Fussen

And now for a bit about Fussen. Fussen is a small town in the most southern part of Germany. It is a part of the Bavarian state, but just a stone's throw from the border. Why would we visit this small town? Well, if you saw it, you wouldn't want to miss it! It took us 5 hours to reach by train from Baden-Baden. Such a trip! But we made it. We had to change trains 3 times. But we made it! And we think it was worth it.

So, what was the draw? Why Fussen? What would make this little practically border town catch our eye? The castles of course!! Today we went to see both of the castles: Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Still not ringing any bells? Neuschwanstein is the castle that Disney modeled his castles at the Disney parks (and on the show, and on the movies, etc) after. It was built in the latter half of the 19th century and was never finished due to King Ludwig II's death in 1886ish. It is amazing. We toured both castles - the one he grew up in and the one he lived in for 172 days before his death.

So, yes, we did spend the day touring castles. We also enjoyed the little town around the castles. John found a coockoo clock for me to buy him for his birthday! (Now pray for me so that I can gain an appreciation of the clock!) We enjoyed our favorite beer in town with a plate of french fries (the place didn't have any pretzels!). Then, having whet our appetite, we went to the restaurant attached to our hotel and gorged ourselves on the yummy faire they offered. I couldn't even finish my beer, let alone my dinner. We ate all we could, then waddled back to our room. John collapsed at 7:00 pm. I guess all of the uphill walking really wore us out!! The best part about walking uphill? You get to walk downhill at some point!! Anyway, that was our day. We will post pictures later. Tomorrow we go to Munich and Oktoberfest begins the next day. I've tried to buy John some lederhosen, but still no luck. I'll keep working on it!

God has blessed us so tremendously on this trip. I pray that he has blessed you as well. One last thing, a big welcome home to my parents. They arrived safely home after 10 days in Greece. I can't wait to see the pictures!! Peace - Melissa

Baden-Baden

Here we are on our last day in Fussen. That U should have an umlof (whatever!) over it! But first, a bit about Baden-Baden. We didn't really have internet in Baden-Baden, so we got a bit out of the habit of blogging. Sorry.

Baden-Baden is a quaint little resort town. As Rick Steves put it: it is the nicest resort town you can enjoy in blue jeans and t-shirts. We found it to be quite liveable. We enjoyed the Caracalla Therme twice - once the first evening and again on the second evening of our stay there. Our hotel was wonderful. Who on earth could have predicted the hugeness of a hotel room in Europe? The breakfast was amazing. On our second day, we rented bicycles and rode along the Oos river right through town. We didn't know where we were going, we just went. We ended up at a little fresh market where we bought some sausages, cheeses, apples, and a bottle of water. We carried our picnic to a park we had ridden alongside and stopped and ate. It may have been our best meal yet. It rivaled the picnic at the Eiffel Tower!! After we turned in our bikes, we rode the bus up to the funicular and then we rode the funicular to the top of the hill (for those of you who are interested, check our Merkurwald, I think.) We were WAY up there. From the top you could see all the way to the Rhine River, and of course, every little village and bigger town in between. It was amazing. Quite cold and very windy, but amazing just the same. We took the funicular back down, but then we hiked through the Black Forest back to town. It is the epitome of beautiful. Of course, we rewarded ourselves on our downhill hike with a beer and pretzel at the Lowenbrau beer garden right in the old town. Who wouldn't have? We worked hard for it!! We went back later to eat dinner. It was quite pleasant to sit outside. We continue to overhear obnoxious Americans in restaurants wherever we go. I do hope they aren't blogging the same about us! Baden-Baden made me think that I really like the type of lifestyle that small towns offer. I love the idea of public transportation and walking or biking where you need to go. There is a bit of freedom in being able to just go where you need to without worrying about your car and all that goes with that. Walking to the market each day to purchase the meat, the cheese, the bread, the veggies and fruit, and the wine for your day. Never stopping to think about potato chips or other things of that nature. We definitely need to add a bit of freshness and subtract a large dose of preservatives from our diets at home.

So then my rambling mind started thinking about this trip. We saw 7 or so castles in the UK and Versailles. We saw a few churches including the Church of the Holy Rude and Notre Dame among others. We've seen our share of museums. These places are beautiful and amazing. They deserve the attention that they get. But, at the end of the day, at least for me, what I remember most are the days we rented bikes and picnicked in the park or the days at the spa. The castles run together and if you've seen one huge cathedral, you know what to expect in the others. But the activies that I participate in with my travelling and life companions are the ones that will live on in my mind. Those will be the events that I can talk about with great confidence much better than the flying buttresses at Notre Dame or the dressing chambers at Versailles. I am so lucky to be able to slow down and enjoy this trip. We are making the memories that we want to make. We will always have the pictures from the places we were supposed to visit, but our hearts will always carry the memories that we made ourselves!! Melissa

Yep - We are still in Colmar!

We are still in Colmar and happy about it! We weren't sure where to go next, John got to feeling poorly (maybe allergies, maybe a cold, but he seems to be on the mend now), and we love this little town, so we extended our stay by two nights. That gave us time to recharge our batteries, fall in love with Colmar and figure out what we want to do next. Our future plans are: two nights in Baden-Baden and two nights in Fussen then onto our reservations in Munich. After Munich, we will hit Bamberg for about 3 days, then on to Erfurt and the Brenchers!! We are so excited about all of the things listed.

But I get ahead of myself. Colmar. Colmar is a town that we hope you will each put on your list of places to see. Not many Americans come here, but I don't know why. It is fabulous. If you have a car or the inclination, it is right in a wine zone and you could visit several wineries in a day. We went to two of them right in town - maybe the safer choice! The wine is cheap cheap cheap, but hard to transport. We are already laden down like pack mules and carrying wine around isn't going to happen. Luckily, everywhere we go we can always get good wine. We, of course, chose to arrive and leave by train. We are then dependent on public transportation or foot. We have yet to need public transport except for to and from the train station. (We chose to travel by taxi - very reasonable.) Everything - even the post office and the train station is within walking distance, and you never know what you will find. On our way to the post office yesterday we found a very nice park. On our way to the train station today (to buy tickets for tomorrow) we passed through the same park and there was an umpah band playing at the gazebo. They were good and fun to listen to. You never know what you will find when you strike out! It's usually good.

Come to find out, John and Annie are very similar in nature. They are definitely funny together. Who knew?! I find myself refereeing them from time to time, but I guess that is part of what this trip is all about!! We are definitely having the time of our lives!

I don't know if we will have internet access in Baden-Baden. We will find out when we get there. We've decided that everyone should visit Paris and London and Munich, etc, but the smaller towns are where it is at! That is where you can recharge your batteries and learn to love a town and it's country. Can't wait for the next stop! - Melissa

Colmar is Magnificent!

Yesterday we rode the TGV (high speed train) from Paris to Colmar, Alsace, France. We left Paris at 12:24 and arrived in Colmar, on the border with Germany, at 3:15. Very cool train ride! The high speed is definitely the way to go! It is nothing like the train we took in the Czech Republic two years ago!! Wow, was it ever fast and smooth. We packed a picnic lunch of sausage, cured ham, cheeses and wine (plus a coke!) that we got on Rue Cler in Paris. Even the conductor was envious! It was very good and we all agreed that it was the epitome of a French train ride! Very romantic indeed. OOOH LA LA!! What fun. The French countryside is indeed very beautiful with small villages tucked into valleys and sitting on hilltops along with periodic castles topping the hills. I'm so glad we decided to take the train rather than rent a car. Our day to Normandy convinced us that the train was the way to go and we were definitely correct! We checked into Hotel Turenne here in Colmar and got busy sightseeing. It is a very quaint town with half-timber buildings dating to the 1400 - 1500's. People have been here since near the turn of the millenium (around 200 AD) or so. The buildings in the old town look like the Wacky Shack at AstroWorld - you know what I mean. If they didn't have other buildings connected to them, they would have fallen down centuries ago! Still very very cool! The people here are infinitely more friendly and the prices are infinitely more affordable than Paris. This is a bit of a destination for Europeans to come on vaca because of it's proximity to Alsacian wine making. We actually went to a winery today and had a bit of a tasting. The winemaker was friendly and the wine was good. Of course we bought a bottle or two! We plan to go back tomorrow. We really enjoyed the souvenir shopping. John wanted to buy everything in town, but we have to find a way to get it all home! HMMM. Oh well, where there is a will there is a way. We've eaten at the same restaurant both nights so far. It is so good! However, tomorrow we need to find a different one. Alsace is in a part of the world that has been a negotiating tool for centuries. Sometimes it is French and sometimes it is German. Thus you find places like La Roesselmann's and hear of people named Pierre Schmidt! It is now French, however, John's grandmother's family came from this area and at that time it was German. The food is equally bilingual and the well-known Alsacian dish is Alsacian sauerkraut! Go figure. Regardless, we love it here and have requested another night from the hotel. So, next we have to figure out our next stop and find a train ticket and a hotel as we work our way to Bamberg, then to Munich and finally to Erfurt. I've attached some pictures. I hope you enjoy them. - Melissa

Versailles

Two days ago we went to Versailles. It was the French king and queen's countryside palace. It was amazing! With all the gold trim and gold statues and portraits made by some of the best artists in France, it is easy to see why the peasants had a revolt. There is very ornate velvet wallpaper on each wall and the crown molding is all gold. The gardens were spectacular! The flowers were all either purple, pink, yellow, or white. We joked around and said that is how they got the colors for Mardi Gras. It was made in the time of king Louis the 14 (in the 1600's) Rick Steves put it best and said that if you only plan to see one palace in Europe, make it Versailles.

D-Day Beaches

Yesterday we rented a car from Paris and drove to Normandy to see the D-Day beaches invaded by Allied forces on June 6,1944. It is something I have wanted to see my entire life, but also something that I was apprehensive about at the same time. Nothing can prepare you for the eerie feeling that hangs over this stretch of beach. For many years I have seen historical footage of the horrific events of those several days. These 2 dimensional, black and white films do not prepare you for the wave of emotion that will pour over you when entering this now peaceful, beautiful coastline. To walk down the hillside from where the German snipers were pearched, across the stretch of lightly vegetated slope and then onto the vast expanse of beach, one realizes just how absolutely exposed the US forces were on Omaha beach.
I never learned from watching old footage how many small farming villages dotted the coastline and fell in the direct path of this world changing battle. Many buildings remain with signs of bullet holes still visible. There are also post war buildings sprinkled in where, undoubtedly, old buildings had been bombed. This is a very beautiful farming area, with dairy cattle, cultivated fields, gently rolling hills and apple orchards. It is a true blessing that time can wash away most of the visible scars of that war. We also saw Point Du Hoc, which was the site of a major German gun battery that had to be taken out. As you Aggies know, this was the mission for Rudder's Rangers led by Gen. Earl Rudder. The assent was up a 95 ft vertical cliff with enemy firing down and dropping granades. Of the 229 that attempted the assent, 90 men survived. General Rudder, from Brady, Texas, went on to become President of Texas A&M University and made changes that took A&M College to the premier University in the State of Texas.

We went to the US Cemetery, which is an incredible memorial to over 10,000 men that gave their lives for freedom during that week in June, 1944. The introductory film and many of the exhibits in the memorial building are focused on the lives of several of the service men, which puts the experience on a very personal level and makes the experience even more emotional. Letters they wrote back home the day before the beach landing are read and you are shown interviews with surviving family members, all of which makes you fully realize they were college kids, brothers, sons, husbands and fathers with no comprehension of what lie ahead. Then we went out to the gravesites and saw row after row after row of white marble crosses and Stars of David as far as the eye can see. You get the sense that these boys and men are truely at peace now. The sounds of the gunfire, bombs and cries for help have been silenced.
It is a place everyone should visit if you have the chance.
John

J'Adore Paris!

Hello from Paris again! We love this city. Today we had a very lazy morning and didn't really get going until nearly 2 pm. We did walk down the street to a local grocery (it's calle 8 a huit) and we bought some important items like toilet paper, sugar and coffee. But we got some other things as well. While I came upstairs to start cooking our lunch, John and Annie walked over to the bread baker and bought us a baguette. It was still warm when they got back to the apartment. I probably don't have to tell you that it was mouth-watering yummy! After we cleaned up the kitchen, we went to Musee D'Orsay. They had some impressionists on display, as well as many wonderful sculptures and other things like furniture from the turn of the century. Afterward, we walked along the Seine and ended up - where else but Rue Cler. It has quickly become our favorite street in the entire world! We had pastries and a coke, then walked across the street and had a beer. We then walked under the Eiffel Tower and made our way home. Once here, we rested for a few minutes before heading our for our favorite little pizza place right around the corner. We met a mother and daughter from Canada traveling together as a graduation gift! They were fun to talk to. Afterwards, we went to Sacre Coeur to see the lights of Paris. Marlies suggested it and asked us to send her a picture, so we did. I have included the lights of Paris from Sacre Coeur on the side bar here as well! Enjoy it! All in all, it was a wonderful day. Slower, but still full and tiring. We are all ready to pass out! Mom and Dad leave tomorrow for Greece! I'm so excited for them and wish them all the happy travels in the world!! Love to all - Melissa

Bonjour A Paris!

So, another day in Gay Paris! We are having an amazing time. We think we could live in this city. Today we went to the Louvre. It is like the Grand Canyon - you either have to give it a cursory glance or stay 2 weeks. We chose to spend the morning (we also only gave the Grand Canyon it's minimum of 20 minutes last time we were there - right Trav?!). However, in our morning, we saw the biggies - Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo and
Winged Victory. We also spend some time with many Greek marble statues and with many of the European masters. Also some time with the Ancient Egyptians. I must say that the Winged Victory was my favorite. Others would of course have theirs. To think about the magnitude of when these works of art were created is amazing. Some of them are thousands of years old. They are missing some important body parts, but all in all, not bad for their age!! The crowds around the major pieces were crazy, but as we dove a bit deeper, we were mostly alone. Guess the "Lace Maker" just isn't that big of a draw!! Still wonderous!

Apres ca, we went and bought some little paninis (they are everywhere here and much more apetizing than a Parisean hot dog!) and stood alongside the Seine for our lunch. There isn't a bad meal in Paris! After lunch we tackled Notre Dame. Here again - the enormity is astounding. And again, to think of how they built such a cathedral in the 1200's is mind-boggling. It is truly difficult to imagine how they did that! Flying buttresses, gargoyles, stained glass and all! Wow! What an amazing place. Of course, John felt compelled to whistle the Notre Dame Fight Song - sorry Buckeyes, but somehow it just seemed right at that moment!!

Then, much to Annie's dismay, we hit one more museum (you have to see at least 4 for the museum pass to pay for itself - so 3 today and one tomorrow seems right!!). We went to the Cluny Museum of Midieval Art. The reason I requested that we see that is because they have some tapestries hanging there that were mentioned in our tour of Stirling Castle in Scotland. There are only 2 known sets of tapestries that are about unicorns, one hangs in New York and is being copied for the renovation of Stirling Castle, the other is in the Cluny here in Paris. They are from midieval times and have always remained together as a set of 6 tapestries since then. They were pretty amazing for any time period, but to consider the technology of the time, I just wonder how on earth did they do that?

Ok, then for the best part of the day - we went back to Rue Cler and got some wine, cheese, meats, the best strawberries ever, peaches and bread and went and had a picnic on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. So, it is a really popular thing to do. There were so many people there - what a fun party it was. We had to run back to Rue Cler twice for another bottle of wine and some pastries for dessert. We sat in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower eating the best meal we could ask for, then as daylight turned to dusk and later dark, the lights came on and what a show! They were so beautiful just as they were, but then the started blinking and dancing. We played and had so much fun we may do it again tomorrow! We met a cute young couple there - he is French-Canadian and she is from New York. They were fun to talk to. Then we went our seperate ways and I came home to blog while the others are sleeping.

It was a wonderful day, full of excitement and amazement. We keep pinching ourselves and each other saying "we are in Paris, can you believe it?" It is a wonderful place. So, more for tomorrow. Peace. Melissa

Arrival in Paris

We arrived in Paris yesterday around 3:00pm via the Euro Star high speed train under the English Channel. We are staying in a very small one bedroom apartment in nice inner city neighborhood. The buildings are about 250 years old and generally have retaurants and small shops on the bottom and apartments on floors above. This morning we went to the top of the highest hill in Paris(via a funicular) to see the Sacre Coeur, which is a huge white basillica. The views of the entire city were amazing. Quite the gathering place complete with live music from guitar players and harp player.
We then went to the Arc de Triomphe which is very impressive. Watching the end of the Tour de France each time Lance won at this historical monument does it absolutley no justice. This monument is gigantic. We then walked the entire length of the Champs-Elysees which is lined with world class stores such as Cartier, Peugeot, Mercedes, Swatch, etc. About 2/3 of the way down is a tall monument(think San Jacinto monument but shorter) that was erected in the location where the guillotine was used on King Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette and 1200 others lost their heads in 1667. Continuing on, we walked through the Jardines tuileries(king's gardens) to the edge of the Louvre.We tour the Louvre tomorrow.We then went shopping on a street called Rue Cler, which is closed to vehicles and lined with a fantastic collection of small boutique shops for wine, cheese, meats, fruits and vegetables, breads, pastries.....everything to put together the perfect French basket meal.
Once again we have walked miles and miles today. So much to see, we have yet to let ourselves stop and rest. We are getting in much better shape physically even though we are eating incredible food. Tomorrow we tour museums. Oh, and we also finally did laundry tonight!This is John signing off. Melissa and Annie say hi, too.