headed for a beer garden. For those unfamiliar, these can be in or outdoors. It's not what you think of when you think of a beer garden in the States, just as "bars" in Italy aren't like bars in the US. Families eat here as well and it is a very social hang out where you are encouraged to share tables and get to know your neighbors. The kids can dance to the live music and it's usually very noisy. We went to Hofbrauhaus, the oldest brewery in Munich, to try it out.
We had some sausages, saurkraut, potatoes, and pretzels. My dad and D had HUGE beers (I think they were a full liter!) as you apparently must do this atleast once. After filling our bellies, the rain cleared and we were all in a good mood. We ran a few blocks over to catch the glockenspiel, which only plays at certain hours. It's a musical clock with dancing jousters and bells, much like a cuckoo clock. People stand in the town square to watch. It was a neat experience. The girls danced to the music.



Gettin jiggy with it Afterwards we strolled over to the food market and walked around. I was so temped to buy a market straw bag for myself and some beautiful things for our home but resisted! I wish our market was so clean and open! Not quite the same experience in Catania!!

My goal was to see the glockenspiel and eat a big pretzel, mission accomplished!
I have to tell you my stomach hurt for nearly 2 hours after shoving this thing down. . .. the price you pay for a memory ;)
We were tired and went right back to bed after our train ride. Day 10 to come- Cheese Factory and Monestary

P.S. Here are the last of the Zugspritze photos. Building a rock snowman