Day 37 - Trip Home

Arrival at Sky Harbor Airport

Ben and the girls at the airport

Fortunately, the cab company I called to take us to the airport showed up early.

Day 36 - Last Day in Rome

Day 36 (Oct. 8th) - For our last day in Rome, we visited:

Finished uploading the rest of Germany's pictures to photostream.

We are now home but want to complete our blog.  Ben went to work this morning and will add a couple of posts tomorrow.  Because of time and lack of internet access for any length of time, I was unable to keep up with the photostream of pictures.  I have finished with Germany. You may want to click on the link and check out some that you have not seen yet if you are interested.  I hope to upload the Venice and Rome pictures later today.  If feels so good to be home but am very tired. We had such a great time. Renae

Day 35 - Ancient Rome

Day 35 (Oct. 7th) - Today, we had a private tour guide show us ancient Rome.

Day 34 - Ostia Antica and the Beach

Day 34 (Oct. 6th) - We decided not to go to Pompei because of the travel time required (2 1/2 hours in each direction) and the expense.

Day 33 - Back to the Vatican

Day 33 (Oct. 5th) - Today, we went back to the Vatican.

Day 32 - The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain & St. Peter's Bascilica

Day 32 (Oct. 4th) - Our goal for today was to see the Vatican.

Day 31 - Rome Hop On Hop Off Bus

Day 31 (Oct. 3rd) - Today was scheduled to be a down day with nothing scheduled. 

Day 30 - Train to Rome

Day 30 (Oct 2nd) - We took an express train to Rome today.

Day 29 - Venice

Day 29 (Oct 1st) - We have had our fill of museums and palaces and have decided to just enjoy our one day in Venice.

Venice

We had a frantic start to our trip to Venice.

Day 28 - Returning the RV

Day 28 (Sept. 30^th) – I woke up early this morning to get a shower before had to head back to Markt Schwaben to return the RV.  It took a while to go through the trash and clean out the chemical toilette.  Rush hour traffic wasn’t so bad, but we arrived about ½ hr after 9 a.m.  While very nice, the employees indicated that I had scratched the side of the RV (I couldn’t really see it).  My hopes of getting my deposit back are sinking.  While we really enjoyed seeing the countryside and not having to repack every day or so, driving in the cities on the narrow roads was really too stressful—lesson learned

Munich Nymphenburg Palace

Before going to our campground for our last night in Munich, we went to Nymphenburg Palace.

Frustrations with Campgrounds

Day 27 (Sept. 29^th) – The girls took a shower in morning.  Renae and I were looking over the map in the RV when the employee who directed into the campground two nights earlier came over to our RV. 

Day 26 (Sept 28th) - Sightseeing in Regensburg

Day 26 (Sept 28^th) - Eric rearranged his work day to show us Regensburg.

Horlacher Family

We arrived at Minoritenhof 1 around 4:30 p.m. 

Camping in Regensburg

There is only one camping place in Regensburg.

Lost in Salzburg

After our accident, we had set our Garmin to take us to Regensburg. 

Day 25 (Sept. 27th) – Ein Umfall

Day 25 (Sept. 27^th) – While driving out of Salzburg, we had a small accident. 

Laundry

Last night and this morning, Renae did laundry at the campground in Salzburg.

Day 24 Bike Tour of Salzburg

Day 24 (Sept. 26th) - Yesterday, we tried to burn off our calories from the day before by taking Fraulein Maria's Sound of Music/Salzburg bike tour.

Old Fashioned Photo

Here are the 2 old fashioned photos of the girls:Here are the 2 old fashioned photos of the girls:

Day 23 - Salzburg Alt Stadt and Hohensalzburg Fortress

Day 23 (Sept. 25th) - Today, we toured Salzburg's Old City (Alt Stadt) and went up to see the Hohensalzburg Fortress.

Day 22 - Documentation Center Eagles Nest

Day 22 (Sept. 24th) - When we woke this morning, the clouds were actually lower than us around the mountain.

Day 21 - Castle Linderhof

Day 21 (Sept. 23) - We left our Camping-Park Oberammergau this morning to go to Castle Linderhof, another one of Mad King Ludwig's castles about 12 km north of Oberammergau.  Ludwig was an admirer of the Bourbon French kings and had this castle built based on Versaille.

Notes on Driving in Germany

Here are a couple of observations on driving in Germany:

Pictures of Neuschwanstein

Here are photos of day at Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau.  

Pictures of Walk Along Forggensee

Here are some photos of our walk around Forggensee when we stayed at the campground in Brunnen.

Neuschwanstein

Day 20 (Sept. 22^nd) – This will be a quick post. 

Oktoberfest = State Fair + Lederhosen

Day 19 (Sept 21) – We all needed a break from museums and palaces.

Oktoberfest = Munich Spring Break

Day 18 (Sept 20th) - It was a rough night for Renae.  She was hot, then cold and got up every hour or so.  Everyone was a little rough around the edges.

Day 17 - Baptism by Fire

Day 17 (Sept. 19th) - Today, we left Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Paris Wacko on the Subway

The night before we left Paris we went to see the Eiffel Tower at night. 

Internet Connect

Yes, we finally have an Internet connection!

Going to Munich

We going to Munich today to pick our RV.  I'm not sure of the internet connections we'll have at campgrounds.  It may be a while before our next post.

Day 16 - Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Day 16 (Sept. 18) - We spent today in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a romantic, touristy, little town in northern Bavaria.

Day 15 - Travel to Rothenburg

Friday was a travel day.  We got out of our apartment and took the Metro to Paris Est for the train.  (Paris Est is the station for the Grande Lignes going east.)  We had to make several connections to get to Rothenburg ob der Tauber with only 20-30 minutes to make each connection.

Day 14 - Last Day in Paris

Day 14 (Sept. 16th) - Today was our last day in Paris.

Excellent Service at the French Post Office

We needed to mail back the hair dryer to London and send some post cards.  Renae and I walked to the post office near the Metro.

The young man at the desk was very helpful.  He found the right size box, packed up the hair dryer, and calculated the postage for us.  Very polite, very efficient and very helpful.

Mark me down as a convert as to no longer believing the stereotype of arrogant French employees.

Fearless Renae

We went grocery shopping this morning again at the Monoprix.  Renae was fearless again in asking people questions.  Fortunately, we nearly bought shower soap thinking it was shampoo and conditioner.

We also tried to tell a women in the bakery at Monoprix that she forgot her TP at the check out counter.

By the way, the check out clerks aren't that helpful.  They're seated behind the register.  You put your groceries right on the counter next to them, then you bag your own groceries after she scans the items.

English Hairdryer-Anyone?

As we're packing this morning, we just realized that Renae took the hairdryer from the apartment in London.  She thought I bought an extra for our trip with a UK plug.  We'll try to find a post office to mail back to owner of the apartment in London.

Day 13 - Versailles

Day 13 (Sept. 15th) - It was a beautiful, sunny day in Versailles.

Sainte Chapelle

Here is a quick video spanning the stained glass panels from the church. It was so amazing and hard to capture as a photo.  Renae

Day 12 - Sunny Day in Paris

Today was beautiful, mostly sunny day in Paris.  We made it a light sightseeing day by going to:

• Sainte Chapelle
• Pantheon
• Luxembourg Gardens

Day 11 - More Paris Sites

Today was a beautiful, sunny day.  We visited several sites:

• Orsay Museum
• Rue Cler (for lunch)
• Napoleon's Tomb and the Army Museum
• Eiffel Tower

Observations on Paris

Paris has grown on us.  The day we arrived, we took a hot, graffiti-laden subway to our apartment.  The ticket machine at the Metro didn't take my credit card, and Renae had a gang of teenage girls try to scam her at the station.

Leah's 1st Post (9/13/2011)

I liked being on the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Surprisingly, I liked walking a lot and seeing interesting things.  I like the bread and the ice cream and the pizza I had today at Rue Cler.

I don't like that I can't see my guinea pigs and my birdies.  I lot of people walk dogs, and it makes me sad.  I miss Scooter and my other animals.

In London I slept on a couch for some days.  There were indents in the couch and I couldn't sleep very well.  Now, I have a hard bed which I like.

I miss all of my friends.

Bye Bye,

Sarah's 2nd Post (9/13/2011)

I'm not sure what to say.  My favorite thing so far was the Eiffel Tower; bread is my favorite food.  I really like the bread here.  I also like the Meringue also.

It's interesting that you can walk to all the places you want to go or that you can take the subway.  Their language is really interesting.

A girl pretended to be deaf and wanted me to sign a petition; my dad says this was a scan.  A man tried to do a "ring" scam on my dad today.

I thought we would be pickpocketed right away.  When we got here, I thought everyone might be a pickpocket person.  But, they're not all pickpockets; just a few are.

Also, the toilette is in a separate room from the sink and the shower.  Also, the A/C is a machine by the window.   There's a tube going outside.

I miss all my friends and hope to see them soon.

Elizabeth's Blog Entry (9/13/2011)

I like walking around and seeing things.  I like riding the Metro and being high up in the Eiffel Tower.  My favorite food was Meringue at the store on the street.  I don't like having to walk everywhere.

Items from a French Grocery Store

Renae wanted me to post some photos of items for sale at the Monoprix.

Day 10 - Extreme Paris Sightseeing

Day 10 (Sept. 12th) - Today we engaged in extreme Paris sightseeing:

• Place de la Concorde & Egyptian Obelisk
• Louvre
• Conceirgerie
• Notre Dame
• Arc de Triomphe

Pain Chocolat

A couple of friends highly recommended pain chocolat or bread with chocolate inside.  When I went to get groceries at the Monoprix this morning, I picked up 5 of these and 5 croissants for breakfast.

The girls love them.  I even tried one (even though not on the South Beach diet!)

Day 9 - September 11th

Day 9  (Sept. 11th) - Today was a low key day.  I scheduled nothing for today so we could have a break from sightseeing, relax on Sunday, and avoid tourist areas on the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

Last observations about London

Renae wanted to add 2 items about London.  The plug adapters are big, three square plugs--huge compared to US plugs.

Day 8 - We arrived in Paris

We took the Eurostar to Paris without any problems.  In the waiting lounge before security, Renae met a nice, older  German man from Hamburg.  He said that he comes to London to shop because it's cheaper. Yikes!  We're in for a rude surprise if that's true.

London was a good start for us.  It allowed us to adjust to the time zone in an English speaking country.  We also got used to travelling on the tube/subway on London's very nice & easy-to-use system.

More observations on London

Here are some more observations on London:

Day 7 - Last Day in London

 Today was our last day in London.  Due to time (and money) constraints, we had to choose between going to Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.  We chose to go to....

New British-isms

Here are a few new British sayings I've learned.  Can you guess what they mean?

• Is your child up to date with his jabs?
• I'll give you a bell
• Please, mind the gap

And the answers are.....

More observations on London

• Leah - in London, the pigeons are fat and the people are skinny (because they have to walk every where).
• Renae - bicyclists and walkers are everywhere in London.  Even at 10 p.m.. at night in the rain, people are biking.
• Renae - during rush hour on the tube/subway, it would be extremely difficult for the elderly to get on board the train
• Ben - the tube/subway and trains seemed to be very efficient and on time
• Ben - I was told that it would be difficult to use American credit cards in Europe.  So far, we haven't ahd a problem using my credit card anywhere in London or Bath

Day 5 - Tower of London / London Eye

We slowed down our sightseeing today to just 2 attractions:

• Tower of London
• London Eye

Day 5 - Bubble Bath

Day 5 (Sept. 7th) - Today, we took the train from London to Bath in the morning and returned late at night.

Random Observations

Here are a couple of random observations:

Renae is finally up early and saying hello.

Even though it is evening your time, it is 5 am here in London.  It has taken me a long time to acclimate to the time zone.  I have slept in every day and those that know me know that I am an early riser.  I thought I would make a short post here this morning.

Day 4 - Musueums, Museums and More Museums! (And Gift Shops Too!)

Day 4 (Sept. 6th) - We're continued our attack on London museums and tourist sites:

• Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace
• Churchill War Rooms of the Imperial War Museum
• Lunch in the basement of the Methodist Methodist Central Hall Westminster (near Westminster Abbey)
• Westminster Abbey
• Imperial War Museum (close to our apartment)

Sarah's 1st Post

Here is Sarah's first blog entry:

Day 3 - Too Much?

Day 3 (Sept. 5th) - Since we couldn't do the Hop On Hop Off bus yesterday, we rearranged our schedule.  It was a full day, do you think we did too much (we won't be able to keep up the pace)?  Vote on the right.  Here's what we covered:

• Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) Bus
• McDonald's at Piccadilly Circus (Day 2 and we've already gone to McDonald's.  However, we escaped with only spending £20)
• HOHO Bus back to the apartment (I forgot to bring the spare camera battery and lost the camera bag)
• HOHO Bus to Victoria and Albert Museum (great fashion design artifacts)
• Natural History Museum
• Thames River Cruise from Westminster Pier to Tower Pier
• Dinner at The Rose Pub

Cell Phone Numbers

If you need to call us, you can dial our home phone which is forwarded to our Google number.  Leave us a message and we will notified by email. We can call you back later.  We also have cell phones.  Dialing from the US:

Renae: 011-44-7741-677-355
Ben:  011-44-7741-677-356

I did a search on the internet, and the instructions indicate you don't use a "1" before dialing the number.

Day 2 - No Hop On Hop Off Bus for You

British Museum entrance

National Gallery

Day 2 (Sept 4th) - The day started off with everyone a little testy from jet lag and the long day yesterday.  Renae and I both took Ambien to sleep.  It worked great, but we both had foggy brains in the morning.
What I learned today - There are 3 things that are worthless if you forget to bring them with you:

• Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door
• Charger Cable for the Garmin (left in AZ)
• Umbrella

Click on the read more below to continue and see more pictures.

Geek Update

Ok, here is a techie update.

Plug Adapters - Fortunately, the convenience store next door had US to UK plug adapters.  The universal adapters I bought on Amazon didn't work.  That's very fortunate as I've heard they're difficult to find once you're in London.

Xoom - works now that it is full charged - score!

Google - I had a hard time getting Google Picasa (for uploading photos) to work.  Before leaving I set up the laptop to use VPN on a server in the US.  (more secure and let's us access Netflix from Europe).  That solved the problem.

In London

Everyone did very well with a hard travel day.  After 9 1/2 hr flight to Heathrow, it 1 1/2 hrs to get through customs, then an hour to get to Vauxhall station from the airport. 

Fortunately, our garmin and the help of kind strangers we found our flat.  We walked passed Parliment, Westminister Abbey and went to Trafalgar Square.  Had dinner at Churchill's (Renae & I had fish and chips.  The girls went with old standbys:  Cheeseburgers, pizza, baked potatoes.

1st snafu of the the trip.  The 6 universal voltage plugs aren't working.  We're going to try to find a place tomorrow to recharge all of our electronics. 

Lastly, pluses and minuses of our flight:
* We got earlier boarding because of Elizabeth's size - score!
* Renae got her and I south beach friendly (i.e., diabetic dinners) on the flight - score
* Free glass of wine with dinner - score
* My new Xoom tablet stopped working half way through the flight - foul!
* The stewardess told us we needed only one landing card per family; had to scramble to fill it out for everyone at the front of the line-foul

However, we're all very excited to be here.  Now, Renae & are going to the little store next store to see if they have plugs or sim cards. 

Till later,

Ben

At Sky Harbor

We're at Sky Harbor airport waiting to board our flight.  Somehow Renae forgot about the water bags in her bag.  I had the priviledge of going through security twice.

Ruth needed to charge her mp3 player (an old cell phone since hers is lost).  She's spending her time hanging out next to an outlet.

The check-in staff at British Airways were very pleasant.  It's been years since I've experienced that.

Hi! This is RuthAnn. I was sooooo claustrophobic (I hope I spelt that write) durring the plane ride! The view was amazing, though, and I spent at least half my time with my face in the window! It was just beautiful!
-RuthAnn

Getting Ready

We're getting our bags packed for our 5 1/2 week trip to Europe.  Ben will be travelling on business Mon - Thu, so we're packing a week early. 

We're still trying to decide on a couple of itinerary items.  Should we take the Hop On Hop Off Bus in London or not?  I posted this question on Rick Steve's Travelers Helpline and got various responses. 

We also had a good friend recommend Leeds Castle in Kent.  I'm trying to figure out how to rearrange our schedule to fit that in. 

What do you think?  Vote on the questions on the right of the screen.

We'll try to post frequent, short posts of our trip.