international travelling

Here we are, the international travllers! We made it to Germany and back with out (too many) hiccups! The flight over went really well. We left Denver around 6pm, so the flight was actually through the night. Sofia fell asleep soon after dinner, and Emerson did fall asleep as well, but his sleep was a bit fitful. We sat behind the bulkhead, so we were able to use a basinett for Emerson, luckily, so I could put him down from time-to-time. I did not sleep, mainly because Emerson's sleep was so fitful! But, I did close my eyes a bit. Kent sat directly behind me, Sofia and Emerson, so got some sleep, when I wasn't needing his help!

We arrived in Frankfurt on Friday, May 8th. It took way too long to rent the car (a nice black Audi station wagon (or "combi") with good acceleration, and get the car seats rented and installed. Finally we were on our way to Stuttgart to stay with Meike, a friend of mine from the Universität Stuttgart, and her husband Isidro. They actually live in Sachsenheim, just outside Stuttgart. Not 10 minutes away from the airport, I get "blitzed"!! That means a camera set up to catch speeders catches me... speeding! Now, you'd think - Autobahn + Germany = no speed limits! Well, not quite. There are areas where there are some strictly enforced speed limits. Unfortunatly, the camera was set up before I'd adjusted to looking at the German speed limit signs! (By the way, speed limit in German is "Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung". Nice long word.) We have yet to find out if the rental company got the ticket and if we have to pay for it!

It was a relief to finally arrive at Meike and Isidro's house! Meike was at a training in Düsseldorf, so her mom met us and let us in. She was really sweet, and fell in love with Sofia immediately! Later that evening she walked with us to a playground, then into the village to show us the Gasthaus (local restaurant with typical regional fare) for dinner. Isidro arrived just as we were leaving, to drive us back home - luckily, as it had started to downpour!

Edited to add... Meike and Isidro were wonderful hosts, and adapted marvelously to our chaotic lives with two small children! Meike had found some of her childhood toys, and Isidro got busy setting up a toy train in their kitchen! It was the hit! :) We are very grateful to them for everything they did for us! (We miss you guys, and hope you're having a wonderful trip in your Mustang along the West Coast right now!)...

Saturday we visited the market in Feuerbach, the village outside Stuttgart where Kent and I lived. It was nice to see the same Blumenhändler (flower seller) was still there! From there we took the U-Bahn (underground) into the city, where we met three of Kent´s former co-workers and Denis, a friend we made here in Denver. We had a nice afternoon in the sunshine!















Sunday was "reunion day", where we met a group of friends from the university. It was quite an international group! There was Meike and Isidro of course (Germany & Spain), Ernest & Maria (Croatia), Jean-Marie (France), Jonathan and Austin and us of course (USA), and Victor and his wife and daughter (Sweden & Germany). Here's a picture of us all except for Victor and his family.
















Monday was rainy, so we were off to a slow start. We visited the Märchengarten (fairy tale gardens) in Ludwigsburg, then headed on to Sindelfingen to visit our friend Sarah Kupke, who I worked with at kmp. where I taught English. Sarah is now head of a bilingual school, and her husband Joachim is an artist. They live in a beautiful 15th century house in old-town Sindelfingen. It was wonderful to catch up with them!
















Tuesday Meike took a holiday to spend the day with us. We drove through the Schwarzwald (Black Forrest) to Freiburg for the day. Freiburg is a very "green" city, and the university really is geared toward environmentally friendly developments. I think the highlight of the day was a park we found for Sofia to play in! Oh, and I can't forget the "cocolatte" - a coconut latte at a cafe that Kent found. Delicious and refreshing! :)



















Wednesday we were off for Berlin! Our trip took us over Nuremburg (famous for the trails after WWII), near Dresden (famous for the bombing) and Leipzig (famous for Bach).