Jon and I had a couple of weeks to find a place to live before he left for Las Vegas for a month of training. We found the perfect house in a beautiful little village, and I was left to unpack, figure out how to get utilities up and running and figure out the lay of the land (for those who know me well, that alone should make you chuckle!). Jon made it back at the end of March. After a few weeks of growing pains (ie. convincing Jon that it was OK that he couldn't speak fluent German yet), we're loving every minute of it!
We've started to explore our little village, and one Sunday even found and followed a trail up the mountain and came across this cool tower (Aussichtsturm Eulenkopf). I'm sure there are so many other things for us to discover!
I, on the other hand, have never been a big beer fan...until we got to Germany, that is!
Although, I do prefer mine with a fresh baked brezel!
We also managed to fit in some tourist attractions:
Checkpoint Charlie
the crossing point between the American and the Soviet sectors while the Berlin wall was still standing.
The Berlin Wall
Of which, surprisingly large portions still stand. This is the East Side Gallery which spans over 4,265 feet. One hundred and six artists put their talent to it. It is currently being restored from damage and graffiti from (damn) tourists.
I thought this fresco was especially cool!
...and the wall is still marked by plaques and cobbles where it no longer stands.
One of Jon's favorite sites (and not only because it was close to one of the 23 Dunkin' Donuts in Berlin...there's only 29 in the WHOLE country!) was the Holocaust-Mahnmal, a memorial to the millions of Jews assassinated in death camps.
Amsterdam
A couple of weeks ago my friend T came for a visit. No better excuse to travel than to entertain your company! So, off to Amsterdam it was for Jon, his friend Dave, T and me...
for the scenic 
...and the seedy
(I like that T caught this man - not hiding his shame, just his face. HA! - in the RLD)
And there is no better way to re-fuel after a late, LATE night in the Red Light District than the Pancake Bakery! I can't say enough - check it out if you're ever headed that way.
After my ham, pineapple and cheese pancake (it was DELICIOUS!) we headed to the Heineken Experience. This was a "must do" on the boys list. T and I went along for the ride...and it was fairly interesting. I still think Heineken beer leaves lots to be desired!
And last, but not least, I managed to convince the guys that they too wanted to see all the pretty flowers at Keukenhof.
Now, if you're not in the know, Keukenhof has an annual festival in the early spring which consists of a HUGE spring garden.
This year they celebrated 60 years! The whole set-up reflected on the historic relationship between the U.S. and the Netherlands...am I the only one who didn't know that New York was originally New Amsterdam?! Yeah, maybe I should brush up on my history, but the gardens at Keukenhof are absolutely beautiful!
I'm so excited about our time here - compiling lists of all the places we want to go. Anyone want to join us?
2 comments:
It's amazing that you live there and get to see all of that history. Will you take a picture of your house and post it?
The pancake bakery was great! I got banana and apple. Jason got bacon and cheese. They were both YUMMY!!! Not to mention the girls got one that came with a crown and wand!
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