First, let’s talk about the food
My favorite meal was Asparagus cream soup, followed closely by Maultaschen… For those of you near me, we’ll be planning a German culinary evening to see if i remember anything from my cooking lesson for Spaetzle and German Potato Salad – i’ll also take a stab at Maultaschen. Let me know if you’re interested in coming over for some German cuisine.

Stuttgart

After waiting FOREVER at the airport for my parents and aunt/uncle (delayed due to weather, then missed connecting flight in Paris… then Air France lost their luggage), we FINALLY arrived in Stuttgart – tired and hungry.  Though not my favorite city I visited, Stuttgart does offer a lot of charm in the ’suburbs’.  My personal favorites were the neighborhoods of Hedelfingen and Ulbach – so quaint, easy to get to, and just beautiful.  what struck me the most was how dog friendly every place was – not something i particularly remember from 13 years ago… i LOVED that i had to climb over a huge swiss mountain dog to go to dinner.

Medieval Times…

Esslingen, small town east of Stuttgart.  BEAUTIFUL town to walk around.  Got to spend the weekend with my good friend Jess (field hockey teammate from Mary Baldwin College), while she is stationed in Germany – and we met up here after touring around Stuttgart for a few hours.

Friends, castles, and dialects
What a great day! Surprised by one of my German sisters, Britta, and got lots of history (prehistoric museum to see fossils, an incredible monastary, and an intimidating castle), and BEAUTIFUL scenery throughout the Schwaebischen Alb area of southern Germany. It was so great to catch up with friends!

Relaxing on the Neckar

After so much touring in the Schwaebischen Alb area, we relaxed with a riverboat cruise up the Neckar river to Marbach – hometown of Schiller (famous German playwright).

Crazy Train
Crazy day – started in Stuttgart, went to Lake Constance (German side at Friedrichshafen), Basel Switzerland, Freiburg (in the black forrest), Train ride through the forrest, mishap catching trains and getting stranded in Rottweil (home of the Rottweiler, and near the hometown of the man that the movie Valkyrie is based off of)… which leads me to think – why can’t the US have such a great train system? (seriously – 25 euros for 5 people to go WHEREVER in Baden Wurttemberg?). OH, and we got to experience the ICE train (fast train) after missing the first one, which caused our little hiccup later trying to get back to Stuttgart – but still… very nice train systems overall.

Where to stay in Stuttgart
Just some pics of where we stayed… it was like living in an art gallery! Thanks to Werner Greuling for being such a fabulous host!

The Hills Are Alive… with the sound of… Ashley cursing at the rain
Mozart’s birth city… beautiful town, though very touristy. Not sure I could ever see myself living here, but loved the history and the culture all the same. Started with great weather, ended up with lots of rain, and a very tired family.

Munich.  Again.  Been there, done that.  But great to see a friend.
Rain, and more rain… but worth it to meet up with a friend I kept in touch with when I lived in Germany as an exchange student! My picture taking was pretty much non-existent except the obligatory shots of Marienplatz, and of me and Charlotte.

The last stop on the tour…
What a way to wrap up a trip! Reunited with Christina – my other German sister – who I actually lived with in Bavaria for a couple of months. Amazing that so much time can pass, and it seems as if we just talked yesterday. Thanks to Christina and Inge for showing my family around Mainz! My family ended up leaving after walking around, while I stayed the night and spent time with Christina and Inge, then had breakfast along the Rhein river and watched some smart people ride the farris wheel in lightning.

Utah… land of deserts, mountains, canyons… the most breathtaking landscapes.  How does one go about this the best way possible, you ask?  Why, in an RV of course!   The decision to rent an RV was so amusing to me, as all I could picture was Cousin Eddie (from Christmas Vacation) standing there, in a bathroom, drinking a beer, emptying the black water into the sewer… but you know what?  It was GREAT!  This trip was the first time husband and I vacationed with another couple – and it really made for a fantastic time.   Somehow, we all got along and no one got on eachother’s nerves (as far as i could tell, anyway).  That alone seems like a feat worthy of mentioning – 4 full grown adults in a 30 ft. long living space?  that sounded like a recipe for disaster for me.  But mix in good company, great hiking, and memories to last a lifetime, and you get one incredible journey.   Below are some highlights from the trip:

Zion National Park (March 29, 2009)

So begins our first hike of the trip.  We chose to do the Emerald Pools hike, and it was a great choice for us to warm up to the hiking – not too strenuous, great views, and an outstanding spot for lunch at the upper pool.  If you are looking for an easy hike, I recommend this – if it’s warm outside, you’ll get to cool off a little bit from the spray of water every now and then from the occasional water falls forming the pools.  I hope to go back one day and do some more hiking in the park.   Another highlight was driving through Zion to the north exit, so that we could continue on to Bryce Canyon.  Harrowing is probably the best word to describe that… taking an RV through tight switchbacks was… interesting… but it was such an amazing drive – I have never seen anything like it.  If you aren’t up for hiking, I recommend at least taking this drive through Zion.

Bryce Canyon (March 30, 2009)

By far, my absolute favorite day of this trip.  After a beautiful drive through Red Canyon in Dixie National Forest, and waiting for the snow to slow down a bit while eating a hearty breakfast at Ruby’s Inn just outside of Bryce – we went on to see what is now my favorite place in America: Bryce Canyon National Park.  After talking to one of the rangers, we decided to catch a geology class held at the top of the amphitheater, and to take the Navajo Loop.  The park ranger class was great – probably meant more for kids, but informative and entertaining all the same.  Bryce (made up of hoodoos) was actually formed from plates shifting, creating columns – which then took on the hoodoo formations due to erosion.  The Navajo Loop was perfect:  a good degree of exertion (possibly due to snow, wind, cold, and the fact that i was feeling sick), and the best scenery I have ever experienced in the US.   We were extremely lucky to have had snow just before going on the hike, as it added to the beauty of it all.  Some highlights on the hike include Wall Street, and Thor’s Hammer. 

Arches National Park

Arches is probably one of the more well-known national parks… and I was extremely excited to see it.  While it was nice – it was not my favorite spot on the trip.  This may have something to do with the fact that my sinus infection was so bad, I was 7 weeks pregnant, and just felt like crud.  That being said, I still think it’s a must to see the landscape – it’s like right out of the movies. Some other tips – the main attractions are not difficult hikes – if you’re sick, or just want to go on a stroll, this is a good park to enjoy… not necessarily great for strollers or wheelchairs, but it is accessible in some places (like to go see Delicate Arch or Balanced Rock – even if just from a distance).

Canyonlands National Park

coming soon… (sorry trying to catch up on a trip that took place months ago!)

Yes, this is getting ridiculous.  I’ve been back from Utah for nearly 2 months and yet to post about my trip… and in two weeks I’m off to Germany!  I SWEAR I will have something up by the end of the week.

OK, I am incredibly spoiled.  So, I leave for vacation to Utah tomorrow – but when I get back, I have to start focusing on my next trip…  back to Germany I go!

For those of you who don’t know, I was an exchange student during High School in Hof – a small town in North Eastern Bavaria.  My dad (who is retired but now working as a consultant) has a conference in Stuttgart (southern germany as well, south west of Munich in Baden-Wurttenberg) – so I thought what the hell, i haven’t been to Germany in 6 years, and I haven’t spent any significant time there in (gasp) 12 years.

I’m so fortunate to have done the exchange program – I still keep in touch with the girl I lived with (she also came here for a couple of months to live with my family) – and even one of the girls I went to school with there.   My mom, aunt, and uncle are also going – and I’m excited to show them around the town I lived in (not that I can remember any of it – this was before the day of digital cameras), and for them to meet my host family!

So, the trip will look something like this:

• Fly to Stuttgart
• Stay in stuttgart for a few days – visit from family friends coming from Hamburg (their daughter stayed with us for a month in HS – she now lives in Vienna)
• Train to Frankfurt, visit host-sister that I lived with in Hof (really, Tauperlitz)
• Back to Stuttgart, train to Bamburg (or, friend comes to Stuttgart) – visit with college friend stationed in Germany w/ the Army
• Train to Munich – visit Gymnasium friend, stay overnight – go to the alps for the day or something
• Stay in Munich – parents meet up – Host family comes to munich – possibly goes on to Hof so they can see the town I went to school in.

All over the course of 12 days.

Naturally, I notice that stuttgart is close to the Swiss border… and i’ve never been – and I do love getting stamps on my passport… hmmm…  time to start brushing up on my Deutsch!

That’s right! One more day until Utah!  I can’t wait.  Stay tuned for tales from the RV

Well, I have less than two months to my next vacation.  March 28 to be exact.  And I can’t wait.  Where am I going? I’ll give you some hints:

• Big Love
• Olympics
• Polygamists
• National Parks

The husband and I are travelling with the Swimmers to UTAH.  This will be a vacation of firsts for us.  The first time we take a week vacation with friends, the first time we go hiking together for vacation, and the first time we… wait for it… rent an RV!!!!  I serioulsy cannot wait.  Why the RV?  Well, the cost for the RV is way less than renting a car and getting a hotel room in every city.   And – I’ve secretly always wanted to take a trip in an RV since I saw Christmas Vacation.  Minus the whole black and gray water part (google it).  When all is said and done, we will have travelled over 1000 miles by RV in one week, seeing some of the greatest landscapes that our world has to offer.

Here’s our itinerary:

March 28:

fly into Salt Lake City.  pick up RV. go see the Great Salt Lake.

March 29:

drive on to Zion/Bryce National Parks.  at the crack of dawn.  hike all day in Zion

March 30:

hike in Bryce.  head on to Escalante (the grand national staircase, scenic highway), get as close to Canyonlands as we can… all the way to Moab if possible.

March 31 – April 2

Canyonlands/Arches/Moab (i highly recommend googling these places, they look amazing).

April 3

Leave for Park City, Utah.  Hopefully ski, at the LEAST visit the Olympic village

April 4

Return to Salt Lake City… sigh… return home.

Click here to see route

I closed out my travels this year with one last trip to Florida.  This time, it was not to see family, or to have fun.  Instead, it was to go run 13.1 miles (yes, willingly).  The weather was perfect (a little chilly for the state, but GREAT when you’re running more than any sane person should).  The night before, I got to see the Parade of Boats on the intercoastal waterway (or is it intra?).  It was so much fun to see all of the boats lit up with Christmas lights… I wish i had some  pictures (or, had a camera to take pics for that matter).   The rest of the trip was spent either running, or laying on the couch – unable to move.  It was painful, it was tiring, it was worth it.  Click here for details from the race.

This past weekend, the husband and I drove to Florida (and back) in two days.  We left Friday after he got back from work, made it there Saturday, and left Sunday around noon.  I don’t really want to see the inside of my car again for a long time.

Although brief, it was well worth the visit.  We got to see a lot of family we rarely see:

• Husband’s parents (last year i think we saw them twice all year, this year we’ve seen then twice in two months)
• Husband’s brother (and his wife and son!  normally it’s a once every couple years thing, and now we got to see them twice this year – although once was in Saipan!)
• Husband’s grandparents and aunt (from Detroit – used to spend thanksgiving with them until plane tickets were outrageous)

Now, if his aunt would just post the picture of the four generations together, I could post it here

I did get to have a brief visit with my friends that live nearby… I went on a run with The Swimmer (to try and keep training while away from home)… i have to say, running by the ocean is MUCH prettier than running in my neighborhood… and she gets to do this whenever she wants!  Ok, so the heat sucks and you have to go running at 7am so you don’t die from heatstroke (yes, even in October), but still… it was a lovely run.  And the Columbian made us pancakes to celebrate!  The Swimmer MIGHT have me convinced to come run the half marathon with her in December… we’ll see.  I’m not making that drive again (at least not for awhile) so it will depend on if i can find a cheap flight or not.

Some tips and tricks when on a whirlwind trip to Florida:

• Don’t get eaten alive by mosquitos before checking into a hotel… you’ll itch all night
• The Days Inn at Titusville (near Kennedy Space Center) is probably one of the cleanest ‘cheapo’ hotels – far better than the Super 8 we stayed at in Port Wentworth (GA) the last time…
• Do get the add saver at the rest stops
• Don’t eat at Shoney’s – at least not on Seafood Buffet night (apparently that is Friday night)
• Don’t get gas at South of the Border… it’s at least 20 cents cheaper at the next exit
• Don’t go through Jaxonville when the football game is about to start
• Don’t try to take a picture of an armadillo sitting right in front of you with your cell phone – it just doesn’t work, and they’re pretty quick for a fat looking rolly polly animal

Today, my friend K sent me a link to the blog of someone she knows.  All I can say is, I want that life

http://travelfortwo.net/

I’m insanely jealous of Sister’s friend… who is now biking across Europe, in some of my favorite places in the world… I’d settle for cycling across just Germany!  I’ve added her blog to my blogroll, but check it out.

http://cyclingsistas.blogspot.com

Any tips for convincing the Husband that we should do this?  Who cares about the mortgage, work, or the dog