Checking Off Another Country ~ Germany!

After our 20 hour Venice day, we decided to take it easy on Wednesday.  By taking it easy, I mean driving to Germany. :)  The adorable town of Monschau is only about 90 minutes away. Basically, we drove there for lunch.  But, the girls can say they visited Germany.  Check!

Monschau is adorable.  This quaint little town always gives us our Germany fix.  Old buildings, good food, beautiful views, the sound of the rushing water from the river...It's perfect.

This guy thinks he is supposed to be in the picture.

I would drive there just for this! 

It doesn't even look real.  It was so nice to be here on a sunny day.  I usually visit in pouring rain, freezing temps, or dark cloudy skies.

We just didn't find a good spot for a look out.  I wish we had more time.

 But, we had to get going.  We had chocolate to buy at the Neuhaus Outlet.

I know how much Nicole loves this picture, so I thought I should include it.

All you can eat!  I'm not kidding!

Dinner that night was in Leuven, Belgium.

I love this shot!  Great job, Allison!

 Time for some family pictures.  

My mom is going to get all sad when she sees how tall Allison is next to Nicole.  Don't be sad, Mom!  

I learned on a tour that many, many people have tried to climb through the "needle" (part of a statue on a square in Leuven.) Sorry you can't see the giant beetle on top.  Anyway, Nicole was going to prove them wrong and show that she could fit through the needle.  Wrong-o!

Monschau flashback

The girls really didn't get to see the spectacular views of Monshau from above.  Here are a couple from our first trip.  It's a little shocking to see how much the kids have grown since we got here.  Yikes!

And, that concludes our little trip to Germany.  Where in the world will we be tomorrow???  You'll just have to wait and see!

Until next time,

Wendy

Venice in a Day!

When trying to decide on an itinerary for the girls' visit, I was hoping Ryanair would run a special to a fabulous destination.  And, they DID!  So, for just 47 euros ($62.00) each, we were able to fly to Venice for the day.  The only downside was the 3:30 AM wake up call to be at the airport and ready to go for our 6:20 AM flight.  

Don't they look chipper for such an early flight!

Oh Ryanair...I hate you, but I love you!

In no time at all (about two hours,) we arrived in Italy (just outside of Venice.)  Because Ryanair flies into a more distant airport, we had to take a bus from the airport to the city of Venice (about 45 minutes.)  Once we were there, we took a boat down The Grand Canal and enjoyed the sites of Venice.

St. Mark's Square (Piazza di San Marco) and standing in front of Doge's Palace
They loved spending time with Aunt Nicole.  

We loved having the kids along because we could get group shots.  Oh, and they're fun to be with too. ;)

Torre dell'Orologio (It's a 14th century clock)
Thank you to Trip Advisor and my friend Hope's blog (Small Family, Big Adventures) I know what this is.   This was a very noneducational day.  We just went for the food. :)

The Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs (Italian: Ponte dei Sospiri) is a bridge located in Venice, northern Italy. The enclosed bridge is made of white limestone and has windows with stone bars. It passes over the Rio di Palazzo and connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge's Palace. It was designed by Antoni Contino (whose uncleAntonio da Ponte had designed the Rialto Bridge), and was built in 1602.

The view from the Bridge of Sighs was the last view of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment. The bridge name, given by Lord Byron in the 19th century, comes from the suggestion that prisoners would sigh at their final view of beautiful Venice through the window before being taken down to their cells.

Thank you very much Wikipedia!

Taking in the beautiful sights of Venice.  The whole city just felt pretend.  It was really beautiful and nothing like we have ever seen.

Pizza for lunch....of course!!!

New hats to help beat the heat.

You can't go to Venice without taking a gondola ride.  This was my favorite part of the day.  Our gondolier was named Tony...What else would you expect him to be named?!?  He was a third generation gondolier and made the experience so much fun.

What a life! 

Catching a pic of our group as we passed the mirror.

Next on the agenda was gelato.  It was delicious!

Make sure you visit this place if you're ever in Venice.

We saw Tony with another group later in the day.  We were waving and yelling hello.  I'm pretty sure his group thought we were nuts!

Beautiful sights all around.

St. Mark's Basilica
We didn't go in.  I know, I know...how do you not go in??  The line was so ridiculously long,  and we didn't have a ton of time.  So, we decided that we would admire from the outside only.

Last views of the piazza before getting back on the boat to take our return journey on the Grand Canal.

And finally, the Rialto Bridge.  We did not walk on it, but we did pass under it.  What a sight!

What a day that was filled with so much fun!  The girls got to experience Ryanair and their near crash landings just to make it to the airport on time, so they can play the on-time jingle.  The sunshine was abundant, and the heat was in full force, and it was fabulous.  The kids and I got to enjoy another great city together (although Thomas was disappointed it wasn't a new country to add to the list....crazy expat kid.)  The girls got their pizza in Italy, and we enjoyed a fantastic gondola ride.  Gelato...need I say more?  And, by mid afternoon, Thomas fell asleep every time he sat down.  The kids are troopers I tell ya.  So, thank you Ryanair for your fabulous prices and allowing us the opportunity to see a fabulous city.

Until next time,
Wendy