Hamburg!

Blurry, but it captures the fireworks and the boats and all the lights

Getting ready to go on the water ride at the fair!

Olli and Daniel after the slide. The slide was so cool because there was a conveyorbelt to take people to the top because it is so high.

One of the ships that was part of the celebration

Remember the ice cream creations? This is one...yum!

Russian Submarine

We got wet a couple times :p

The first boat we were on with a gear problem =) We were all ok, but the boat was bruised.

Hello,

Here are some pictures from the time we spent in Hamburg. There was a special festival (Cruize Dayz) going on while we were there, so that was very fun!

Enjoy,

Christy

Home

All of us..even Miles, their dog



Merle, Holger's neice, and I

L to R: Friederike, Olli, Holger, Andrea, and Theis Ole

Holger and Andrea on top of the old water tower in Lunaburg

Hello!

We made it home safely today. They over sold our plane, but thankfully we were able to secure seats 30 minutes before take-off! The flight went well and we made good time driving home, although we had to stop to air up one of our tires that had gotten low while we were gone. All in all, it was a wonderful trip that I will always remember. Rachel was very glad to see us, and we were very glad to see her and our dog, Lucky. It is good to be home again, although my time schedule is messed up. I will continue to put more pictures up and have already started editing some.

Thanks for checking,

Christy

=(

Hello!



I cannot believe tomorrow (Wednesday) our plane leaves. It seems as if the past two weeks have just been one long day full of new adventures and fun times. I don't have much time now because we are busy bagging our liquids and figuring out how much our suitcases weigh for the plane tomorrow =). Our time with the Hinrichs was so much fun. Since the past few days have been so busy, I haven't uploaded any pics. Once we're back, I will put a few more pictures up.

Love,
Christy ♥♥

Hamburg and Chasing Trains!

Good Morning!



Yesterday was a very fun day. After a huge German/American breakfast (lots of rolls, jams, meats, eggs, cereal, coffee, and tea,) we went to another little village to get on the train. We took the train to Hamburg. Hamburg has lots of shops, some I was familiar with from the states and some I wasn't. We also took the S-Bahn to the harbor and then took a boat out on the river to sight see. Our first boat had a gear problem and we bumped into another boat, so we had to evacuate it. We got on a bigger one and took off. It was relaxing and we got to see several ships, older buildings, and a shipping center in the river that sends empty crates, such as train cars, all around the world to be filled. We then walked to an ice cream shop...it was incredible. It was not just ice cream cones, it was ice cream creations. Daniel, Mom, and I had ice cream spaghetti. Dad and some others had something like a frozen yogurt sundae. It was delicious. We then went to the fair! It is a permanent fair that opens three times a year. Because the rides are permanent , they are a lot smoother and more fun than the rides at our fair. We enjoyed them all very much and also had slushies! We then walked to the restaurant that Olli's (Friederike's boyfriend) Dad works at. It was a very fun night because the DJ was fun and the food was scrumptious!!
After that, we walked down to the harbor and watched the events happening at the "Cruise Dayz Festival." There was a boat parade on the river with fireworks shooting off their decks. It was so pretty! We left there around ten and walked to the S-Bahn station that would take us to our train. Unfortunatly, the S-Bahn station was PACKED with lines snaking down the street. So we walked to the station. An intense five mile walk because we were trying to make our train at 11. It was long and our feet hurt because we had been walking all day. Friederike would let us know how long we had every so often, "Papa! Drei minuten!" (That means Papa, three minutes!!!) We hurried and passed many stations before coming to the one we needed. As we hurried into the station, the clock said 11. Friederike and I ran down the escalator and jumped on the train. Olli and Daniel soon followed and held the doors so they would not close before the others arrived. The train left not even 30 seconds after we were all on board =).

Pictures tomorrow!

Love,
Christy ♥♥

Altenmedingen

Hello!

Today was an exciting day! After a quick breakfast, we headed to the train station. We switched trains twice and rode for about three hours. Then, we arrived at the final leg of our trip...Altenmedingen! The reason I am so excited about this is because this is where Dad was at during his work exchange program after college. I have had an email correspondence with one of his friend's daughter, Friederike. It was so great to finally be able to meet her and her brother and I know Dad was excited to see Holger, her father, again. We enjoyed an afternoon tea time with cake and then got on bikes. We rode to an antique tractor museum and then to a BBQ at the firehouse. Daniel and I were able to meet Friederike's friends while Dad reaquainted himself with old friends. It was very fun!

Love, Christy

Quick Update

Hello all, and sorry for the couple of days delay in blogging. Once we left Oberammergau, we came to Berlin and our hotel doesn't have free Wi-Fi.

Oberammergau was a cute little town that makes the most of being in the limelight once every ten years. Every ten years, they perform the PassionSpiel (the Passion Play of Christ). It was very moving and realistic. Almost too real at the end. At times, it was hard to follow along because we had a book that told us in English what they were saying because they spoke in German. It was difficult to chose whether you wanted to know what they were saying or watch. The play was five hours long, and split into two sections. All in all, it was a great experiance. Our guest house was one of the best places we have stayed. It was spacious and the food was incredible.

We then took the train to Berlin and we arrived yesterday evening. I love it; it is my favorite city so far. For me, it is the perfect mix because it is so rich with history and yet so new and modern because they have had to rebuild after WW 2. Last night we had a nice meal on top of the Reichstag, their capitol building, which is an older building topped by a huge glass dome. I would post pictures but our Wi-Fi is limited, so I will do that tomorrow. We were also able to see some of Berlin's sites, but today we hit them hard. We took 4 and 1/2 hour walking tour. We walked about 20 kilometers, or 12 miles. It was tiring, but very educational. We were able to see the old Berlin Wall, Brandenburg Gate and Tor, the plaza where Hitler held his first rally, the former locations of Hitler's headquarters and bunker (which is ironicly now a parking lot,) Checkpoint Charlie Museum, a monument for Jews, and the HUGE building built by Hitler in 15 months prior to the 1936 Olympics, as well as several other sights. I don't remember the building's name, but if you have seen the movie Valkerie, it and some others were filmed there.


Enjoy your day.
Love, Christy

You Know You Aren't In Central Illinois Anymore When...

1. The speed limit through a construction zone is 100 km/hr.
2. There is graffiti on everything...signs,overpasses,buildings...because it is legal
3. You have to wear a jacket because it is chilly, even though it is in the middle of summer
4. You get on a train in a mountainous area, but get off 15 minutes later and it is flat
5. You have to pay to use public bathrooms
6. The water is "sparkly" or with gas (carbonated)
7. You have trouble finding a trashcan, especially in hotel rooms and peoples' homes
8. There are castles in places other than story books
9. Kleenex's are hard to find
10. Washclothes are nonexistant
11. Toilet paper is the consistancy of paper towels
12. Breakfast often consists of hard bread, cheese, lunch meats, and soft or hard boiled eggs
13. Eggs for breakfast are eaten with a spoon out of the shell

Have a great day,

Christy

More Castles =)

The "N" Castle

The view from Mary's Bridge



On Mary's Bridge

Speed limit signs going into Frankfurt can be turned on and off for busier times of the day

Finally a Mercedes I MIGHT be able to afford :p

Hello!

Today was a fun, full, and tiring day. This morning, we were in Munich. We got up early so that we could make it to Neuschwanstein (the castle Disney's castle is based off of) in time for our tour. However, we had a few complications with our rental car and our directions, so we got lost a few times. Dad did an excellent job of driving on the fast German roads. Good golly people drive 120 km/hr and there are sharp curves and steep climbs because of the mountains! The drive was gorgeous,though, and we saw mountains, trees, lakes, rivers, the Romantic Road, and so many other great sights. We pulled into the touristy castle area a little nervous because our tour was supposed to start in five minutes. You're supposed to arrive an hour early. Miraculously, we got replacement tickets and had enough time to enjoy a fast but delicious lunch at a hotel. Then, we went to tour Hohenschwangau. It is the lesser known castle that the family actually lived in. It was built on top of ruins of a Roman Palace. The tour was interesting and lasted half an hour. The place lacked a homey feeling because it was all stone and concrete. We then had a little time to look around, then we took a bus up to the famous Neuschwanstein. It was raining, as it had been since we exited the first castle. It is really cool here and I have worn a jacket most days. We walked to Mary's Bridge. It is a metal bridge spanning from two mountains and going across a rushing mountain stream/waterfall (see pictures.) The view was excellent, but there were many people on it and you could feel the wood boards shifting beneath you, eek! Then we hiked up a little to the castle. The castle, although much more famous than the other one, was only 1/3 of the way finished when Crazy King Ludwig mysteriously died after being told he was mentally unfit to rule anymore. The castle was ornate and a little more my style than the other one. Still, none of us would have wanted to live in either of them. Both castles were wonderful to tour.

Then, we drove to Oberammergau. We are staying at a wonderful guest house. It is really nice and the food..oh it is fabulous!! In the afternoon/night we will see the Passion Play, the story of the end of Christ's life, acted out by the members of the town. It lasts until 11, so there probably will not be time for a post tomorrow.

Enjoy the pictures =)

Love,

Christy

Church, Glockenspiel, Dachau, and Hofbrauhaus!

For all the Strasburgians seeing this, a couple of gnomes from Hofbrauhaus.
Daniel by the gate at Dachau, reading "Work Makes You Free"

Escape from camp: Cross grass "Death Strip," get through the shown stone ditch, get through the fence (which has 10,000 volts of electricity,) cross a moat, and then climb over a wall. After a man escaped, they put in these features.

Four of the seven ovens used to cremate bodies

A memorial at Dachau.

A reconstructed barrack at Dachau

The Glockenspiel









The "New" Townhall (built in the 1800's)

Hey!

A short post today..lots of pictures coming though!

This morning we attended a German church service. It was very interesting, but at times difficult because I could not understand the majority of what they were saying. After that, we went to see the Glockenspiel! (That is at noon when the bells chime and the figures under it move.) There were many people there, all with their faces and cameras pointed up. Then, we had a quick lunch and met for a 5 hour tour of Dachau. Dachau was the first concentration camp, and was mainly for men, although there were a some women and children. We took a bus and then a train with the group to get to the camp. It was a very educational tour, and very touching. Measured by time, it was very long. In reality, it passed very quickly. It was an experiance I will never forget. This evening, we went to Hofbrauhaus (the famous beer hall!) We sat at a table with a German couple, and it was very enjoyable! We enjoyed the Oompah music =)! After we left, there was a mime outside. He was very hilarious to watch.

Enjoy the pictures and thank you for checking in!

Love, Christy

Saturday - from Sinn to Muenchen!

Hi everyone,
It is 11:30 Central Europe time and we have had a great day. Christy had a great blog and the WiFi went down and it was lost.
We started today in Sinn, by the Rincker family. Hanns Martin took us to the Glockengiesserei (bell foundry) and gave us a great tour of how they have been making bells for 420 years (since 1590). He and his brother Fritz Georg (Fiete) now manage "die Firme" as 13th generation bell founders.
After that, we went 5 minutes up the small mountain to Burg Greifenstein, a castle since the 13th century. They were having a festival, the Mittelalter Spectaculem - Middle Age Spectacular, with folks dressed in some strange costumes, playing neat instruments, and having fun.
We then went to Mittagessen / lunch at Frau Rinckers, and headed to Frankfurt to catch the train to Munich. We took the ICE train which traveled up to 293 kilometers per hour.
Viele schoene Gruesse aus Bayern (many nice greeting from Bavaria)
Dave

A Couple More Pics

Bells outside of the Rincker Bell Foundry

Here we are by Jesus outside of the Rincker Bell Foundry!

A Picture!

After a long struggle with the computer, I was finally able to load a picture! It is pretty late here, so I will load more tomorrow morning. This is a picture of Hanns Martin, Frau Rincker, and us. I had a blog post made, but then we lost our internet connection, so I lost the post. Dad will update you in a minute =)

Love, Christy

Day Two

Hello Again!

Ok, I really am trying to upload pictures. At the moment, we do not have very good Internet connection so it takes forever. Tomorrow as we go to Munich, I should be able to upload pictures.

Today, we had another good German breakfast. We then went with Hanns Martin to see the Rhine River! Unfortunatly, the tours out on the river were either 4 or 6 hours from where we were. It was already kind of late and we were over an hour from "home," so kind Hanns Martin took us around, driving! We were also able to go up to a lookout point. Oh, the view was WONDERFUL. It began to rain then, but that was ok. I am very surprised at how mountainous it is here. It is beautiful, though, and there are lots of trees as well.

Before we went around the Rhine, we went to a little village right next to it. It had many wonderful shops and we ate lunch there. Mom, Daniel, and I had sausage, salad, and French fries, while Dad had a more traditional dish (a name I cannot pronounce or spell!) It was very nice and there was an accordian player. We later had Italian ice cream...YUM!

We were also able to go up to a monument via cars attached to a wire, like a ski lift. The monument, the name of it escapes me, was built facing France. It symbolizes Germany beating them in a war. The ride up was very relaxing and beautiful. It took us over another vineyard. There are many, many of these. Hanns Martin should be a tour guide, he is so full of information on everything from the vineyards to the monuments!

Today was very fun and I would love to share more, but it is late here and we must get up early. We will see the Rincker Bell Foundry and another castle tomorrow! Then (around 14:00, or 2:00 Illinois time) we will get on a train and ride to Munich. I hope to get the pictures working by then =).

Thanks for checking in, take care!

Love,
Christy

Germany at Last

Hello Everyone!

Well..we are in Germany! On Wednesday, we flew out of Chicago. The flight was approximately 8 hours and was pretty smooth. It was cramped though and that made sleeping difficult. Daniel, Mom, and Dad were all able to sleep fitfully, but I was conscious throughout the flight. Therefore as I write this around 7:30 pm Thursday night, I am exhausted. The food was good and the stewardesses were wonderful. Today has been busy and fun, exciting and exhausting since I have not slept since Tuesday night. We are very lucky to have Hanns Martin Rincker, our relative, as our guide. He picked us up at the airport. We are staying at his mother, Frau Rincker's, home for a couple nights. After coming to her home, we ate a German breakfast of breads and jams. We were also able to catch a glimpse at the Rincker Bell Foundry, Sinn (where Hanns Martin lives,) Dillenburg Castle, and Herborn.

Dillenburg Castle was very fun (see the pictures below =) Herbron was also great. It is a very nice little village with lots of little shops, restaurants, and bars. We stopped in at a candy store and filled up a bag with "German" candy.

Tomorrow we will hopefully see the Rhine River if the weather holds. It was cloudy today when we landed and sprinkled on and off this afternoon. We will also tour the Rincker Bell Foundry! It is so neat to finally be meeting our family over here after hearing about them and seeing pictures of them for so long. Frau Rincker is a very sweet lady who reminds me a lot of my own grandma. Must be a Rincker thing to feed us until we are stuffed! Her home is wonderful...I could easily see myself living here with the patio and great loft space. Really classy and cute.

Take care everyone.

Love,
Christy

P.S. The pictures will be coming soon...

Welcome!

Thanks for checking our blog! Starting July 21st, we will be in Germany. This blog is where we will summarize our day and post pictures for everyone back in the states =).
Have a great day!
Christy