Garmisch

The first trip we've taken since we've been here was to Bavaria. We started the trip with a drive to Neuschwanstein Castle, post below, and then stayed the rest of the weekend in Garmisch. Bavaria is beyond beautiful. We really were lucky with terrific weather and this allowed us to do things outside. We took our bikes and rode through town, went on an adventure up the tallest mountain in Germany, and spent a morning on paddle boats at Lake Eibsee. We loved it and hope to go back many times!!!

The street with our hotel (which had awesome hospitality). I love the German architecture:

Dowtown Garmisch:

Addy found a drinking fountain that had water from the mountains

Luke, showing everyone the view from our hotel balcony:

On top of the mountains. We took a cable car up the mountain which gave access to hiking trails and a restaurant at the top.

View from the top!

Very random. So many cows at the top of the mountains, we're still wondering how they got there?!?! Addy loved them.

View from our cable ride down the hill:

Lake Eibsee, a beautiful morning!

Neuschwanstein Castle

The Neuschwanstein Castle is probably the most beautiful place we've ever visited and a must-see if you visit Germany. It is the most famous castle in the World, one of the top tourist destinations in Europe, and SPECTACULAR! The pictures don't do it justice. In fact, the angle that we took with our camera isn't even the picture portrayed in most magazines/books etc. We were able to do the tour inside, but were unable to take any pictures. Our favorite part of the visit was the view you have once your on top of the hill. The town below is very charming with plenty of restaurants, shops, and beer stands. We took a horse carriage up the hill to the castle which was Addy's favorite part! The best way to view the pictures is to click on them to enlarge.

View of the castle at the top:

Luke is in this picture, just hiding behind daddy in his backpack.

View from the castle looking down on parts of Bavaria:

Addy took this shot:

Inside the castle arch:

In front of one of the castle doors:

A distant view of the castle from the bottom of the hill:

New house, new car

We are VERY happy with our house and the village we live in. We are about 10 minutes away from downtown Wiesbaden, 15 minutes to downtown Frankfurt, and Jeff is about 15 minutes from work. Our village is very cute and very kid friendly. There are so many families with young children and many walking/running paths. We have a bakery, pizzeria, butcher, gelato shop, a few restaurants, and a little market all right down the street. We're also only about a 3 minute drive to an IKEA!

Our house is the perfect size. We realized quickly in the house hunting process that we were downsizing about 1000 square feet. To get anything larger, we'd be living pretty far away. Our only regret is that we brought WAY too much! Our house is actually a townhouse style with 4 levels. We have a completed basement that includes our guestroom, storage, and washer/dryer. Our main level has a kitchen and family room (no formal living rooms or dens in Germany!). The second level has 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. The top level is our master. It's a large loft space that also includes our office and a sitting area. I've posted a few pictures of the house when we first moved in. My plan is to post more once we finally finish unpacking! Our stuff just arrived a few weeks ago, and we are about 90% set up.

Front of the house

Backyard/garden-- it's a perfect area for the kids!

Taken from the windows outside, but this is a peak into the family room and kitchen.

My new car!! We were very fortunate to sell my car the day we left to Germany. We had originally planned on getting a new Volvo, but once we arrived here found an Audi dealership that had great Military deals. We were happy to downsize to a smaller car and get something a little more European friendly. I LOVE it!! I never thought I would be a German car kind of girl, but this is such an awesome car!

Before we left VA......

A few highlights before we left to VA:

We enjoyed an awesome night on the James River with great friends. The Allburn's, took us out on their boat and we had an amazing memorable night!

The group, minus the Allburns.

We took a quick trip to Duck (Outer Banks) and enjoyed great hospitality from our neighbors.

Luke's first haircut!!

Addy's ballet recital:

It was the sweetest and cutest dance you've ever seen. The dad's danced with the girls to the song, "Daddy's little girl". Very appropriate because it was Father's Day!

Addy had a small pool bash with some of her closest friends, just a chance to say goodbye to everyone! We miss our VA friends sooo much and she still talks about everyone on a daily basis.

Of course, we had to theme the party.