Neuschwanstein Castle and Garmish

We had a wonderful weekend trip to Southeast Germany, as we finally went to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle and very popular town of Garmish.

The Hohenschwangau Castle was right next to the Neuschwanstein castle and we captured some photos of that castle as well. There were three modes of transportation to get to the top of Neuschwanstein. You could walk the entire way which was a 30min walk. Take a horse and carriage ride, which was a little more euros. We took the bus up to the bus stop and then walked the rest of the way up. It was a slightly overcast day, so the images weren't crystal clear. There was a bridge view of the castle which was a little scary to be on, especially with the amount of people on the bridge. The castle is currently under restoration, so that was what we saw, bridge view.

We took the English tour, but our guide was difficult to understand. No photos were allowed in the castle, but we were able to take photos from the windows for the outside scenery. There were many steps to take, up and then back down. It was more of a tour to say, 'hey we have been inside the Neuschwanstein castle.', and gain some history of King Ludwig and his life and interests. The castle was the inspiration to the Walt Disney castle in Walt Disney World.

We then left for Garmish-Partenkirchen, to stay at Edelweiss, the military lodge and resort. The cloud coverage was very thick, so we were not able to view the largest mountain, Zugspitze, in Germany. We explored the Eibsee lake and were able to view one of the smaller mountains. We were planning on taking the boat tour, so we could see the Zugspitze, but the weather was a bit windy. I think the kids we more fascinated by the ducks, thus playing with them was all the fun they needed.

As we explored the town of Garmish and other close towns, we saw some adorable lodging homes, which resembled bed and breakfast places in the States. We walked around the shopping streets and I loved all the artwork, flower displays, and sidings of the buildings. It was even more windy by early evening, so our stroll down the streets was just long enough to see everything and head back to the resort. We finished off our stay by swimming in the hotel pool. Generally, the hotel pool is always a highlight with kids.

Overall, we all had a wonderful mini-vacation exploring a part of Germany that was highly recommended to see while living in Germany. It would have been fun to have explored many more areas of Garmish, so maybe sometime in the future we may venture back to this picturesque spot in Germany.

The Official News

Okay. I said I would state some news on Friday, but the news was made official today.

We have taken a new job contract and are moving away from Germany. Mark has taken a job contract in Qatar and will be there for a year. It was a difficult decision to make, but Qatar is a safe place, the contract will provide him with the work experience he needs to further his career, and will support our financial needs.

The kids and I will be going back to America (or the States, as I like to call them while living abroad). We will be living with Mark's parents and making frequent visits to my parent's house which is about 20 minutes away. The families and other close relatives are excited about this news, but the adjustment to make with Mark being away for a year is going to have its difficulties. It will be nice to have 'grandparents' help out and be around the kids. We plan on having many web camera internet phone calls while he is away. Plus, Mark will be making trips back to NC for some visits.

Things have been moving quickly and currently we are looking to be back in the States the weekend of the 24th. This will give us some time to transition back to State time and routines before getting the kids back into school mode in November.

Right now, I just would appreciate your prayers for our transition and separation from Mark. We have a lot of people who are supporting us and we love and thank you all.

So, again bear with me and my posting, as I have much on my plate at the moment. I hope to be blogging again soon.

Blog Comments

Thank you my family and friends for leaving me comments. I realize that just knowing you come to my site and check out my updates is more important than receiving comments. It is good to know that I have caring and loving friends out there. I appreciate all your comments.

I haven't been posting for awhile, as I have been very busy. Bear with me and new posts will be coming up shortly.

Just a sneak peek:
Brenne updates-following cats and speaking words.
A weekend trip to Neuschwanstein Castle and Garmish.
A birthday party Layne attended at the roller skating rink.
A birthday party for Liam. He turned 5.
Some exciting news with a twist of sadness. (If you know the news, please don't comment about it). I will be posting the news on Friday.

Blog Followers--Where are you?

Hello all blog followers. I have done some 'blog' searching and realized, that although I thought I was blogging enough about the happenings of my family, I am not doing it in a way that is attracting many followers. Either that or people just don't come to my blog frequently or come and leave without posting a comment. I think I am having comment envy (is that bad?) and would really appreciate some comments on my blog site. The blog world is busy, (so many friends to keep up with), as well as our general worlds with kids and other happenings, but if you happen to stop by and find an update interesting, please don't leave the site without leaving me a small comment, if you feel inclined. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks to all who have viewed my blogspot.

Homework-Aaagh or Wanting More?

School IS back in session. Homework has come in a big batch for my second-grader, Layne, and she is not liking it. She received homework sheets for the whole entire week, to be done 2-3 sheets per night and this is just "too much" for her. So, I have to come up with some clever ideas to not make it feel like sooo much work. Friday is here and she didn't finish it all.

On the other hand, my kindergartner, Liam, doesn't have any homework and feels left out, so he gets one sheet of either math work or writing work. The first night of homework, Liam asked to try one of Layne's math sheets. I made a copy for him and he was off counting numbers to solve the addition problems. When he was all done, he said, "Mom, I want more, that was easy." I checked all his answers and he got all of them right, except two (there were a little larger in numbers).

I am sure that when he gets to 2nd grade, he will be saying "AAGH!, I have too much homework", just like Layne, but I will cherish the moment of him liking it now.

So what does Brenne do when all of this is going on. She doesn't want to feel left out either. Brenne, now 21 months, scribbles with much concentration.

Back to School

The pictures with Liam and Layne holding balloons occurred at the end of the school day, when I came to pick them up. They were very happy to get a fun surprise gift and both had a great first day of school.

Liam started Kindergarten at the Montessori school he attended last year for pre-school. He was very excited to see his friends again and looks forward to learning and making new friends. He really enjoys the classroom setting of a smaller group of classmates, the personal approach from the teachers, and feels that learning is Fun.

Layne is entering 2nd grade and at her elementary that means she is in the highest grade, and she likes that. Layne was suppose to be in German Immersion for one more year, but we took her out of the program and placed her in a regular 2nd grade class. She is very happy in her new class. As a bonus, she met a friend in her Vacation Bible School team, Alison, during the summer, who is also a 2nd grader. When we found out who Layne's teacher was on Friday, we discovered that Alison was going to be in her class. The girls were jumping up and down in pure excitement that they were in the same class together.

Pretend Rock Band fun

The kids and I enjoyed a mock Rock Band session while listening to music on iTunes. Brenne loved singing into the microphone and Layne and Liam loved jammin on the guitar. They aren't old enough to do the real Rock Band, so this was a lot more fun and we sang songs where they know the words. I even got into the fun as well. Layne was not being a good sport about the recorded scenes, so I only got one good one. The song Liam is singing is 'Paranoid' by the Jonas Brothers.

Enjoy!!