New house day!!!

Tomorrow we get into our house!  I will see all the stuff from our storage unit that I haven't seen in 3 years...I wonder how much of it goes directly to the garage sale?

We won't officially move in until next week, after the whole house is painted (crossing fingers that goes smoothly and we like the finished product).  I am SO ready to get out of our "villa", as Delainey calls our temporary apartment.  I can't wait to get all our stuff back and settle in and just BE. 

Or at least BE for a few days...then the madness of school starts.  But that is another post all together!

Pictures coming soon!

Re-entry update

So the last 3 weeks have been tough.  Repatriating is harder than you'd think!  On all of us.  Even the one who is back living it up for a few last weeks in Germany again.

When we moved to Switzerland, we at least new where we'd be living.  Yes, everything else, including the language, was new, but we had a home base to unpack our stuff and call home.  Then we met the fabulous O'Brien family at our playground on the first day we lived in our apartment.  In the midst of half-opened boxes, we ran outside and met a boy Aidan's age and a girl Delainey's age and a mom my age!  Instantly, we had friends and a home to call our own.

When we moved to Germany, we again knew where we'd be living.  Jason had already moved most of the stuff in when the kids and I arrived.  We knew another family, the Starkeys, who lived in our neighborhood because they were with us in Zurich.  The kids went to summer camp at school the first week we lived there and made friends right away and got used to their new school.

This move was different.  Yes, we came back to familiar territory and our families.  But, there were so many unanswered questions.  Where would we live? What school will the kids go to? Who will their friends be?  Will they still get along with old friends?  Will Jason and I still get along with old friends?  What specific role will Jason have at work?  Where will I work? 

The kids don't really remember living in Michigan.  They remember some things and family, of course, but not much else.  Distance makes maintaining friendships much harder for kids than adults.  Our kids have changed-different interests since last we lived here and so on.  Their old friends have moved on to other schools or cities and have other friends.  We aren't planning to move back to the exact same place (which wouldn't much matter anyway since they were never in school in Michigan), so they'll have to make all new friends.  But the question of where  to make these new friends loomed. 

I couldn't tell them which school or even town we'd be living in, so I couldn't sign them up for a summer camp or sport camp.  Mommy and Daddy were all consumed with house hunting (which did not go well) and weren't around much. When we were around, we were STRESSED out.  Then Daddy had to go back to Germany for 3 long weeks.  The kids love PatTone and Mamaw and Papaw, but they need friends their own age to play with.  Luckily, they did have Jacob, Corinne and Quinn to play with often.  Lainey loves the time with them and Aidan had fun too, but Aidan still was wanting for an older boy to play soccer with.  Last week, Aidan was crying at bed time and told me that he wanted to just go home, but was sad that we didn't have a home of our own to go to.  PatTone's house is "grandma's house" and is home in many ways, but it doesn't have all our stuff in it and it isn't permanent. 

That's when Jason and I realized we had to make a serious committment to finding a house.  We upped the time spent looking and expanded our search area.  We put an offer in on one house.  It got beat by another bidder.  We compromised on a different one:  a nice house, but not exactly where we wanted to be and one that needed some work.  We offered on that one.  And didn't hear a response back.  So, Jason went back to Germany and I kept looking just in case we never heard from the second house.  The owners of the second house never did really respond, only kept dragging their feet in accepting or countering so I got fed up.  While waiting on their response, I found the PERFECT house for us!  Perfect except for price. 

Feeling defeated, I rescinded the offer on the second house 3 days after putting in the offer. We hadn't heard anything back from them anyway, so I figured it was a dead deal.  The seller's agent was not happy, but seriously after 3 days you don't respond?  You don't get to be upset.  It is over in my mind.

So, we decide to put in an offer on the PERFECT house.  We offer quite a bit less than asking.  We get an optimistic response almost immediately from the seller's agent.  The seller counters reasonably, we counter back at a place where both agents feel it is fair.  Then the seller refuses to come down anymore.  For want of $2,500 she refuses our final offer.  Our agent gets an email from the seller's agent saying "what a shame the deal fell through over such a small amount of money".  We stood firm and refused to go higher. 

I went looking again at houses.  I reconsidered those that I had originally discarded.  I didn't sleep.  I worried and fretted and finally made a decision.  We. Need. A. House.  I called Jason in Germany and we figured out that we'd  have to settle on a house in the right area, but one that we could fix up over time, and that we'd just have to pay whatever the sellers were asking.  So I went back to the agents office the day after our last deal fell through and began filling out yet another set of offer papers.  As I'm chatting with the agent, pondering the cost of re-doing the roof and kitchen and putting in new windows and, and, and...I say "oh I just wish the other lady would accept our offer!"

Then the phone rings.

Debby, our agent, hands me a pen to start signing the fourth set of offer papers, then answers her phone.  Then she takes the pen out of my hand as she sees who is calling on her caller ID.  It is the agent selling the PERFECT house.  The seller decided to come down and accept our offer.  We got the house!!

I couldn't believe it.  I called Jason and he was so relieved.  Finally we could start thinking of "home" again.  A home that would hopefully be ours for a long time, not just 1 or 2 years.  I took the kids through it and they also loved it.  We figured out which school they'd go to and drove by it.  We found the nearby parks. We realized that we knew a family who goes to the same school and had a playdate with them yesterday.  The kids all hit it off and now they'll have familiar faces on the first day of school. Things were looking up!

We had the inspection today and mostly things are fine, but there is one issue.  Luckily, the house is still under builder's warranty so hopefully they will fix the problem.  As long as that item is fixed the house will be ours by mid-August!

Keep your fingers crossed for us.  It has been a L-O-N-G three weeks.  It's felt like three months.  It is nice to finally have some semblance of stability.

Happy (Almost) 8th Birthday, Aidan!

My poor summer birthday boy always misses having a big friend party in July, so as in the last 2 years, we celebrated with his friends early.  Last Friday, Aidan invited 10 of his friends from school to a party at the Lego Store in Wiesbaden.  The boys had a great time building a soccer kicker and goalie out of Lego robotics and then using the computers to program them.  It was such a cool activity for these kids!

Programmers hard at work

Giant Lego man!

Aidan and his friend Connor

Aidan and his friend Nick

Present time!  Cool Frankfurt soccer jersey and, of course, Legos!

Sporting his new jersey, we took Aidan and the kids down the street to McDonald's for dinner and cake.  What a perfect birthday party for a soccer playing, hamburger loving, Lego Maniac!

Ma Petite Ballerina

A few weeks ago, Delainey had her second ballet recital at school.  She is so stinking cute, I just had to post these pics!

The Final Countdown

Time is running out!  We have only 5 more sleeps in Europe.  It is hard to believe that this awesome ride is coming to an end.  We are really excited to get back to see all of our friends and family and to get the kids some stablity, but I won't lie and say I haven't enjoyed every minute of these 3 years living abroad. 

Even amidst the mayhem of packing, unpacking, physically uprooting ourselves, making new friends, learning our way around new places, learning a new language, and everything, it has been worth it.  We are not returning the same people we left as.  We have each grown in our own ways.

 Lainey was still a baby, fresh out of diapers, when we left Michigan.  Now she's a big girl, nearly 6 years old who can ride a 2-wheeler, write her name, read a few words, speak some German/French/Italian, and has the confidence and sass of a child twice her age.  She speaks with a British accent and thinks that it is totally normal to go to Italy or France for a long weekend.  She doesn't remember having a mom who works, and thinks it completely natural to hear 4 languages (or more) spoken by her classmates.  She is a worldly little girl with friends on 3 continents. She looks forward to going to Olga's for lunch next week like some kids look forward to Disney World...it's all about wanting the things you can't have, right?  She will be 14 months older than some of the kids in her Kindergarten class, but will have to catch up to those younger kids in their knowledge of cartoons on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel. 

Aidan is no little boy anymore.  He is a mini-man.  He speaks German nearly as well as I do.  He is finishing 2nd grade doing 4th grade math.  He is comfortably being the only non-German on his soccer team.  He made his First Reconciliation and First Communion. He says he thinks it will be "weird" to see everything written in English, but is nervous to make friends in another new school.  He can't fathom having more than 17 kids in his class, but hopes that means more possible friends.  He wishes England was closer to Michigan so that he and William can visit more often.  He is concerned about riding a school bus without a buckle.  He has learned to make friends, leave friends behind, and have friends leave him behind.  He thinks most people move every 2-3 years, but hopes to find a friend that he won't have to leave or be left behind by.

Jason has made such strides in his career.  He has jumped a bunch of rungs on the corporate ladder that he couldn't have in Detroit.  His name and face and work is known by executives here, where in Detroit in was (and may be again) one of the drones. He has worked amazingly hard and done great things at work and it is nice to be in a smaller group where the higher ups notice and acknowledge that.  As much as he works, he still finds lots of time to be with the kids on the weekends, take them to school, be at soccer practice, go to ballet recitals, etc. He has learned to navigate roads in over 10 countries, speak a bit of lots of languages, and to be a real support to me since we don't have grandmas near by to call on in a pinch.

I think I may have changed the most though.  I speak German quite fluently.  I haven't worked in 3 years, and am scared that I have forgotten how to teach and how to balance work and family.  I have learned to eat new foods, how to stand on my own 2 feet more than I ever did before, how to navigate roads (even with a stick shift) and public transportation in lots of places.  I've become a published (albiet unpaid) writer.  I've run a 10K.  Like the kids, I have friends on 3 continents.  I have become better aware of the world and it's issues. 

I think that I am more worried about fitting back in at home than I was about fitting in in Switzerland when we first moved.  I want us to meld back in, but also don't want to lose some of the cool things we've learned or forget friends or memories of our time here.  Re-entry is going to be a big tricky, and I really hope we don't sound like the girl in American Pie who always talked about "this one time at band camp".  We will try really hard not to start every sentence with "this one time in Switzerland/Germany", but please forgive us if we do occasionally mention something about our time here, because it has been more than just a vacation, our experiences here have been our lives and have become a part of us.

As much as I'm looking forward to getting back to normalcy and stability and, yes, shopping and eating at our favorite restaurants, I'm savouring these last few days of semi-retirement by having lunch with friends and spending lots of time with the kids at school. That being said, I also kind of wish this week were already over and we were already on US soil, as the good-byes are hard and moving process even harder.  Here's hoping for a very calm and uneventful, non-teary week and one that ends with us all, especially Cinnamon, back in the USA!  We can't wait to see everyone as soon as possible!

Thanks GM for giving us the gift of this opportunity. 

The best way to sum up how I feel about the last 3 years is found in the song "The Good Life" by One Republic.  I think of it as my theme song right now!  Just change a few city names, and it's pretty accurate!  (Trips to IKEA or sitting in the dark right now because we've sold all of our lights, being the BS part) Here are the lyrics:


Woke up in London yesterday

Found myself in the city near Piccadilly

Don't really know how I got here

I got some pictures on my phone



New names and numbers that I don't know

Address to places like Abbey Road

Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want

We're young enough to say



[Chorus]



Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life



Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life



Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh



[Verse 2]



To my friends in New York, I say hello

My friends in L.A. they don't know

Where I've been for the past few years or so

Paris to China to Col-or-ado



Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now

We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e

What there is to complain about



[Bridge 1]



When you're happy like a fool

Let it take you over

When everything is out

You gotta take it in



[Chorus]



Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life



Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life



Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh

A good good life Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh



[Bridge 2]



Hopelessly

I feel like there might be something that I'll miss

Hopelessly

I feel like the window closes oh so quick

Hopelessly

I'm taking a mental picture of you now

'Cuz hopelessly

The hope is we have so much to feel good about



[Chorus]



Oh this has gotta be the good life

This has gotta be the good life

This could really be a good life, good life



Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight

Like this city is on fire tonight

This could really be a good life

A good, good life



Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh

Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh



To my friends in New York, I say hello

My friends in L.A. they don't know

Where I've been for the past few years or so

Paris to China to Col-or-ado



Sometimes there's airplanes I can' t jump out

Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now

We are god of stories but please tell me-e-e-e

What there is to complain about

Under the Tuscan Sun

Our last "hurrah" vacation, was to probably the most obvious destination in Europe: Tuscany.  On our 8th (!) trip to Italy, we figured it was time to do it up right.  And, this time, finally, I fell in love with Italy.

Tuscany is the part of Italy to see.  It is not dirty, over crowded, or too  touristy.  It is relaxing, and peaceful, and beautiful.  Even Pisa wasn't bad.  Although you do have the souvenir stands, they are set away from the actual tower and not so in-your-face as they are in Rome or Venice.

We started out with 3 nights by the beach near Pisa.  We extended the German long-weekend by tagging this part on, per Jason's request. We relaxed at the beach and took the kids to see the tower.  Jason and Aidan climbed it!  When Jason and I were here the last time (in High School) it was closed for renovation.  Lainey was too young, so she and I just played with the pigeons. The boys loved the tilted climb!

After Pisa, we headed for San Gimignano, about an hour further into the Tuscan countryside.  We rented a villa near there with 2 other families.  Here is our first glimpse of San Gi.

 

San Gi is a gorgeous mid evil hill town.  It is known as the "Manhattan of Tuscany" because of it's skyline of bell towers. We enjoyed wandering the town, shopping and eating yummy gelato!

 We checked into our villa Wed afternoon and jumped right into the pool! We didn't even want to leave for dinner the first night, so we made our own Tuscan feast and ate on the terrace!

 We spent the first half of each day at our pool.  It's a hard life, we know!

 After a rough day by the pool, we'd shower up and go into some cute town to wine tastings or shop or eat more gelato.  Then we all met back up for dinner.  Here I am with my friends, Monica and Tricia, toasting to what may be the best dinner I ever ate

Besides the super good pastas, we all devoured Florentine T-Bones!  How about 3 pounds of meat!!

One of the coolest things we did is visit Bran Caia vineyard.  The reason it was so cool is that we know the owner!  Our upstairs neighbor in Switzerland owns this vineyard!  The apartment in Zollikerberg is just his Swiss "crash pad" for when he's there on business, which is often.  Unfortunately, Martin was not at the vineyard this weekend, but his employee gave us a great tour and let us taste tons  of wine, even some of their 50€ a bottle wine! 

Here we are among the vines and in the tasting room

After Bran Caia, we went to another great restaurant.  You have to give it to the Tuscans...they know how to cook (and eat!).  Lainey loved her gnocchi!

The men enjoyed the Limoncello :)

We had such a relaxing and indulgent long weekend at the villa.  We thought about becoming squatters and refusing to leave!  Unfortunately, we made the honest decision and left Sunday morning. Then we spent 15 hours driving home to Germany.  It should have only taken 9 hours, but thanks to winding 2 lane roads, tunnels, and all of Europe having a long weekend, Switzerland was a big parking lot. At least we had nice scenery and the kids and dog were good! 

All 3 of them slept a good part of the way.

We saw this sign A LOT as we inched our way home.  But, Tuscany was worth the drive!

So much to do, so little motivation to do it!

So, a brief update.

Regarding Cinnamon:  House breaking not complete.  Grr.  I had hoped she'd be trained by now, but nope, we are still having a few accidents.  I can't quite figure her out.  Just when I think she's got it, she goes inside.  How long will it take???  I know they say not to expect anything until after 16 weeks, and she's just 13 weeks, but I had her pegged as a prodigy!  We are taking her with us to Tuscany this week.   Here's hoping she's not going to ruin anything.  I had to buy her a new crate as she's managed to chew her way through her travel bag and foldable crate.  The crate is still somewhat usable as it's the top she chewed through and I safety pinned it shut and if I put a blanket on top, she can't escape, but I bought a small plastic crate for the car trip.  Try chewing through that, missy! 

We've also decided how she's flying back to the US.  Originally, I was planning to take her with us on board.  But, after realizing how squished she'd be, and how nervous I'd be about her crying or peeing or gaining too much weight in the next month, or whatever, I've decided to ship her as cargo.  Not sure how she'll do, but it's a pet service, and they assured me they fly puppies every day.  At least as cargo, her crate will be big enough to stand in and she can have some water.  And I can relax...with a glass of champers and good food...in first class...with 2 kids...while my husband is in economy class...

Speaking of the move, our flights are booked:  We are giving up the easy, posh, life we've lived for the last 3 years for the reality of mortages, full-time work for both parents, and living in a place where drinking wine at 10am is not socially acceptable.  We leave June 23rd, and can't wait to see our friends and family!!  Then the house hunting commences.  We have 2 months to find a home so that Aidan and Lainey can get sorted into a school.  In the meantime, we'll be living in a hotel, then my mom's house, and then (if we don't have a house by Aug 1.) a furnished apartment.  At some time during those 2 months, I hope to find out where I'll be working.  Currently, I have no clue if I'll be teaching Kindergarten or Middle School.  Just that I'll be somewhere in Plymouth or Canton.  But, hey, at least I still have a job!  Definitely not complaining about that!  Here's hoping there are some good homes on the market in Plymouth or Northville in July!

The Final Countdown:  Since we have less than 30 days left in Europe, we have got to get on with finishing our list of where we want to go! 

This week, we are going to Tuscany.  We've kind of saved the most obvious of European destination for last.  We are spending 3 nights near Pisa where we'll see the Tower and do a boat/hiking trip through Cinque Terre.  Then we go for total relaxation and food and wine heaven for 4 nights near San Gimignano.  We've rented a villa with 2 other families, so 6 adults and 6 kids and one dog altogether.  The villa has a pool, and there are small towns and lots of vineyards nearby.  We just have to get through the 10 hour car trip and all will be good!

The last place I've been wanting to go, but haven't yet is Amsterdam.  Another kind of obvious one, but it has slipped by me.  Jason went with a friend, so now it's my turn!  I'm going for a quick overnight trip with some friends the week after we return from Tuscany.  Amsterdam is just 4 hours away, so it'll be easy to do in 1 1/2 days.  Luckily, I have a wonderful husband and great friends who will take care of the kids before and after school for 2 days so the rest of us moms can go. 

We are still trying to fit in a fun park.  We have one more weekend to do something, and I think we'll hit either Playmobil Park, Europa Park, or LegoLand.  Each are just a few hours away from us.

So much to do: So as you can see, I'm avoiding the inevitable.  Moving details.  I should be spending the next few weeks sorting things out, separating items for air shipment, sea shipment, give aways, sellable items, throw aways. I should be working on our inventory list.  I should be trying to catch up on my scrapbooks.  I should be running so that I'm in shape when I see everyone again!  Woulda, shoulda, coulda...oh well.  It will get done eventually, but until then, I'm going to squeeze as much in to the next 26 days as possible!

Polish Pottery Shopping Weekend

This weekend, I spent time with some girlfriends in Poland.  Boleslawiec, Poland is famous for their pottery, and this is where we went.  We left after school drop off on Friday and stopped in Seiffen, Germany where all the Christmas Market goodies are made.  We all bought a nutcracker, smoker, or pyramid, then carried on into Poland.  Wow, Poland is really Eastern Europe.  Not so fancy, scammers trying to pull you over to ask for money, Communist era buildings, etc.  But, on the upside, Poland is very inexpensive!  We stayed at a really cute bed and breakfast, called the Blue Beet Root. The other guests were all British and Americans (lots of military) and had great food and drinks and spa services.

Saturday morning we were up and hitting the stores at 7am.  It had the fun feel of Black Friday!  It took me a long time to decide what to buy and everyone made fun of me for wanting to find all matching pieces. After 5 stores, I was finally able to make a decision and start buying.  Here is a picture of Andy's, one of the smaller shops:

Here's where I did most of my spending, with our whole group!

 This is the restaurant we at lunch it, affectionately known as the Polish Hooters, based on the waitresses attire.  Yummy goulash and perogis

 Outside our B and B

 Here's my stash!  I even bought Cinnamon some dog dishes :).  We also went to Borowski glass factory and I bought a big frog bowl, I'll add a pic of him later. 

I can see how people can get addicted going shopping here!  I got so much for so little!  The B and B was great, yummy food, pedicures, etc and lots of fun for groups of girls.  I wish I had known about Boleslawiec sooner!

On the way back, we stopped at Buchenwald, an old concentration camp near Dresden.  This was the first I went to, and it is seriously sobering.  I cannot believe people let this happen, and even more I cannot believe that German schools do not teach about the Holocaust.  It was a very moving experience.

 Entrance Gate to the death camp

 Translates to  "To Each His Own", not sure how that fits with what happened here. 

It was horrible to see  the crematorium, where the barracks were, and the photo gallery.  I'm glad I saw it so I can learn from history, but it is unconscionable to think this went on for around 10 years. 

My Mount Everest

I did it!  I ran a 10K race this weekend! 

This may not be much to some people, but to me this is like climbing Mt. Everest.  I was never a runner.  I only took it up 2 summers ago.  I enjoy running, but I don't love it.  I still don't consider myself a runner, but at least I've proven something to myself.  When Jason and I were first married, we made a "Life's To Do" list of all the things we'd like to accomplish in our lives.  One of mine was run a 10K.  When I wrote it, I never really thought I'd do it!  But, after being diagnosed with asthma a few years ago, I realized I could do it! 

My friend Monica and I decided we'd do one together.  We began training a few months ago, and were planning to run a nice flat 10K near Amsterdam.  But, her husband had to go out of town and her mom was in town this weekend, so we cancelled our Amsterdam plans and chose to do a race sponsored by our school. 

This race was NOT FLAT!!!  If we had known how uphill this whole trail would be, and how it would be raining during the race, and how the trail through the forest would be covered in huge rocks, I think we'd have bailed.  But, it was too late when we realized all of this.  Here we are blissfully unaware of what the trail and weather would be like:

Lainey and Aidan were our cheerleaders!

We soon realized this was a seriously uphill battle.  After the first 5K below, we were swearing up a storm, but still running strong!

 It was in the middle of the 7th kilometer that it started pouring.  As if uphill and rocky wasn't enough.  But, I think it made us run faster!  We completed the whole race in 1 hour 44 seconds!  That is way below our goal time of 1 hour 5 mins and that was when we were planning on a flat course!  I am so proud of us both!

Here we are, wet and grimy, but happy to be done!  Now we are trying to talk ourselves into the Detroit Half-Marathon in 2012 when Monica returns to Detroit too.  Hmmm....wonder if I can stay on the running wagon once I'm working full time? At least I'm able to cross something off my Bucket List!

Mother's Day

Even though it fell on the same day as Aidan's First Communion, Mother's Day did not get ignored!  My family let me sleep in as much as I could before church and made me breakfast.  Jason even took over early morning puppy duties for me!  When I came to the breakfast table, I was showered with gifts and hugs.

From Jason and the kids: tulips and a special Delft tulip vase direct from Amsterdam, and an Apfelwein pitcher from our local Biergarten!

Lainey made me a few things at school, and she was so excited to give them to me.  Here is a poem in German that translates to:

Dear Mommy, listen

None is as dear as you.

Now to end this

a sweet sugar kiss!

She also made me a card and wrote a poem:

Mommy

Cuddles, cooks

My best Mommy

I love your kisses

Sweet

Apparently, 2nd graders don't make Mother's Day crafts at school, but Aidan did draw me a picture of he and I playing catch :)

This I know for sure: I am one lucky Mommy!! 

Aidan's First Communion

Today was Aidan's First Communion!  We have been really lucky to find an English speaking church near us, and to top it off, the church offers religious ed classes at our school!  So all year, Aidan and Lainey have been doing RE 2 mornings a week.  Aidan has been preparing for his communion, and Lainey has just been learning a lot.

Today, Aidan made his First Communion with 11 other kids from his school and the larger International school campus.  They all did a great job and looked so handsome and beautiful.  Aidan wasn't so happy to have to dress up, but ended up looking great and was very proud of himself.  He even had to read one of the Prayers of the Faithful and bring up the gifts.  He told me he'd like to do that more often!

After church, we went out to a nice lunch with the families of the other 2 girls who go to Aidan's school.  We all had a great time celebrating, but of course we wish we could have been celebrating with our own family!

Our First Communicant

Lainey and Aidan

Family pic

The 12 Communicants

Aidan, with Brianne, and Kendall (his schoolmates) and his RE teacher, Mrs. Corrigan

Vienna and Bratislava

During the kids' Spring Break, I took them to visit our friends, the Baurs, in Bratislava, Slovakia.  We met them in Zürich, and Delainey and the youngest Baur girl, Sara were best friends for the 2 years we lived there.  Their family moved to Bratislava just before we moved to Germany.  I thought this would be a nice treat for Lainey to see her BFF one more time before we move back to the states.  Plus, Bratislava is just 45 minutes from Vienna, Austria, so we could check it out too!

We didn't spend too much time in the city part of Vienna but we did see the Hotel Sacher, where the famous torte originated and for me to find my Starbucks mug!  Instead, we spent most of the day at the Prater, a small amusement park in Vienna.  The kids loved it and since this trip was mainly for Lainey, we let the kids dictate most of our time.

Goofing around at the Prater

Lainey and Sara, BFFs!

One of the 2 ferris wheels at the Prater, the other one is over 100 years old!  We chose to ride this one.

Here's a pic of the old one

After the Prater, Jeannine took us to a Viennese institution, a Heuriger.  It's like a Biergarten, but with wine.  This is one that she used to go to when she lived in Vienna 10 years ago.  I loved it!  It's still run by old-fashioned rules about when it can be open and such, so you have to pay attention to the pine branch hanging down by the sign.  When it's hanging down, it's open!

Jeannine and our strawberry wine

We spent one day in Bratislava, at a swimming pool and just hanging at Jeannine's house.

 This is what the sleepover room looked like!  They all had such a good time together!

On our last day, we went to Schönnbrunn Palace.  It was the summer palace for the Hapsburg family who ruled Austria for hundreds of years.  It contains a palace, the world's first zoo, a playground and maze, and Gloriette a mini-palace atop a hill overlooking the main palace.  It was a beautiful day and a beautiful place!

At Gloriette, looking down onto the palace

In the maze, there were these weird Feng Shua (sp?) things.  Boys were to hug one, girls the other for peace and harmony in life.

At the palace, looking up at Gloriette