Day trip to Sintra, Portugal. We caught a train at Rossi Central Station and about 45 minutes later we arrived in Sintra. We didn’t have a plan, other than 2:30 tickets to see the Palácio Nacional da Pena. Thankfully Lily wanted a hot dog and while it was cooking, Jay and Ty found a guy that knows the area. Don’t worry, mom. I asked him if he was a serial killer before we climbed into his vehicle. He said no, so we were pretty sure it was safe. Here’s the thing. The Sintra train station is allllllll the way down here. And the Palace is allllllll the way up there. We would all have been cussing if this guy didn’t save us from a day of misery.
Recommend!!We stopped for a photo opportunity and our driver pointed out this tree. It’s cork! Did you know that Portugal is the world’s largest exporter of cork? I didn’t – now we all know.I spy a palaceCastelo dos Mouros is very close to the palace. We had some time before our Palace entry ticket, so we wandered the paths leading to this 10th century Moorish castle.The blue is tile…. WowThe castle was first a chapel built in the medieval ages, the became a monastery in 1493. It remained the home of no more than 18 lucky monks until the earthquake of 1755 when it was mostly ruined. In 1838 Prince Ferdinand purchased it and began restoring it for use as a summer residence for Portuguese royalty.Not sure if you can tell in the picture, but the bed is really short.Not exactly a “lounge in the bath for hours” sort of tub, but it serves its purpose. Ty couldn’t believe they didn’t have showers, bro.The tile in the courtyard was gorgeous.But the tile in the queen’s room….Under construction but still beautiful Hey Jay – if you need a last minute Christmas present idea for me, I could use a new statue of a guy holding a lamp. I love how colorful the palace is!Not exactly a warm welcome to the castleThere are caves and secret passageways all throughout the castle grounds. Apparently the Boy Scouts get to go explore the passageways. Lily needed to rest her weary feet on this surprisingly comfortable granite couchWe took the cobblestone trail down the mountain (so much better than climbing up). Photobombed by a medieval castleSomeone needs to give this guy the Born & Raised tour guy’s information. Or point him in the direction of the nice pathway. Clearly he likes to do things the hard way.A prince on his throneWe found a delicious Italian restaurant at the base of the hill and we all devoured our food. We were stuffed, but we had to stop at Piriquita to bring home some of their famous pastries – travesseiros (a light puff pastry with an egg and almond filling, shaped like a pillow). And a piece of chocolate cake. 🙂Yum….Because you can’t walk by one of these without posing for a picture. 🙂
We ran out of time (and energy) to visit the Initiation Well. I guess we will have to come back someday….
Train from Lisbon to Sintra: easy.
Ride from a non-serial killer stranger who was super helpful and friendly: life (and marriage) saving.
Short walk to the Moorish Castle: worth it.
Ticket to the Pena Palace: worth it.
Hike down from the Palace to town: peaceful and beautiful – a bit strenuous, but lots of steps to make it easier.
Sintra Pastries: not good for my diet but heaven in my mouth.
Wandering the shops of Sintra holding my baby boy’s hand: priceless.
We made it to Lisbon! We were all mostly healthy by Saturday morning – a Christmas miracle. We are staying at the Intercontinental Lisbon and found a restaurant nearby to eat lunch.My chair at lunch was facing a Himalayan Massage shop, and I couldn’t resist the temptation. 90 minutes of one of the best massages of my life.I dare you to say this out loud without singing the “Ricola” songWe stopped at a little Supermercado and picked up some Jesus Port to celebrate his birthday.Zoom in on this. Many of the buildings are covered in tile. That is not blue paint. B-e-a-utiful!!The building farther away is the Central Train Station. It is one of the prettiest I have seen in Europe – and Europeans take pride in their train station architecture.Church of Saint Dominic – built in 1241. It partially survived a major earthquake in 1755 which wiped out most of the central Lisbon city. It was rebuilt only to be damaged again by a major fire in 1959. We were able to go inside the church during Mass. The church is not flashy – shows its age and has many battle wounds – but it is a symbol of resilience.We went to the top of the Central Rossio train station to get a higher perspective of the city. Far off on that hill is the Castle of St George. Humans having been living there since 800 years BC. Lots of battles have taken place on that hillside.This building was formerly the Convent of Our Lady Mount Carmel. It was also severely damaged during the earthquake of 1755. See the giant crack above the door? The roof remains missing, as a reminder of the quake. 30-40,000 people died on one day, either from the toppling buildings, the fires caused by candles, or the tsunami that followed the quake. Lisbon is called The City of Seven Hills. When walking around it seems like the City of 7 Million Hills. There are several elevators throughout the city. This one – Santa Justa Lift – is the prettiest. It was built in 1899 by a student of the guy that built the Eiffel Tower.Views from the top of the elevator No roof…Main shopping streetThe Custard Tarts are a very popular breakfast food in Lisbon. Delicious!Lily was hungry for some protein so we grabbed her a Bifana – not beef, not banana. It’s a slow cooked pork sandwich. Yummy!!We walked up to the Alfama neighborhood- one of the oldest in Lisbon. This home had a gorgeous tile.The pole is funny. 🙂This tile art shows a battle against the MoorsMost of the doors in the Alfama neighborhood were super short. Historically the Portuguese people were very short. There were tiles like this all around the neighborhood to remind people what the community would lose if it didn’t remain. As the older generation ages, the homes are not being bought and restored by the younger generation. Many of the homes were built before there was running water, and some older people still use the community shower houses. There are no roads throughout – only walking paths with lots of steps. We were able to have a glass of wine and some meat and cheese at one of the community centers.Filipe was a great tour guide! Very knowledgeable and easy to spend a few hours with. Highly recommend! Our tour ended at Praca do Comércio. We wandered our way back up the hills through the shopping district.Lily and I officially toured and shopped till we dropped. We hired a Tuk-tuk driver to take us back up the LONG hill to our hotel.
I did not know much about Portugal before arriving. I know a lot more now. So much history, changes in power, catastrophic damage and rebuilding. The city has a great vibe. It feels very safe, the people are happy and vibrant, the sun is shining. So far, I am a fan of Lisbon.
Ugh. The Shearer’s have been on the Struggle Bus. The germs that have been making their way through many households struck us pretty hard. Things have not exactly gone according to plan, to say the least. We are all hoping that we will be mostly recovered by the time we fly to Portugal on Saturday. Fingers crossed…. With every experience in a foreign country – good or bad, there are new things to learn. While this isn’t a “feel good” post, it’s real life – and in our case real life is truly an adventure.
Lily has managed to stay mostly healthy. She missed a couple days of school but seems to have been able to fight the gunk the best. She was able to join some of the school fun – Crazy Hair Day!Everyone – I’d like you to meet Lana. She is an Alpine Haflinger. I think she looks like a mini Clydesdale. Lily has been taking riding lessons for several months. She normally rides a beautiful reining mare named Gucci, but Lily is starting to learning how to lope. Lana is a great one to learn on. Jay’s college roommate, Jon, stopped by to visit us for a few days. This guy has the most adventurous life of everyone I know. He travels the world like a champ. His stories…. Unfortunately I barely saw him. I joined him for dinner his first night in town, then had a work event, then poof, he was gone. Hopefully he can stop by again in his next European excursion.
That was the last smile on Jay’s face for several days. Ty succumbed first. Then Jay.
Kaycee doesn’t mind the fact that dad is sick.Time to bring in the Chicken Noodle Soup. Y’all. Most of you know that cooking is not really my thing. I’m not good at it. I don’t understand the people who can just “throw something together.” But my sick boys needed me. At home, I know exactly what I need to buy at the store to make this. Here, it takes a little extra thought. Our store doesn’t have chicken broth (or at least not that I could find) so I had to make my own. Reames egg noodles? Not available in Germany. I picked up some powdered hünchen stock and a random bag of egg noodles, mixed it all up, slow cooked all day, and hoped for the best. Judging by the devoured crockpot, I think it was a success!!I held out long enough to join some coworkers at the Mannheim Christmas Market and a goose dinner with friends before I fell victim. Last year Jay joined this crazy crew for goose dinner when he was here before we moved. This year he was passed out on the couch so I made a solo appearance. I wasn’t so sure about the goose when I ordered it, but I had to try it. Er-mer-gerd! It was delicious!!This is the perfect advent calendar for me – one box of puzzle pieces each dayA new store opened up in Königstein. Ladies……it is sehr schon! So beautiful! Melissa is the owner and artist. She collects vintage materials and uses them to create new designs. And, she’s a gem of a human. I couldn’t resist the temptation of this gorgeous coat. Merry Christmas to me!!I mean……. Seriously. Check out her social sites. You can see videos of the alterations of my jacket – so fun!! If you have materials that you want to give new life (maybe grandma’s old coat???) she can work her magic on it. We definitely couldn’t fit our Christmas tree in the air shipment, and Jay’s allergies can’t handle a real tree in the house. So we improvise!! Shout out to Kirk for the light design idea. Some of these presents will be packed in a Portugal suitcase, and some will be opened Friday night before we leave. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!
Jay started feeling better Wednesday evening, so about 1 week of misery.
And then I crashed. Hard. Jess called and she said I sound like a man. I have gone through 2 boxes of Kleenex. It’s disgusting and exhausting. Once again, at home I know what I need to survive. Here, not so much. I think I have shared with you all that I hate the toilet paper here. It is not soft. The facial tissues are just as bad – some might argue worse because of the constant rubbing on your nose.
So I think “Amazon to the rescue!” Praying that they have Puffs Plus with Aloe. Um…. Germany Amazon thinks I either need dog spray or anti-aging drops. Yes, I feel like dog poop and a 90-year old lady. No, I don’t need those products. Thanks.This is my favorite. Back home, Vicks Vapo Rub is an essential to rub on your chest and under your nose when you are sick. Amazon was closer at understanding what I needed on this search. In German, the letter “w” sounds like a “v”, and a “v” sounds like an “f”. To keep the same sound of the name, they changed the spelling for the German product to “Wicks”. Funny that they didn’t change it to Wicks WapoRub, though…. Hm.Ok, if Amazon and the pharmacy can’t get me what I need, I will just have to make it myself. One of my coworkers send me this home remedy, which I will now call the Hexe Trinken (Witch Drink). Jess makes something similar, so I thought I would give it a try. Nurse Lily (still healthy!!) prepared the concoction for me last night. It looks nasty. It tastes nasty. But if it helps make me healthy enough to get on that plane on Saturday, I will drink it.
Last night I slept hard. I slept all morning, and plan to sleep all afternoon. Time, rest, and the Hexe Trinken are what I need. I also want my mommy ;). Nothing makes me feel better when I am sick than my mom, but she’s kind of a long way away, so…. Yes, I am a grown woman in her mid-40s. A girl always needs her mama.
Please don’t send me Puffs, Reames, or Vicks. 🙂 I will survive. Just think of this post the next time you go to HyVee and pick up all of your go-to feel-better products. 🙂
We got a pretty good accumulation of snow on Thursday! It was beautiful. But it did create a bit of logistical drama. Lily didn’t get home from basketball practice until pretty late, and Ty and I gave up on trying to drive to baseball. December 6 is St Nicholas Day. At Nicholas was known for being a wealthy man that gave away his riches to others. He especially liked making children happy. On the eve of December 6 (the day he died), children set boots by the door and wake to find treats if they were well behaved during the year. The Americans have evolved the tradition into Jolly Old St Nicholas – Santa Claus – who arrives during the night of December 24.Königstein had a cute Christmas market on Friday and Saturday. Lily and I wandered through and had bratwurst and Glühwein.Ty had a basketball tournament in Brussels. Jay and Kaycee drove there to watch (and check Brussels off the travel list).The boys went undefeated for all 4 games!The girls headed to Nuremberg to visit one of the most popular German Christmas Markets. 2 hour train ride – I love train travel!Not sure which is cuter – the car or the girls?!The famous Christkindlesmarkt!Feuerzangenbowle – apparently this is the world’s largest one. It’s a hot totty that is a little different thank Glühwein, just as yummy!Prost!!Lily loved this Langos – a fry bread (kind of like memaw’s Navajo tacos) with cheese, sour cream, and garlic.
The weather outside was frightful – and wet, gross, unpleasant. What’s more fun that walking through a crowded market? Add umbrellas and rain…. As much as people wanted to be happy, the weather was a bit of a Debbie downer. Deanna had the brilliant idea to go tour the Nuremberg Trials museum – indoors for a couple hours to let the rain pass.
Here is Courtroom 600, where the Nuremberg Trials took place. There were many people that finally suffered the consequences of their actions during the war. It was a historical statement – there are international laws to warfare, and those that choose to disobey will be tried for their crimes.The prosecutors employed a strategy of using as much Nazi material as possible as evidence. Propaganda, letters, etc instructing people to commit war crimes were hunted down – often hidden in old castles – and sent to the lawyers in trunks like the one pictured above.The sentencing ranged from not guilt, to 10-20 years in prison, to life in prison, to death by hanging (Tod durch den Strang). Someone can fact check me, but I think only 4 of those sentenced to hanging actually received the punishment.After our history lesson (and our tooshes were warm), we headed back out to the markets. There was a Kindermarkt that was mostly for the children. I mean, how could we walk by these and NOT buy them? Impossible ask. This might be my favorite picture.Ok fine, we will take a serious one. 🙂This church. One of several amazing and really old churches in Nuremberg. I didn’t get a good picture of it, but the square in front of this church was FULL of rows and rows of huts. The Glühwein mugs were sehr schon (very beautiful).Ah!! So pretty!Partnerstädte had booths selling wares from a various countries.Such a goofball! I love her silly spirit.Hey guys – want to go on a Ferris wheel (Riesenrad)? Yep!!The view from the topWe timed it perfectly – you can’t see it in this photo but there were fireworks in the distance that could only be seen from the top of the Ferris wheel.Our accommodations at Das Paul were in a great location – on the River, view of a palace. I would only recommend if location is #1 priority. Was a little small and awkward, and the checkin process was not great. But it was just fine for 1 night.This was a unique little shop. The artist carved castles out of a piece of wood. They had a huge one that moved each section up and down. how did they do that?!?!Mystery solved!
My favorite shop was Käthe Wohlfahrt. If anyone is ever looking for a gift idea…. smokers and nutcrackers and villages and ornaments galore!!!!
Cute little street in Nuremberg And another – with a beautiful church steeple in the background One last market on Sunday morning before heading home. Had to get a Glühwein to get the boot. Twist my arm.And Lily liked this mug so she HAD to get a heise Schoko.All good things must come to an end. This statue represents how I feel many days after work…. Thankful for little excursions like this one to recharge my batteries. Memories were made with 3 of my favorite ladies!
Last week was Thanksgiving. While this is not a holiday celebrated by the Germans, Jay and I took some time off to spend with friends and family – and eat amazing food. I have so many things to be thankful for this year. Good health, the worlds best husband, 2 children who amaze me on a daily basis, a dog who reminds me to enjoy the little things, family and friends at home who haven’t let the distance separate us, friends here who have become such an important part of my life in a very short period of time, a job that keeps me mentally stimulated and pays the bills, new coworkers that have been great to get to know, and last but not least – being able to spend the month of November with the worlds best in-laws (makes perfect sense that they created the worlds best husband).
Ty bought a couple souvenirs in the Black Forest last weekend so that he could decorate his room. We are all starting to get in the Christmas spirit!Zack took Kirk and Sherry into Frankfurt and showed them around. Rumor has it he missed his calling in life and should have been a tour guide.Thanksgiving!! We signed up to bring mashed potatoes. Everyone got involved in the prep. YumBlack Forest ham, Amsterdam cheese curlsNow THAT is a proper bottle of wineThis hat was a hit. Its legs moved and it played the Chicken Dance. So many giggles.I love that we have found people that are as goofy as we are. Ted. I am thankful for Ted. I am thankful for Ted’s ability to go shopping at the US military base where they stocked CANNED CRANBERRIES! Y’all. I know it is a teensy bit redneck, but I grew up on these. And I can’t have Thanksgiving without them.Zack and Deanna had a turkey cookoff. One smoked, one baked. Both were mouth watering delicious. This woman never ceases to amaze me. Kicks butt at work, as a mom, as a dear friend, and as a hostess.We might be a long way from home, but this meal brought me there mentally. Everything was SO good. All made by people who we have come to love like family this year. I mean. This HAT!!!It is hard to believe we have known most of these people for less than a year. And sad to think we only have about one more year with them. Making the most of the minutes.Did I mention I have the world’s best husband? He is so special that an entire country didn’t have to work on his birthday. While everyone was stuffed full from the Thanksgiving feast, we did manage to eat at last a couple bites of his birthday cake. Ty learned a good lesson over the past couple of weeks. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. He wasn’t going to try out for the JV basketball team – not good enough, won’t make the cut, super competitive team, blah blah blah. I begged him to at least go to the tryout and let the coaches tell him he wasn’t good enough. Guess what….he made the JV team, and even gets to travel.
Fun (annoying) fact. Finding basketball shoes in Germany is not easy. Amazon came through for us, but it was a struggle.
One fun thing that a few of the International Schools do is host visiting athletes to save on hotel costs. Ty was able to stay with a family in Switzerland during the rugby season. We got to return the favor for basketball. We hosted 2 boys from the Zurich International School – one from Romania, one from Hungary. They were sweet boys, were only here for one short night, but it was a great experience.
Because Ty made the basketball team, I stayed home with him while Jay took his parents to Strasbourg, France for the weekend. They said it was incredible! There were several different markets spread out across the city. Many streets had a different theme. So many lights. So many people. So much hot wine. They had an amazing last weekend in Europe together.
Kirk and Sherry made it home safely. They may need 3 weeks to recover. :). They were troopers – often walking 15,000 steps per day, backpacking through Europe. They explored new places, tried different foods, embraced the experience. I am thankful for them.
This weekend is the first of the Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) season. Lily hung back with a friend for a birthday party, so Jay, Ty, Memaw, Papa, Kaycee and I hopped in the car and headed south the the Schwarzwald – The Black Forest. We stayed at a beautiful Air BNB in Titisee-Neustadt.
SNOW!!! We woke up to about a foot of snow on the ground, covering the trees. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!Saturday morning Jay and I took Kaycee for a walk around town to find a bakery. There is a pretty lake in this town (the German word for lake is “see”) and lots of cute shops along the coast.
We had a few hours to kill so we walked around Freiburg’s Altstadt (old city) area. So cute!!
“Hey Ty, will you stand here so I can take your picture?” “Why mom?” “Just do it Ty.” (Giggling) “MOM!!!!!!!”The cathedral in Freiburg was another incredible structure. These Europeans really know how to build a proper church. One that is not only pretty to look at, but can withstand the test of time. The construction on this one began in 1200. How many structures are we building today that will still be around in 800 years?There was a fun market around the cathedral – not a Christmas market, just the normal weekly market. It had a lively atmosphere, several different street performers singing and playing instruments. We had tickets for a 2-hour time slot to visit the Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market, set in a valley underneath a HIGH train trestle bridge. It was a small-ish market, so 2 hours was plenty of time to explore.Plenty of time to drink Glühwein (hot wine).Plenty of time to collect souvenir mugs.Plenty of time to eat lots of yummy food. Yes, I bought some Black Forest ham.
No trip to the Black Forest is complete without a slice of Black Forest cake.
The Black Forest is the birthplace of the cuckoo clock. this cuckoo on the side of the building puts on a show every hour.Sunday morning we drove through Triberg. Such a cool little town! Lots of shops with things made from the wood in the Black Forest – cuckoo clocks, incense smokers, nutcrackers, and more! There is a beautiful stream that flows down some waterfalls through the town. This shop in Triberg is SO COOL! So. Many. Cuckoo. Clocks.1000 to choose from, so not an easy decision, but I finally landed on this one. The street sign out front says “Frankfurt”. It is being shipped to our home in Bettendorf to await our arrival next year.My Auntie Shell had a collection of smokers and nutcrackers. This little guy came home with me. We had one final meal in the Black Forest before heading home. Black Forest ham for me, please!
This was such a fun weekend, exploring a new part of Germany, kicking off the Christmas market season with Memaw and Papa, enjoying the first big snowfall of the year from a cozy home. Perfection.
I asked everyone what their favorite part of the weekend was. Food and drink, cuckoo clocks, Freiberg. I have a feeling we will be making another trip to the Black Forest in the future.
The kids had “2nd Fall Break” – a 4-day weekend in November. We grabbed some friends and hopped on a 3 hour flight from Frankfurt to Crete, Greece. It’s definitely the end of the tourist season. In fact, we were some of the last guests to leave our hotel, Mitsis Renela in Heraklion. They were shutting it down until March. We tried not to let the cooler weather drag us down. We at least saw some sunshine and a few brave souls swam in the Mediterranean Sea and the pools. Not me. Brrrrrr.
Wheels up!!We arrived after the sunset, but we still found the sea! Trust me when I say it is behind Memaw and I.“Hey dad, I’m going to need you to blow up this floatie….” #dadoftheyearOne of my favorite parts about arriving to our destination after dark is waking up, pushing back the curtains, and looking outside. This view did NOT disappoint!!On Friday morning the girls went to the spa. Lily is going to have to get a really good job when she grows up to afford her massage addiction.The boys went fishing. The water was like glass and the fish were biting like crazy! They probably caught 20 fish each. Some of the fish that they called Sunfish had actual fangs. They also caught some Pufferfish. I wish they had taken a video of those. They had a great day on the water.Deanna and Maggie weren’t going to let the cold water stop them from playing in the waves.Lily wasn’t a big fan of the cold water, but she wasn’t going to let dad’s hard work blowing up the floatie go to waste. She was in her happy place.No way in hell was I going to get in the water. I was perfectly happy staying dry, listening to the waves.Memaw and Papa had the perfect perch to watch our sand volleyball match from their balcony.Friday evening we ventured into downtown Heraklion to experience some local Greek cuisine at Antipodas. We might have ordered just a teensy bit too much food, but it was all SO GOOD!
On Saturday we piled into a van with our tour guide, Costus, and explored the island. We headed inland and started climbing. Our first stop was the Aposelemis reservoir, which was at pretty low levels. The island definitely needs a good snowfall this winter to replenish it. I was surprised to see an entire village that was deserted when the dam was built. The residents were treated extremely well by the government to relocate.
Unfortunately the Palace of Knosos (the most important archaeological site on the island) was closed. Bummer.
The first stop was the Greek mythology thematic park. I don’t know much Greek mythology, so I am probably the worst person to comment on this. But I can say the work that went into this particular park was pretty incredible. The photo above is a replica of the Trojan horse. Unfortunately the cave where Zeus was allegedly born was closed. There were goats everywhere. They were not wild – they all had owners, but they all ran free. there were also so many cats running around. Lasithi Plateau Windmills. The view from up here was beautiful.This is a really old tree. The sign said it was a few centuries old. Our tour guide said it was 2,400 years old. The world may never know…Panagia Kera monastery. Well, it is now a convent, not a monastery, but in any case, it was a peaceful place. Costus said that in 5 years of leading tour guides he has only seen 3 nuns. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the church, but there were chains hanging on the wall if you wanted to add a little weight to your prayers. I knew that Greece was one of the top producers of olive oil, but until you see it, it is hard to imagine. There are olive trees EVERYWHERE. There are about 30 million olive trees on the island of Crete. If there was a patch of dirt that could support a tree, one was growing there. So a stop at an olive oil factory (press) was a must.
Costus said there are 3 things to look for to select a high quality bottle of olive oil: first press, cold press, and extra virgin. Anything beyond that uses chemicals to squeeze a little more juice out of the olive. Also fun fact – the olives that are used to make olive oil are tiny and are not the olives that we usually see on a charcuterie board. Some are black (ripe), some are green (not ripe), but they all come from the same tree. The color variation is caused by the location of the olive on each tree, as compared to the sun.
The farmer harvests his olives by hand and brings them to the press. The factory usually keeps about 10-20% of the oil from each farmer’s olives, which they package and sell. In addition, the factory sells the “waste” from the first press to companies that are able to squeeze just a little more oil out (see the chemical comment above).After taking a shot of the fresh oil (using a technique similar to wine tasting), we shipped a couple bottles to Germany. Yum!We were all pretty hungry and thirsty, and the Lyrarakis winery saved the day! We tried 5 different wines and ate a light lunch, which of course included olives and olive oil. I mean, this airport runway…..
I am glad I saw Crete, but we kind of wish we would have gone to Athens, at least at this time of year. 4 days was definitely enough, especially since the weather was cool and rainy. But, the time spent with friends and family was perfect. We all needed a little recharge and we got it!
We crossed something off the adventure list that we hoped we wouldn’t have to do – spend a night in a German hospital. Ty got a concussion at rugby practice, and the coaching staff thought it would be best to get him checked out. I took him to one ER, where we waited 3 hours to be told that they don’t have a pediatrician on staff. So we got in the car and went to another hospital and waited about 2 hours before being told they want to monitor him for 24 hours. We got to our room at 1:00 AM. The mom and son that shared the room with us had a flurry of activity at around 3:00. Needless to say, we didn’t get much sleep.
So what is the same and what is different than US hospitals? Crappy cafeteria/hospital food = same. Caring nurses = same. Sleeping accommodations for mom = better in Germany. Delivery of pain medication to Ty = only after asking multiple times. Checkout process = much easier in Germany.
He’s out of sports and resting as much as possible for 10 days, then we will see what the Dr says. we are all a little sensitive about brain injuries so I’m not in a hurry to get him back on a field.
We had some unplanned mother/son bonding time.
Something we were all looking forward to was MEMAW AND PAPA arriving in Germany the day they released Ty from the hospital!! They will be here for a whole month – lots of fun posts coming!
Kaycee is in his happy place. He has missed memaw snuggles.Kirk got a taste of our Sunday hike fun. He walked with Lily and Jay to Rotemüller, where Memaw and I met up with them for dinner. Memaw is a fan of schnitzel. Yum.Hey, Sherry. What do you want to do this weekend? Train to Paris? Ok, sure, sounds good to me. Sherry’s first time on a subway. By the end of the weekend she had it mastered.
We dropped our bags at the hotel then found a cafe nearby that had amazing French onion soup. Then we wandered the streets and did a little shopping and a lot of people watching.
We had dinner reservations at Le Sens Unique on Friday night. One of the specials was Parmentier de Canard. It is kind of like a shepherds pie with duck confit at the base. I thought I would give it a try, and oh man, it was SO GOOD!!!We stayed at the Marriott Champs Élysée, a perfect location for our primary activity – SHOPPING!!! The Arc de Triomphe is a must-do selfie spot.Kirk, Jay, and the kids went to Stuttgart on Saturday to check out the Porsche museum. Jay’s souvenir is built, but it wasn’t in Stuttgart yet so they didn’t get to set eyes on his new ride. Soon!!!Sunday morning we woke up early and walked slowly through the quiet city towards the Eiffel Towel. I wish I had my video camera rolling when Sherry FINALLY saw the tower. She was like a kid at Christmas. It is kind of surprising that you can’t see it from everywhere in Paris. I built up the suspense for 2 whole days. Her reaction was worth the wait.We ate breakfast at a sidewalk cafe where you could see just a little bit of the top of the tower, then made our way to the entrance for our 9:30 tour. Pro tip. Book the first tour time of the day. Get there a little early. Find an English speaking tour group to stand next to. :). We were in one of the first elevators and didn’t have to wait long at all.We had some time after the Tower so we hopped on the subway and went to see Notre Dame. It is still closed for renovations but is getting closer!
I am so proud of Sherry. She checked off so many “firsts” this weekend, and she just rolled with it. We had yummy food, shopped till we dropped, logged thousands of steps wandering the streets of Paris, saw some bucket list things. I asked her if Paris was like what she expected it to be or not. “Oh it is so much better.” I have to agree.
I have travelled to a lot of different places, stayed in many hotels and rental homes. There are a few that stand out in my mind as favorites, and we are adding another one to that list. We stayed at the Bürgenstock Wald Hotel overlooking Lake Luzerne in Switzerland. Magical.
Jay and I arrived on Friday evening. We drove up a windy mountain road in dense fog. We could barely see beyond the front of the car, but we could tell that we had arrived at a very special place. The walk from the parking garage to the elevators to get to the main lobby gave us a pretty good clue about the quality of the hotel. And then the elevator doors opened up to a beautiful reception area, fire burning in a long fireplace. We went to our room to find a dog bed, food and water bowls, a toy, and treats for Kaycee. Our room had a sliding door out to a grassy area, perfect for Kaycee.
The room was beautiful, high tech, and so comfy. It had a bidet. I am a fan. :).
We were able to get last minute reservations to Spices, which happened to be a Michelin Star restaurant in the hotel. Jay and I had our 18 year anniversary last week, so this was our one night without the kids to celebrate. It’s like the restaurant knew – they had flowers on the table that were part of our wedding bouquet.
Shortly after we sat at our table, the couple next to us had a Peking Duck delivered to their table. And, as luck would have it, despite requiring pre-order, the restaurant had one left. Sold!!!
Saturday morning Jay picked up Ty from the hotel where the rugby boys were staying at. The dense fog was still hanging around, but we were hopeful that it would disappear. We took Kaycee for a hike around the resort and checked out everything. It was kind of every with such a thick fog, but peaceful in that we could hear the Swiss cowbells jingling off in the distance. Along the way, Ty expressed extreme annoyance that he is not able to whistle. Jay explained his way. I explained my way. Neither was successful.
This might be the prettiest latte macchiato everI’m sure this is normally a beautiful view.After my facial I joined the boys in the spa. Ty took a long nap on a water bed. The spa pool was amazing – jets everywhere. There was a cold/hot plunge, ice sauna, 100% humidity sauna, and a normal sauna. Glorious way to spend the afternoon.
Sunday morning we woke up and the fog had FINALLY lifted!!!
That is not a lake – that is fog.Our hotel room. Gorgeous We went on a hiking trail that was literally built into the side of the mountain. Apparently Lake Luzerne is down there somewhere.We had to take the Hammetschwand Lift to the top. Yes, we paid 50 EUR to ride an elevator….I was not going to hike up thereElevator at the top of the worldThere is an island. There is a house on the island. I want to live in that house.That is NOT a fake background. How do places like this exist in the world and I don’t live in them?!?!?He’s so handsomeSo blessed and thankful for this manWe rode the elevator up and hiked down. We stopped here and I said it looks like a Bob Ross painting. Ty told us that he “loves to watch Bob Ross videos. His voice is so soothing, and he does that little whistle noise….” TY WHISTLED!!!! Thank you, Bob Ross.Such an amazing resort And as a parting gift, when the car was loaded and I ran up to the gift shop to buy the hotel scent, the fog had disappeared and we could finally see the lake! It was like the icing on the cake of a perfect weekend in Switzerland.
Huge thank you to the Geiser’s for letting Lily stay with them this weekend!
We went to an Oktoberfest tent in Frankfurt with a bunch of fun parents from Lily’s school. Wowzer. Germans LOVE Oktoberfest. Jay said the tents in Munich are 4 times this size – I cannot even imagine. Those benches that people are sitting on in these pictures. Yeah, they are only for sitting when you eat your food (typically an entire rotisserie chicken), then for the rest of your night they are for standing on. We all drank way too much beer, but a good time was had by all.
These Lebkuchenhertz (gingerbread heart cookie) are an Oktoberfest tradition. Jay bought me one. :).
Lily’s 16U softball team, the first 16U team in the Main-Taunus Redwings club, made it to the Deutsche Meister (German National Championship) in Karlsruhe. The girls lost all of their games, but they scored in every one and for being a new, young team, they played really well!
Post game spaghetti ice cream
We attended our first Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball (soccer) game with friends. The atmosphere in the stadium was awesome. Lots of goal attempts, but only one went in the net. Thankfully the good guys won!
We took public transportation to the game. Along with 47,468 other fans.
Ty’s rugby team travelled to Zurich for a rugby game against ISZL. He looks so handsome in his rugby travel outfit. FIS lost, but the ISZL team is made up of boys that mostly play club rugby and are really good. They had fun!
Shearer Adventure 