Our trip to Roma

We juts returned from our trip to Rome, Italy.  We chose to stay for a week in August...bad choice on my part.  Rome is great but when it is 97+ degrees everyday with no A/C in the apartment and 3 kids, a week was too long.  We got the Omnia Rome & Vatican pass and it was worth every penny.  What makes it different from the regular Rome Pass is that it includes 3 days of hop on/hop off bus on the Roma Christina as well as FREE entrance to all of the Vatican City.  This in itself saved us probably 4 hours of waiting in the sun.  That was worth every cent we spent on the pass but the other benefits were an awesome benefit too.
The first day we got there and it was extremely hot and we didn't have a real idea of where we were supposed to go.  By the time we got to our apartment we were done!  There was a market going on right outside our apartment and we were too tired to even go explore it.  The apartment we stayed at was in a pretty good location.  There was a tram right outside that took you right into the main center/hub area (Piazza di Venezia) and there are many great restaurants right outside the door.  You have the normal (but really good) Italian restaurants and an America style restaurant right on the corner.  We visited each of these multiple times.


The second day we chose to do Vatican City.  We went to the Omnia meeting point and got our reservations to go into St. Peter's Basilica (which just meant a staff person walked us to the front of the line and let us go right in).  FYI: have shoulders and knees covered BOTH men and women or you will have to purchase a super expensive, touristy scarf to cover yourself. LOL.  We got in and it was almost too much to take it.  Very overwhelming.  There is just so much to see and it is all so grand and magnificent.

The third day we chose the Colosseo (Coliseum).  It is iconic so we had to make sure to hit this tourist spot.  We decided we would try to walk to it rather than hop on the bus.  Unfortunately we are directionally challenged and went on the right size of Piazza di Venezia instead of the left
LOL...what a difference that makes.  We were able to see many cool things though but as it got hot I got cranky.  So we found the hop on/hop off bus and hopped on (we would later find out how close we were to the Colosseo and feel quite silly haha).  The Coliseum is so grand and magnificient...and even as great as it is in the day, the nighttime view is breathtaking.  The way they light it up makes it so ROMAntic. It is definitely one of my favorite sights.  We went inside and climbed the steep stairs.  There is quite a museum upstairs and it was pretty interesting but again it was HOT!

On the Fourth Day, we went back and did the Vatican Museum.  I was so excited to see the Sistene Chapel.  All of the exhibits were too cool...really left me speechless but I was dying to get to the Sistene Chapel so I probably didn't appreciate them like I should have.  I took tons of pictures...I'll go back and look at them for many years and be able to take in all the talent of these artist.  Meanwhile, we make it to the Sistene Chapel and are ushered in all the while being told, "Shhh, no pictures (WTH???), keep moving!"  It was a little intimidating.  I was afraid I would be kicked out if I stepped with the wrong foot.

 Of course I have no pictures of the Sistene Chapel after all that anticipation :(  But I will admit my ignorance...it was not was I thought it was.  I had imagined a dome with angels and the hand of God.  While it did have the hand of God embedded in it...it was definitely not a dome.  I actually cannot figure out what it is that I am picturing and google searching "angel painting dome" doesn't help haha.  So anyway, the museum was really cool and so much to look at.

After the museum, we went to eat but didn't go far enough so we fell into a tourist trap of a place...no good food at high prices UGH!  but the gelato shop right down the road redeemed the location.  Then we ventured to the Trevi Fountain (which I prefer during the day...the yellow lights at night mess with the image for me). And we also went to the Spanish steps (well...I wasn't that impressed.  I had heard the view was great...it wasn't.  All you could see from the top was the backs of buildings...you couldn't even see the many steps from the top).  The steps at the capital building at Piazza di Venezia is a much better view and far less crowded.

The next day we chose to go to out of town to Ostia Antica...we had heard that if we can't make it to Pompeii then this would be a decent substitute.  This town is a Roman city ruin with so much to explore and see.  If you are into the ruins, this place is a must see as it is so easy to get to and free with your Roma Pass/Omnia pass (metro and entrance fee).  We barely even scratched the surface and we were there for many hours.  You could easily spend a whole day exploring.


 The last real day to explore, we decided to do souvenir shopping and go to the Pantheon

 It was also very neat.  I have heard that it is the place to be when it is raining because of the geometry of the hole in the top and some other math stuff...the rain just funnels down into these 2 small holes in the floor beneath.  I would have loved to see that but since we saw intense heat and not rain...I didn't get the chance.  It was still neat to see the dome of it and all the paintings and all.  These 2 Japanese woman just adored my blonde headed children and asked them for pictures in front of a few things...they were reluctant but smiled anyway haha.


The next morning we left fairly early and the holiday to Roma was over.  It was a great experience and I am so glad I got to experience it with my kids and parents.

Berlin...the good, the bad, the ugly (and a bit sketchy)

We decided it was time to travel and Berlin was our location....we also decided to go over 4th of July (which is just a regular day here in Germany)...and we also decided this on June 28!!! LOL  Preplanning just went out the window.  It was ok though...I got on the awesome Facebook group and found a recommendation for an apartment.  I got online and looked...wasn't a bad price and only had 2 left...no credit card required so I booked it.  later I read there was a cancellation charge...how I am unsure since I didn't give my info but none-the-less I didn't have any intentions of cancelling.  I looked more at some tips and learned that to go up in the dome of the Reichstag building (the gov't building), you must pre-book an appointment time so I did that.

The time came and we headed up to Berlin...another debate for us was whether to take the train or drive.  I had heard the horror stories of the "staus" (aka traffic jam that can last HOURS in Germany).  I had also looked up ticket prices and since it was such short notice it was going to be 383 EURO!!!  I did try the L'tur website which is known for discounts for last minute travel but it wouldn't work for me.  Anyway in the end we decided to drive (for us it turned out to be a great decision).

We get to the apartment which is a beautiful, bright yellow building.  However, the rest of the neighborhood was quite sketchy and run down.  The people walking around weren't making me comfortable (sorry if that is judgmental).  I walk into the apartment building and realize I am not sure how to "check-in" so I go back outside and call the number on the confirmation email.  No answer and clearly I had reached a voicemail in German...hmmm...so I call back 3 more times and finally he answers.  I ask "Sprechen Sie English (Do you speak English?)...he replies "um...nicht so gut" (not so good).  Wonderful...I know some German but asking how I can check-in to my apartment that I booked is not in my vocabulary LOL so I try it in English anyway.  He actually does know English but it isn't great...it was good enough to let me know that he had none of my information and would need to call me back.  The Heavens opened up and we saw our way out of this potentially bad situation.  He calls me back and starts trying to get our information...I say that's ok we found somewhere else.  Who knew Holiday Inn Express were international haha.  Luckily once I had talked to Booking.com (the booking agent that we went through), it all got cleared up and we had the cancellation charge waived.  I am gun-shy to book another apartment...got to get some better tips.  We called Holiday Inn Express City Center and they had availability...were in a pretty central location (for the things we wanted to visit) and were priced very reasonably (79 Euro a night) and also included a cold breakfast bar.  We get there and check in then head out for our adventure.

That will be my next blog on my other computer where the pictures are located haha

Wolfstein Village

My village!!! It is beautiful and the entire reason we live relatively far out. Even in December, when we moved here, we knew it was a magnificent place. In our village, we have 2 castles (so cool right?!?!?) there is the Burg Neu Wolfstein (new castle) and the Ruine Alt Wolfstein (the ruins of the old castle).  The are both so cool in such different ways. The Burg NeuWolfstein was our first castle visit in our village and the views from the castle will take your breath away. Here is a panoramic shot that does not do it justice.  

  I could spend hours up here just looking out at the village. I am amazed at the beauty and the colors of God's creations. But I digress, here are a few collages of MY castles (LOL). First off is Burg NeuWolfstein:

  Again pictures do not do it justice. We really like this one!

Now for our newest discovery...through this path of gorgeous greenery

 You come up to this tower like castle ruin. The Ruine AltWolfstein:

  I am reluctant to share the beauty of my village because I selfishly want to keep it as my untold secret jewel but it really is too beautiful to keep secret. So come one, come all and discover the beauty that is Wolfstein...

Cologne, Germany...in our opinion

horrible picture because of the sun :(

We made it to Cologne, Germany finally...(after many weekends of interrupted plans).  It was a bit longer drive than we expected...we were looking at right at 2 hours but the GPS corrected us and said 3+ hours.  then the freeway-hating GPS kept asking us to go random places even on the fastest route (another blog for another time).  We make it to Cologne in search of the Cathedral, which is said to be magnificent.  We get there and BAM! There is was.  It really is a magnificent sight.  It was massive!  I thought it was beautiful and right then declared the long drive worth it.  (Later I may have taken that back...you'll see).

There were so many people there...like it is a main tourist attraction LOL.  We wanted to look around and then get inside so that is what we did. (There is an elevator for those wanting to bring their stroller.  It was all pretty stroller friendly).  Here are just a few pictures from all the sides of the Cathedral.

 The outside was so wonderful we couldn't wait to get inside.  In our experience there have been some breath-taking sights inside the churches here.  Well.....we (personally) were let down :(  They definitely put all their effort on the outside of this thing.  It was huge on the inside and if this had been our first church we would have been very impressed...however, it was not our first and so that effected our opinion of it.  i'm not saying it wasn't something you should see...I am saying it wasn't the best to be seen out there.  The stained glass was abundant and very colorful.  It focused more on their priests and saints than Jesus and I was disappointed in that.  I have become a bit obsessed with seeing the German depictions of Christ as they are generally so detailed and fantastic in quality.  As we looked around there was very little displays of Jesus.  We did find one corner of them though:

 We walked around outside in the little square and down the side roads (there is a ton of shopping...and a ton of people).  We got to see street performers which is always neat.  Overall, Cologne was not a total loss.  I actually really liked the outside of the Cathedral (the pictures don't do it justice) and there is said to be a great zoo (we ran out of time as everything closes at 5pm on Saturday).  I think we will go back for the zoo and they have tons of museums there which sounds great to me as well.  Cologne is a great city you just have to give it some time to show you its beauty.

On the way to Cologne we passed some great villages (they all have wonderful churches so I am in Heaven with each village we passed).  So on the way back we stopped at a few.  I just love taking pictures of these churches (even if I am not a professional photographer).  This was one of my favorites...it was in the village of

Waldböckleheim.

This one was in another village down the road called Staudernheim.  In between these two villages was a little ridge area and we caught a glimpse of 3 paragliders.  It was really neat...we got to see them setting up.  Then around the corner they were taking off.  And down in the next village we caught the first one landing.  It was really fascinating and intrigued my girls.  They have now declared they want to do that...the momma in me says NO!!!!! but I kind of think it would be fun. (Ok so in the collage picture you can't really see them but they are there LOL).



Trier, Germany

Porta Nigra

We finally made a trip to "little Rome" (what we call it anyway), Trier, Germany.  I must say that I would never have even known there was such a great treasure in this town from the main road.  In fact as we were traveling through the town I was certain that we had made a wrong turn.  It is all mostly modern buildings then BAM! there is this huge Roman gate made of stone.  Otherwise known as the Porta Nigra "Black Gate".  It was a spectacular view from out of nowhere. Again this picture doesn't do it justice.  It absolutely took my breath away (and the 19* temperature had nothing to do with it)

We proceeded to park and walk through this great Black Gate.  Inside is this quaint little town with cobblestone roadways.  When you first enter there is a museum and an information center.  There you can buy what they call an Antiquity Card.  We got the Premium Card so that we could go to 1 museum and 6 other attractions (was 14$ for each adult, children were free).  This card got us into all the attractions we wanted to see. 

From there we went down the street to see the sites.  It was so cold and it was a Sunday so all the shops were closed but it was still nice to look around.  The main attraction that caught my kiddos eye at first was the beautiful building that housed a 2 story McDonalds LOL.  Of course we had to go in and even though it was McDonalds the building was magnificient and the second story had great view of the town.



We visited the Catlle Market Baths which were pretty neat.  We would have completely missed them if not for a sign out front because they are underground and the building you go into is very modern looking on the corner of two streets.  When we walked in they handed us an information brouchure which they had in English luckily.  They had numbers that told us what each part was so that helped us to picture what it would have looked like when it was functioning.  Really neat to go in and see.


Then we went on to the Kaiserthermen which was another spectacular sight.  It was beautiful and had a lot to explore.  Underneath there was a maze of paths.  It was dark in some areas which added a sense of mystery.  The archways were neat and beautifully constructed.  Back above ground, we explored the Alderburg Castle in the Roman caldarium.  There were passage ways through the arches on the bottom which were blocked off but made for fun secret "tunnel" for the kids.

There really could be a whole blog post on the church "Loebrauenkirche" and the "Dom St. Peter"  Both were breathtaking from the moment you walk inside.  The pictures I have don't do it justice even as beautiful as they turned out to be (PS I do NOT claim to be a photographer by any means).  I was amazed at the detail in all the carvings.  I would go back to Trier just to spend a day in these two places. (Although everything else is worth the trip as well).  My favorite was the ceiling in the Dom.  The detail...I am speechless about it.  There are so many pictures I could include from these two places but I won't fill this blog (any more than I have already) with pictures.  It is something that you must go and see in person.  It is definitely worth the little over an hour drive from Ramstein to see it.  Trier will definitely be a place on my list of places to show my family when they visit.  Happy exploring!

Burg Nanstein

We are currently a one car family so our exploring us dependant on that. Yesterday we were able to have the car after the kiddos dentist appointments so while daddy worked...we explored. Landstuhl is nearby so we decided to explore and find the local castle. Burg Nanstein is only about 10km from DH's work. I must admit the signage isn't spectacular when you are driving in heavy traffic trying to locate this castle. I even tried to find the exact address for GPS but wasn't successful (looking back I could have used the Schloss Hotel address). We have a Ford Explorer and the entrance to the drive up to the castle made me suck in hoping we'd fit. We did :) but it is a roadway mostly only one car width but it is a two way street. A hidden blessing was that this castle is closed on Mondays so while we didn't get to go inside, we also didn't meet up with very many cars on that narrow path.

When we got up to the hotel portion, we circled around to check it out. There is parking there and also a walking path up to the castle. We opted not to do this yesterday because it was cold and rainy and quite muddy. We drove up to the castle and began to look around. It was very neat. The kids were so excited. There were many archways and "tunnels" for the kids to go in. We walked up the steps to the castle door and discovered that it is closed on Mondays. That was ok for us. Still plenty to see and quench our exploring thirst. It was mostly still intact so it still resembled a castle. The view from the castle of the town/village was superb. The picture does NOT do it justice We will definitely be doing back to explore more.

Our Sunday Venture

In Germany all stores are closed on Sundays. It would be easy to complain and fuss because we are so used to going and doing our shopping and such on Sundays (and I have heard of these complaints). But we have decided not to waste these precious times. That being said, today was colder than I was hoping and so I had to alter our plans.

We decided to just ride around and see what we could find. I tried looking online for scenic places to visit around our village (we live in Wolfstein, Germany). On my quick search I didn't find anything so we loaded up in the car and headed north. The first "big" village close to us is Lauterecken. At first glance, it is nothing spectacular. But as you enter the town/village there are hidden gems to be found. First of all, there are quite a few shops. (Compared to our village that is). Quite a few clothing shops,which I am dying to go into those the German style, (at first glance I haven't seen much of a difference from American except the lack of color). However, being that it is Sunday the shops were closed, so we've planned to take the train up to the town and shop. So we did discover two beautiful churches. The statues outside the second church were neat. There was a lion and then some kind of eclectic wood carving. The lion was atop a stone monument with writing (but I couldn't understand it). On our way out of the village we crossed the river and on the bridge was a statue of a king. It was beautiful. Then further down was a monument of the crucifix. I always love seeing the intricate statue of this subject matter, it really tugs at my heart. All of these sights were a pleasant surprise.

We decided to continue north. On the way we passed a castle ruin and got a decent picture. Then we came across the town/village of Sien. There it started snowing so it was a quick picture taking trip. We found 2 more HUGE churches that were amazing in beauty. One had what we artists (haha) like to call the onion top. The other church had an amazing tower/clock tower thing. They are so spectacular here. Any church you come across, typically, is gorgeous. I really wanted to go inside these churches to see the beauty inside, but I wasn't sure what the rules were for that such thing. The "tower" church had grand stained glass windows that were pretty from the outside, I'm dying to see what they look like on the inside. This church also had a crucifix statue and it was so detailed and breath taking.

All in all our ventures were successful today. This Sunday was definitely not wasted. I quite enjoyed finding the hidden beauties. Can't wait to explore more