We went to New York City in May of 2015. The weather was PERFECT! We had an amazing time. While there, my Mother in-law hosted a baby shower for us. It was wonderful because we got to see my husband’s parents and grandparents, his brother and sister and his Great Uncle and cousins. My parents even flew in from Oregon to attend the event.
Riding the Staten Island Ferry
Manhattan Vista from Rockefeller Center
Highlights of our trip:
Baby shower at my In-laws and spending lots of time with them 🙂
My husband’s Grandparents 🙂 We also celebrated their wedding anniversary!
Going to the very top of the Rockefeller building in Manhattan
Going to the Natural History Museum with my Creationist parents
Walking through Central Park
Chinese Food in Staten Island
Pizza in Brooklyn
Walking across Brooklyn Bridge
Visit to the Hayden Planetarium
Tour bus through the city
Hot dog Stands in downtown Manhattan
Visiting an Irish Pub
Timesquare
Pizza Place in BrooklynTop of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) 16 weeks pregnant
This past weekend my husband and I had the exquisite pleasure of taking a weekend trip to Munich—the famous party-city in Germany. The last time I entered Bavaria was in 1998. At the time, I was with my family and we stayed in the city of Garmisch. Like the average tourist who visits Southern Germany, we had made a day trip to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. We never did make it into the beer-guzzling city of Munich. I wonder why.
My husband and I were looking for a short, frivolous getaway. Thankfully, transportation in Europe is done with supreme ease. Even if you book a train at the last minute, it seems you can still find options to go anywhere—provided you are willing to stand. We caught the Ice train in Mannheim which took us straight to Munich. We even passed through the village of Ulm, the town where Einstein was born.
We arrived in Munich in the early afternoon which gave us plenty of time to explore the city square. Once off the train we walked our way through the bustling train station and out onto the streets of Munich. Munich is a large city—roughly 150,000 in population. I learned that the people of Bavaria proudly see themselves as almost separate from the rest of Germany—think Texans and the United-States—only that Bavarians are not Protestant Bible-Thumpers. In Bavaria the locals are patriotic, conservative and largely Catholic. Their unique cultural heritage is a result of being separate from Germany until only 100 years ago.
People with model-looking bodies are seen on all corners of the streets. Everyone is toned, youthful, glowing and smiling.
Thankfully, our hotel was located walking distance from the main city square. After dropping off our bags in our hotel room, we wandered into the city center. We passed gangs of tourists and locals all jostling their way into the town-square for Friday-night escapades. We walked by countless trinket shops and clothing stores specializing in dirndls—the traditional dress of German women. I even found a sushi spot nestled in the heart of the city—not too bad!
I would highly recommend walking by the Munich Rathaus. Architecturally, this building stuns with richly ornate flare and at times, seems almost gothic. Like Notre Dame, it has gargoyles peeping out from all corners; definitely a captivating visual experience! Also, in the square you will come across several fountains with erected stone statues in the middle. I randomly notice that a Merman statue sits in the middle of one fountain and squirts water at a little boy.
There are also a couple accessible cathedrals in the town-square that are free and absolutely worth a peak inside!
Munich Rathaus
That night we found our way into the Augustiner Keller and Biergarten—an authentic hot-spot that you must visit while in Munich. Once you enter through the gate you weave your way through the sprawling Biergarten full of Friday night locals all sitting on picnic tables in this outdoor garden. My eyes were grabbed by the variety of sparkling amber brews and assortment of beer glasses positioned all over the tables.
We decided to eat indoors. The beer hall was enormous! We sat at a long, wooden picnic table and then ordered typical Bavarian fare. In less than 40 minutes the beer hall filled up and became a rowdy, cantankerous joint though sans an accordion player. It was a fun place to observe the locals clanking their beer glasses with each other and having a good time.
The next day we made a short trip to Salzburg, Austria. For music lovers, this place is famous for being Mozart’s hometown and for many an American, it is famous for its various scenes in the 1965 musical, “The Sound of Music”. WE LOVED SALZBURG! It is definitely my favorite smaller city that I have visited in Europe.
Salzburg, Austria
The old town of Salzburg is of delightful, quaint beauty. The streets are narrow and the buildings and storefronts are packed tightly together. There is an old graveyard in the center of the old city and above the city stands a fortress (Hohnensalzburg Castle) which we never made it to.
Beautiful graveyard in Salzburg, Austria. The Hohnensalzburg Castle stands in the background.
MEETING MICHAEL MOORE
After our Salzburg day-trip we headed back to Munich. We were just entering our hotel when we saw a group of 4-5 people standing in the lobby, checking in. As we passed my husband muttered under his breath, “Looks like Michael Moore”. How random could that be that a famous, controversial documentary filmmaker would be staying in the same place as us? I turned around, taking a closer look and exclaimed, “That IS Michael Moore”. Michael Moore, hearing his name, turned around and glanced at us. Sure enough, it was him. We made a dash for the elevator. Neither of us are major Michael Moore fans but it was quite random (and surprising) to see that he was staying in the same hotel that we were and on the same weekend.
That night we secretly hoped to pass by him again but of no luck. My husband and I went downstairs so that he could get a drink at the restaurant bar. The bar maid accidentally spilled beer all over his pants and shoes.
In the morning we were offered free breakfast in the hotel since the bar maid soaked (and stained) my husband’s shoes in beer. Free food is free food.
Coincidentally, I stood right behind a GIANT (Michael Moore)in the breakfast buffet line who was heaping himself to lots of eggs and bacon. He had a specialty glass with orange juice and 2 sliced oranges adorning the rim. He was wearing a black t-shirt, sweat pants and an old ratty baseball hat. It felt odd that no one else seemed to recognize who he was. Then again, it seemed like we were the only Americans at this hotel. My husband hadn’t noticed my location yet, when he caught site who I was standing by, he smiled brightly.
Confidently he walked right up to Michael Moore and asked, “So when can I be expecting your next documentary?”. Michael Moore seemed very enthusiastic that finally someone recognized him. He even pulled us over to the side of the breakfast room and told us that he was in Munich filming a documentary that will be entitled something like “Invade”…forgot the exact title. His documentary will highlight “Some of the things that Europe does right…and should be incorporated into America (trains, health care etc)” He was quite affable, down-to-earth and actually, rather sweet. He was more than willing to talk to random strangers like us.
We went to London, well, because I had to. I needed to take my NCLEX nursing exam and the only place in Europe that I could take it was in this country. England wasn’t necessarily my first country of choice as I knew that the transportation cost (either via plane or train) was going to be exorbitant—and we had just taken several trips prior to this. I had never been to England before (other than the Heathrow Airport) and wasn’t sure what to expect. This said, I did look forward to the opportunity to experience another country.
Everything in England costs so much: food, hotels, taxi cabs…coffee. The NCLEX exam itself was well over $400 (only $200 in the States). The test would be hard. The thought of coming back again to retake this formidable exam, pay the fee, and deal with the trip expense, wasn’t pleasant. I had to pass! (Thank goodness for credit cards!)
Despite my anxieties during this “vacation”, we managed to have a really good time. Two round trip train tickets from Germany to England cost roughly 700-800 euro. We boarded the TGV train in Kaiserslautern and then switched onto the Eurostar train in Paris. From Paris, we went through the Chunnel (Tunnel through the English Channel) and then on into rainy, dismal London.
Our hotel was right in the center of town and did the job. Two little separate beds with old ratty furniture, despicable carpeting all within a cramped space will still cost you around 80-90 pounds nightly. But, hey, we were close to everything, right? Bonus, we also got free breakfast.
We walked all over London. We saw Big Ben, the London Eyesore, and took pictures at the London Bridge. We booked a tour through the most haunted place in the world—the London Tower! If you fancy large ravens that will let you come right up to them, this is the place to go! I tried to pet a raven but was pecked at forcefully.We went into an art museum, stopped at a coffee shop to read books, had great Indian food, had some fish and chips and went into St. Paul’s cathedral (You MUST see this!). We also went into the British History museum and saw a bunch of old artifacts.
Other highlights of our trip included going to the gate at the Buckingham Palace and wondering what they were doing up there. Not far from the palace we took a break at the dearest little cupcake shop.
Believe it or not, in two nights and three days you can cover a lot in London! Yes, the entire time my mind was “half with it”. All I could think about was my test to be taken on the final day (so my memories of this trip are fuzzy). To conclude, I took my test, passed, and we were on our way home. Phew.
A few days ago we returned from a trip to Paris. We spent New Years there and a few more days after that 🙂
Our 2 night, 3 day trip to France was a beautiful experience. While this would not be my first time in France, visiting Paris would be entirely new for me. This time, my husband and I became full-on tourists and took a tour bus with a savvy (yet chatty) guide. After our luggage was loaded into the under-belly of the bus, we were escorted from our lovely village in Germany to Paris, France.
Palace of Versailles, Hall of Mirrors
Paris was all I could have ever dreamed it to be! Going a-la-tour-bus style has its advantages—namely, your limited time is used very, very efficiently. An official tour trip will make certain that you see all the big sites of the city while also managing to get group rates for certain museums and events. Also, you needn’t figure out all the navigation, parking—which can become quite overwhelming and time-consuming if you don’t know what you’re doing. The city is so big and the throngs of tourists are so copious that, as a newbie, you depend upon a professional to be the arbiter of your travels.
The disadvantages of an official tour are:
The talkative tour guide who disrupts you while you are trying to nap.
You are often pressured to go to venues (particularly for dinner) that are not always of your choosing and are often more costly (and less tasty) than if you had picked them out yourself.
Thankfully, we managed to figure out the Parisian subway and found our way from the outskirts of the city (our hotel location) to downtown Paris. Also, the subway was free while we were there.
The tour bus took us to all the major highlights of Paris which included: The Palace of Versailles, Notre Dame, The Louvre, downtown Paris, Arc de Triomphe, The Paris Opera House (with the famous Marc Chagall paintings on the ceiling), The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin and also the Eiffel Tower (created by Gustave Eiffel in 1889).
Of the major Paris attractions my two favorites were the Palace of Versailles and also, the Paris Opera house. I would highly recommend both of these! The Palace of Versailles was an outstanding, magnificent beauty that stands as one of France’s great treasures. Louis the XIV is someone who is regarded as incredibly ostentatious and led a life of untold decadence and someone who had a group of servants stand by to clap after he successfully crapped in his bedside commode. By his decree he created a piece of architecture that will last for ages—bringing untold numbers of tourists that will perpetually enrich the country of France.
Assortment of Pics from our Paris Trip
If you’re into sight-seeing and have a fancy for seeing thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands of tourists all at once—the Louvre is the place to go! Also, if you’re into sculptures or paintings, you are in for a treat too. In addition to seeing riveting art works that span millennia and include glorious religious scenes and all manner of Biblical themes, you will come across an entire room full of people clawing their way to behold the most famous face of all—the Mona Lisa.
Over Christmas we decided to take a trip to Prague, Czech Republic. We booked a Van tour to Prague which meant we would be driven to the city in a tightly cramped van with other travelers. We would stay in Prague for a 4 days, 5 nights. While there, we would be expected to plan our own excursions. Happily, this meant that we didn’t have to do any sort of “Group Tours” with the other travelers in our van. Simply put: A ride to a hotel in Prague and then a ride back to Germany 5 days later. What a fantastic idea! Even better, my husband speaks enough Czech to get us around in a pinch.
Enjoying a light coffee break at our lovely hotel in Prague
Once arriving in the city of Prague, we secured our hotel room located at a Best Western in the heart of the city. It had a very spacious balcony that overlooked the entire city. After unpacking and checking out Bohemia from the roof-top, we decided to venture to the Charles Bridge.
The dark of night cocooned us as we trekked our way to the Charles Bridge which spanned the chilly Vltava River. Saintly, yet ghostly stone carved statues perched along the sides of the bridge as if watching over the bridge and the city. Sans the thick swarms of tourists, the Charles Bridge at night has a mystical—almost surreal quality to it. We next made a brisk walk through the central district and saw the famous Astronomical Clock and also the Christmas tree in the center of the square. Also present was a statue of John Huss. This brought me back to 8th grade where I first learned about the Protestant reformer and martyr who was burned at the stake by those wretched Catholics.
Astronomical Clock
After wandering around the city in the deeply cold and dark night, we decided to go out to dinner. The first restaurant we ate at—U Karla—offered classical Czech cuisine like duck, venison, rabbit, pork, chicken schnitzel, boiled potatoes, red cabbage, roast beef with candle sauce, dumplings, goulash, crepes with whipped cream and plum sauce for dessert—the list goes on. These items—especially the meats—happen to be some of my husband’s favorite fare. Never having Czech food before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was mightily grateful after trying Czech cuisine and would recommend it to anyone who isn’t a vegetarian.
Delicious Goulash dishes are served all over Prague!
One thing that I’ve discovered about Czech food is its pungency. The flavors of Czech cuisine are intensely strong. Vegetables—like beets, cabbage—are delightfully pickled to death. Perhaps an even more notable item on the Czech menu is the beer. Thanks to this country’s long-history of beer brewing, Czech Republic is the place to come just for the beer. Forget Germany; go to Czech Republic for a good, dark brew! Delicious, mouth-watering, malty beers are sure to delight even the most scrupulous drinker.Some Czech beers, particularly the microbrews—are unfiltered and unpasteurized giving them a freshness that is insurmountable in flavor.
Unpasteurized dark brew. Mouthwatering!
On Christmas morning we began our day with a buffet styled breakfast provided by Czech hotel staff. After consuming a decadent meal and then swearing off lunch, we found our way back outside, on this cold winter morning. Thankfully, many tourists were not out yet as the city still seemed to be in slumber.
We wandered over to Wenceslas square with the giant King Wenceslas monument in the smack of the shopping district. We then trekked our way over to the Jewish History Museum. We also entered a medieval Jewish cemetery that dated back to before the 1200’s. I learned a little about the history of Judaism. One of the museums showcased many preserved artifacts. For instance, an entire glass case featured Torah Pointers.
The Jewish Quarter in Prague Checking out a Roman arched doorway.
After discovering nearly the entire Jewish quarters of Prague we then embarked upon the Charles Bridge and found our way to the Prague Castle. The Prague Castle sits on the hill and seems to overlook the city of Prague. Here this Gothic Cathedral is built upon the ramparts of a very old castle. The cathedral, itself, is a feast of Gothic architecture endued with Gothic arches, flying buttresses and feisty gargoyles. Inside this Gothic masterpiece are brightly colored Biblical stories enmeshed in stained glass. One of the stained glass windows was designed by the famous Czech artist Alphonse Mucha.
Prague Castle
All of the exquisite elements of the museum created a dramatic impression upon the throngs of tourists in the cathedral. They pushed their way to the statues of saints or the Virgin and child or to the giant crucifix on the wall. Some travelers were praying in front of the statues and wall murals or the stained glass icons, others were simply gawking.
The weather was frigid during all of our meandering through the city. One afternoon we decided to visit the Franz Kafka museum. This museum detailed the life and work of the great literary genius. The darkness and sense of nihilism that pervaded Kafka’s writings seemed to match well with the dark lighting and depressing ambiance of the museum.My husband, an avid reader of almost all of Kafka’s writings, could more fully appreciate this museum than someone like me—a Kafka novice who once read “The Metamorphosis” over a decade ago. Walking through this museum, you could spy the other Kafka enthusiasts—not too different from those venerating the saints in the Prague Castle.
We also had to visit the Alphonse Mucha museum. Alphonse Mucha was a famous 19th and 20th century Czech artist who created lithographic, Art Nouveau style paintings (usually of young women) in earthy, natural scenes. Plants, flowers, woods and forests were settings in many of Mucha’s paintings but the focal point was usually a lovely lady. His work, to me, had a uniquely 2-dimensional, poster look to it that I found to be visually arresting. He is now one of my favorite artists! We also learned how Mucha used his fame for the good of his country and worked to influence public policy during his time.
After our trip to the Mucha museum, we swam through the city of tourists and their selfie-poles to an underground dungeon where we ate lunch. In the early evening we also made sure to attend a classical Christmas chamber concert. A group of local musicians entertained a big crowd of us in an art-deco styled concert hall. Their cellos and violins played to the tune of Brahms, Dvorak, Bach and Mozart. I really enjoyed it when they played,“Hungarian Dance no. 5” by Brahms. Sadly, we didn’t get to hear any of Smetana’s compositions.
We used the subway in Prague on many occasions. I highly recommend using the subway if it gets too cold during your stay in Prague—just know that you will be surrounded by only Czech people and not a single tourist. This is very nice! It is also helpful that my husband can speak quite a bit of Czech which helped us immensely during our travels.
The subway is located deep within the bowels of Prague. We used it several times.
One night we went to a traditional Czech beer hall—a venue patroned by almost all locals. Instead of offering dinner guests a table for two, you are seated right beside random strangers on long benches parallel to long tables; as if by magic, mugs of dark beer are dropped right in front of you. The beer hall was a lively, vibrant place where every 15 minutes a waiter comes by your table with a platter of shot glasses—urging you to take one after another. Baskets of rye bread are plopped on the table before you. The food we ordered was quite delicious! Another cool thing is that a very skilled accordion player comes around the long tables and will serenade you as you eat. I learned that Czech Republic has the highest beer consumption in the world per capita.
Across the Charles bridge is the Mala-Strana (little district) or “Old Town” where there are plenty of narrow, cobble stone streets. In this district, quaint, tightly packed gift shops loaded with Bohemian crystal, pottery and chintzy souvenirs are everywhere! Also present are plentiful kiosks scattered about offering hot mulled wine sure to enthuse any dedicated alcoholic or anyone else interested in a hot spicy flavored brew on a chill-to-your-bone day.
On the fifth day it was time to leave Prague. We made our way out of the city. The outskirts of the city were full of big-block buildings reminiscent of the former communist regime. Our trip was wonderful but too short. 4 nights and 5 days is not enough to experience this lasting jewel of Europe.
OUR NETHERLANDS TRIP (Summer 2014)
OUR NETHERLANDS TRIP!!
We went on a full day trip to the Netherlands. Wow, can I just say that you need to spend more than one day in this place? There is so much to see here! We went on a tour bus—which was convenient for us our time frame on that particular weekend. Plus, having someone else drive you there opens up lots of opportunities—you can sleep on the way there and back and you can enjoy some drinks on your tour. Our bus left at midnight on Friday and returned at midnight on Saturday.
Some of the highlights of our trip included:
Seeing a traditional wooden shoe factory and cheese factory in the Dutch countryside.
Visiting the city of Amsterdam and taking a boat ride through the labyrinth of river canals and even catching a glance of Anne Frank’s house.
Going to The Van Gogh art Museum in Amsterdam—THIS IS A MUST SEE!
Visiting a densely packed bar and chatting it up with the locals.
Perusing through the notorious “Red Light (SEX) District” and seeing sultry prostitutes standing in the windows, waiting to get purchased by excited young males coming from all corners of Europe.
Checking out all the “Coffee Shops” from a distance.
Wandering all over Amsterdam and seeing bicycles galore—also, seeing all the tall, slender houses with the characteristic “hook” on each roof that is used to pull furniture to the upper floors.
Amsterdam was a super fun place to take an adventure; I just recommend a couple of days as this city has so much to offer. The Netherlands is a beautiful country. Next to Ireland, the countryside in the Netherlands is quite possibly one of the greenest places I have ever seen!
We went to Luxembourg on a quick day trip. We visisted Luxembourg City and wandered all over the central district. I found a few garden stores and bought some exotic looking tulip bulbs as well as several packages of sunflower seeds. Both of us can speak a little French so it was fun using our French to order food or buy cups of coffee. In Luxembourg three languages are spoken: French, German and Luxembourgish.
In the afternoon, our tour bus brought us to the Vianden Castle. This castle is monstrous and perched high on a hill. I learned a lot about the difference between Roman and medieval masonry. My husband was able to help me identify the subtle differences in the brick layers of the castle.
Apparently, Roman brick-laying is very orderly and neat and has an almost “perfectionist” quality to it. The brick laying method that came later—in the middle ages—was actually more disorganized and hap-hazard in appearance. By a rough glance, I can now distinguish between more ancient types of brick-laying (Roman) from more recent types (medieval masonry).
We walked through all the levels of the castle and noticed that there were various medieval displays in each section. One of the rooms was temporarily featuring the work of Otto Dix—an artist whom we both appreciate. An entire room was dedicated to his series of 33 lithographs that depicted scenes of the Life of Christ per the book of Matthew—the Matthaus Evangelium—or, “The Story of Matthew”.
Pictures from our trip to Luxembourg and Vianden castle 🙂
Our journey started early. We arrived at our bus stop at 6:00AM and the bus left promptly at 6:30. We were on our way towards the Rhine River. Our travel bus brought us through landscape that suddenly began to burst with many cornfields, wheat fields and Riesling Grape vineyards. The countryside was lush and verdant. Interspersed through the open landscape were compact villages with red and gray roofed houses and always a church with a tall steeple.
The tour bus dropped us off in the village of St. Goar which sat right along the Rhine. From there we entered various little shops where we sampled delicious desert wines including a $495 bottle of Eiswein (Ice wine). We also tried a peach brandy that made you feel like you were lying in a peach orchard, eating peaches on a warm summer day.
Next, we trekked our way through the village square and encountered little shops selling notoriously unfashionable Cuckoo Clocks and other wooden toys—endearing as they were—but screaming with bright, obnoxiously fun colors. Window boxes hung from nearly each and every window sill and were overflowing with red and pink geraniums. We discovered quaint eateries and cozy little cafes offering apple Streusel and coffee with freshly churned cream. I noticed many of the locals were sitting outside, under umbrella covers and exchanging lively conversations.
After our village adventures, we embarked upon a Rhine River cruise ship which forged its way up the Rhine river. Many villages were situated along the Rhine and some had castles peering over the river from high up in the hills.
Our tour bus dropped us off at Reichenstein, a notable castle that was up for public tours—provided that you purchase apple cake and coffee upon your departure. We were given a walk-through tour of the castle. Afterwards we enjoyed the apple cake and coffee in the castle courtyard. From the vantage point of the highly positioned castle one could see the murky, olive green Rhine carving through the valley below. All along the sides of the river were patches of land comprised of Riesling vineyards. Many of these were on steeply slanted terrain that almost seemed to descend into the river. The German’s seemed to be adept at using every spare piece of land in a productive way.
We went into the town of Rudesheim to have a late lunch. Our lunch which was included in our tour package, consisted of jagerschnitzel with a richly delicious mushroom gravy and also French fries and salad.
I’ve noticed that restaurants in Europe typically do not serve water with the meal. In fact, you have to specifically order water and when you do, it costs money, usually between 2-3 Euros. In the U.S., I’ve taken it for granted that a glass of water is something you automatically get with your meal. Another thing that I’ve noticed about eating in German restaurants is that the portion size is not suitable for the average American glutton. For instance, a small coke is really just a small coke. I measured a scanty 6oz in my glass; it did come with a lemon slice floating on top, perhaps to compensate for its’ paucity in size.
After our meal in the little German restaurant, we ended our day by trying the famous Rudesheimer Kaffee. It is a specially made coffee made of brandy, sugar and whipped cream. They actually make it right at your table!
A Slice of My Trash, Travels and Tots 
