My Mom

Its been a while, and most of you know why. We returned from our European Vacation on July 8th at around 7:30 in the evening and got home and were in bed by about 10:00 PM. At 3:50 AM I got a phone call from my father that he had taken my mother to the Emergency Room because she could not stop coughing and that the doctors in the ER had told him he should probably contact the family as she was very sick and they did not think she would make it another couple days. I was in complete shock - there are no words to describe this feeling. I left for Europe a month prior, the day after my mom's 62nd Birthday Celebration where she was feeling fairly good and returned to the news that my mom probably was not going to make it more than a day. We were all devestated and even my dad who was with her every day prior never dreamed that would be the news they would get when they got to the hospital. My mother did pass away that day, July 9th at about 5:30 PM surrounded by her family and close friends - I feel like she was hanging on to see me and my family again. I am still in shock and feel as if this is all a bad dream and that maybe my mom is just on a vacation and will be coming home soon. And, I could kick myself for not being here with her during her last month - if only I would have known. She did not tell me anything that was going on because she did not want to ruin our vacation - even on the days she felt the worst she was selfless and worrying about others. My mom was an incredible mother, and I only hope that I can be as good a mother to my children as she was to me and my brother. I miss her every day but know that she is looking out for us from above and I see her spirit and spunk in my little Mia every day. I am so grateful that she was able to meet and spend so much time with Mia - they had such a special relationship and Mia sees the pictures I have of my mom throughout the house and always points to them and says "Moma" (which is what she calls my mom) so I know she will always have fond memories of her as well. Mama, you will be missed terribly by all, espcially your family and close friends. We love you so much, and will never forget you! May you sleep in peace in a better place - no more pain, sorrow, worries or fight.

Do not stand by my grave and weep

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush

I am the swift uplifting rush.

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there, I did not die.

Beautiful Berchtesgaden! (Part One)

This place is beautiful - spectacular - awe-inspiring - majestic ... and as Daniel would say "this is god's country"! Truley, the most beautiful landscape I have seen and can probably say the same for the rest of my family as Daniel has not been able to stop talking about it and I pretty much know what Mia has seen in her almost 16 months on this earth! For those of you who like hiking - this would be your paradise. I can't even count the number of trails this place has. Amazing! Our first full day here the three of us (and "Hosey") packed up our gear and headed to the Almbachklamm which is an amazing hike through a gorge, along crystal-clear streams and waterfalls. At the top of the gorge the hiking trail turns pretty narrow and leads you through some woods before you end up walking out into a huge green fields filled with wildflowers. It was absolutely spectacular. The entire hike was only about 6 km but it was very much up-hill so we were pretty tired by the end. After the hike we headed home for a nap (all three of us!) and then headed out to dinner at a restaurant on the Konigsee called "Echo Stuberl" which is a restaurant known for their local fish dishes. I had smoked local rainbow trout and Daniel had another local fish (can't remember the name). Even little Mae made the time to eat some fishsticks inbetween feeding the ducks, searching out slugs and watching the horses in the field next to us. Boy is she a busy bee!! I am going to post some pictures of our day because what I write will in no way touch how beautiful it was (in fact, neither can the pictures but they will do a far superior job in conveying the message than I can!) Enjoy and stay tuned for part two!

Eppan, South Tyrol Part Two

After our long castle hike on our first full day in Eppan, we decided to take it a little slower and settled for a shorter, easier hike around the Montiggler See which was about a 15 minute drive from our place. We did not really know what to expect when we got there but were pleasantly surprised to find (somewhat by accident) the "Kleiner Montiggler See" which proved to be the much better route to go. It was not nearly as crowded, had a huge grass lawn to layout on and the water was much warmer than the bigger lake which made swimming a lot more fun! We brought a delicious picnic lunch to the lake with us and after hanging out for a while and finishing our lunch, we decided to finish our walk around the lake and head back home ... because it was Dane's last night in Eppan with us, we had planned on trying a new restaurant for a "good-bye" dinner of sorts and decided to walk there from our place only to find they were closed for two weeks while they were on vacation! Luckily it was only a 1 km walk from our house so we returned in direction home and went to our favorite little pizzeria for another yummy meal. The following morning Dane left and headed back towards Frankfurt while Daniel, Mia and I got ready for another big hike. This time we left from the Montiggler See and walked a VERY long walk through vineyards and forest to a lake called the Kalterer See. It was SOOOO hot that day and once we got to the Kalterer See there was not even a public beach. You basically had to be staying in one of the hotels around the lake in order to use it - so lame! I was so tired, hot and hungry by the time we got there which made the fact that we could not swim in it even more frustrating! We ended up heading back to our favorite little spot at the Kleiner Montigleer See and after about 4 hours of hiking in the heat we were so ready for it! That night Daniel, Mia and I headed to the town of St. Michael's for dinner at yet another pizzeria ... Mia met two little Italian girls at dinner named Ava Maria (3) and Francesca (2) ... the girls had a great time running around and wreaking havoc at this place but it was fun to watch! After dinner we headed home, put Mia to bed and read and relaxed on the porch of our place. It was heavan!

The following morning we got up early and headed to Merano which was about 30 km from our place. Its a beautiful little town though we did not get to see all that much of it as Miss Mae decided to have a bit of a meltdown! Daniel and I are both beginning to wonder if she may be entering her terrible twos early?! WOW! She sure knows how to throw a tantrum and I am pretty sure she learned it while she was here?! I don't remember her doing this in California. Anyhow, we left Merano and Mia napped in the car on the way back (thank goodness!). After her nap we headed to St. Pauls where we began a hike through the vineyards that led to an "Ice Hole" ... after trekking through the heat we began a gradual descent into this ravine which was like walking into a freezer (literally!). We went from dry, arid terrain (the only green being the wine grapes) to a lush, cold forest with patches of ice everywhere. Pretty amazing. That night (our last night in Eppan) we decided to have a mellow dinner at home - we bought a bunch of different cold cuts, cheeses and bread and sat on our balcony once Mia was in bed and had a meal we could actually sit through and finish without having to get up and chase a 16 month old around! Excellent! The next morning we got up early and headed north to Berchtesgaden, Germany which is where we still are now. Stay tuned for posts from this part of our vacation - as my brother Alex would say "Its been EPIC".

Eppan, South Tyrol Part One

Eppan, South Tyrol could possibly be one of the most magical places I have ever been. We had such an amazing week there and have decided and promised each other (Daniel and I that is) that we will definitely be going back there. So, to back up - last Thursday we packed up our car and said good-bye to rainy Munich heading south to the Italian section of the Alps called the Dolomites. Once we crossed the border into Italy, the rain miraculously stopped and the temparture rose from about 10 degrees Celcius to about 27 degrees Celcius! Hallelujah!! Anyhow, we arrived into a small town called St. Pauls which is one of the communities within Eppan and met up with our good friend Dane who happened to have a week off from his tour with the Eagles so he joined us for three nights during this part of our adventure. After grabbing a quick beer and sandwhich in St. Pauls the four of us (Daniel, me, Dane and Mia) headed towards the place we would call home for the next days - Weingut Dona! It is actually a winery that rents out vacation apartments and is set in the middle of the most amazing vineyards with views of the Alps and castles everywhere! It was magical! The picture above and to the right are views from our cute little balcony which we spent A LOT of our time on. That first night Dane spoiled us by bbqing up some chicken and making some delicious pesto pasta, which even picky Mia devoured! While Daniel and Dane tried to figure out the BBQ which was more like an outdoor griddle, Mia discovered the tractor which helped occupy a lot of her time!! See the picture below ... she looks like a pro (just like her dad who took tractor driving at UC DAVIS!!).

The following day we woke up early and after another delicious meal cooked by Dane we headed off on a spectacular hike directly from our "vacation home" to three different castles, all of which had phenomenal beer gardens at them. I think this day was probably one of my favorites as far as hiking was concerned - the first few hours were straight up hill but once we arrived at the top we had the most amazing views of the valley and vineyards below and the castles and their beer gardens provided some of the most memorable settings on our entire journey. Below is a picture of the place we stayed, taken from the trail we hiked that first day as well as a pictures of Dane, Daniel and Mia with all of our gear!

Below are some more pictures taken on this hike. One of my favorites is the picture of Mia who refuses to sit in a stroller (EVER), but has come to love the hiking backpack she fondly calls "hosey" (aka Horsey). She loves that thing and "rides" in it for hours! Thank you to Mimi, Jon and Charlie for letting us borrow the PIGGYBACK - it has been a lifesaver!

After our hike and a quick nap at home for Mia, we walked through the vineyards (literally) to a Pizzeria which was less than 200 meters from our house and ate a fabulous meal! Even Mia enjoyed a big slice of Pizza Tonno and her new favorite drink Apfel Schorle which is apple juice mixed with sparkling water (I am pretty sure this is because it looks just like the beers mama and dada drink!).

Munich

Wow!! I have A LOT to update. Lets back up over a week to Sunday, June 21st when we traveled south from Nurnberg to Munich! We arrived at the Hemmingers (our very close family friends) in the afternoon and were welcomed with a delicious cherry cake, coffee, tea and juice for Mia! We love coming here because we always get spoiled when we are here - Daniel jokes that we may never leave or have to make our trips here semi-annual because of the royal treatment we receive (and this is despite four days of NON-STOP rain).

Though the weather report stated non-stop rain throughout Bavaria Monday-Wednesday, we were hoping we would wake up to sun on Monday morning - no such luck. Regardless, we decided to venture out to see Schloss Neuschwanstein (for those of you who don´t know this is the Disneyland Castle). We were not sure we were deaded in the right direction because until we were about 200 feet from the castle we could not see anything ... it was all fogged in!! So, instead of wasting our time hiking up or touring the castle grounds in the rain, we decided on a carriage ride up the hill ... Mia was thrilled! She loves the "Hoseys" (aka Horseys in case you did not figure that out).

Tuesday was not much different as far as weather goes ... so, we decided to head north about an hour to a town called Regensburg. Our friend Moritz took the day off work and he, his brother Tilman (who lives in Regensburg) and Tilman's girlfriend Agnes showed us around and gave us a first class tour of the city. Thanks Mo! We made many pit-stops for beers and coffee during the day when the rain got too bad ... so all in all, the rain did not really affect our day. We had fun regardless!

While we were in Munich, Mia fell head over heels in love with "Amin", who is Moritz's dad. She just thought he hung the moon and would wake up in the morning calling his name. She would grab him by the hand and drag him around the house asking "whas dat?" Pretty darn cute to watch, and I think Armin feels the same way about Mia as she does about him. He kept telling us she was the star of our family (I think he might be right!).

After three days of non-stop rain we were so ready for the next part of our trip - five nights in one of the most amazing spots I have ever been to - Eppan in South Tyrol. Stay tuned for that part of our trip!

The Weekend!

Hello all ... feels like I just blogged yesterday but in reality my last post was Thursday - I guess they say time flies when you are having fun and that we are!! Our last day in Cologne was bittersweet - saying good-bye to my grandparents is alway difficult, but this time since it will probably be the last time I see my grandfather alive, it proved to be even more difficult than usual. That aside, we did have a really nice last day with my grandmother and were even able to take her out of the house for lunch and an afternoon in the city which is something she has not done in a very long time as she is always home caring for my grandfather.

Later that evening we had another great dinner and evening with the Niedecken´s as well as my cousin Angela and her husband and daughter Sofie at the famous Haus Töller in Cologne. Mia, Daniel and I all enjoyed a "Hämmchen" which is a slow cooked pig leg ... sounds kind of gross but was REALLY good!!

Early Saturday morning we loaded up the car and headed in direction Nürnberg to meet up with our friends Sarah and Deaner ... none of us had ever been there, but boy am I glad we went! Such a beautiful city and we had such a great time touring around together. There are so many pictures I want to upload from the weekend in Nürnberg but I am afraid I may still be sitting at the computer tomorrow if I do that! Sunday morning we continued our trip down to Munich ... and unfortunately, have spent our entire four days here in the rain!! So lame! Regardless, our four days here have been fun ones, and I will update you on those in my next post. For now, enjoy the pictures I have uploaded - Mia is calling!!

Its been a while!

We have been busy, busy, busy this week - lots of people to see, lots of things to do and very little time to do it in ... some of the highlights of the week were the Cologne Zoo (which despite some stormy weather Mia LOVED!), the Wildpark with cousins Sofie and Leonie which was a lot of fun, various lunches and dinners with family and friends but by far the best treat for Daniel and I this week was getting the star treatment at the Eagles Concert at the Lanxess Arena right here in Cologne. Thanks to our good friend Dane - Daniel and I as well as our friends Ilka and Harald got to sit in VIP seating in the Mixer ... so cool!They played mostly old songs, which Daniel and I knew all the words to and only some of their new songs which we were both impressed with as well! Mia survived her first experience with a baby-sitter last night as well ... a 13 year old who actually did a really great job with her.

Anyhow, to back track a little bit on Monday after having lunch with my grandparents we met up with our dear friend Käthe at Melaten which is the cemetery my grandmother Mia is buried at. As morbid as it may sound it is the most beautiful and peaceful cemetery I have ever stepped foot on. Mia loved all the candles that people light on the various graves and went up to pretty much every single one saying "HOT HOT" and blowing on them. It was pretty cute. Below is a picture of Mia blowing on the candle at her great-grandmother Mia's grave and a picture of my family's home and bar here in Cologne.
Tuesday, we braved the rain and headed to the Cologne Zoo with Svenja and Käthe. I think Mia will miss Svenja terribly when we leave this weekend ... she has become so attached to her and they walk around everywhere holding hands or dancing together. Its pretty darn cute to watch! Below is a picture of Mia and Svenja together. Then ,Tuesday night we met up with Dane at my familys bar (once again!) and had a few beers. Mia and I went home around 10:30 and Dane and Daniel continued up Severinstrasse causing all sorts of trouble and drinking WAY too much beer and closing down all the bars in Cologne.
Wednesday, aside from the fabulous concert we enjoyed a beautiful sunny afternoon in the Stadtwald Park in Cologne. Its this HUGE, GREEN park with lakes, walking trails and even a petting zoo of sorts with deer, sheep, duck, goats, etc. There we met my cousin Angela with her daughter Sofie and my cousin Gregor's wife Kerstin with their daugter Leonie. Below are a couple photos of the girls.And last, but not least - I have been meaning to write about our rental car ... this thing is the most hideous, space-like vehicle I have ever laid eyes on but I must admit its a pretty sweet ride. Super comfortable and convenient. Daniel has been doing most of the driving because it is a manual, and was very proud of the parking job he did in the picture below - please note that the car is actually on a pretty tall sidewalk in between four metal posts. Now that takes talent!