Festivus for the Rest-of-us

Fall is definitely here and back home in the US, this means back to school and the start of football season. In Germany this can only mean one thing: Fests! Germans seem to have this crazy desire to get one last blowout party in before winter really sets in. Why? Germany and the rest of Europe north of the Alps shuts down for five months when it's cold. This is everyone's last chance to live it up before the suck arrives. I can dig it.

The US has many things that, in my opinion, are far superior compared to what exists in Germany. 24 hour convenience stores, BBQ, and football with pigskin are all things that Germany needs ASAP. However, Germany seems to have "cracked the code" when it comes to throwing an incredible fest. They are a total blast and it is difficult to compare it to anything back home. Sure, there are plenty of fairs and carnivals back home but they're not the same.

Here's an example: My childhood hometown of Sunland (suburban Los Angeles) throws their annual Watermelon Festival every June. I don't want to sound like a snob but it's lame. There are some trucked in rides that were built in the sixties which are operated by Carnies (and their dogs) that haven't realized that they are no longer living in the sixties. Alcohol isn't served because if it was, there would be drunken lawlessness that would ruin the event (even further). Music, if there is any, would be provided by Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick or some other band long past their prime. Most of my friends at home would rather stay home and watch TV than go to these things.

Germany, on the other hand, comes alive during these fests. We've had the opportunity to hit a few of these up in the last month or so. First, we went to the Witlich Pig Burners Festival with my brother and his family (see the write up a few posts ago). We then had a blast at a wine fest in the riverside town of Bernkastel Kues. What made this fest special was the parade. Rather than seeing the Shriners drive around their miniature cars and the VFW parade around a busted up float, we saw float entries from each village in the local area celebrating their local wine. The folks in the Mosel region are fiercely proud of their local winery and aren't afraid to proclaim that their wine is "besser" and the other villages vintage taste like "scheisse". Honestly, all the wine from this area is pretty damn good scheisse.

Last weekend we stopped by the Bad Durkheim Wurst and wine fest. What made this special was the festive atmosphere in their massive wine tent. Here a bunch of slightly inebriated folks sipped wine, ate huge plates of chicken and potatoes, and sang along to the ompapa band. Unlike the US, the Germans tend to smoke up like chimneys and pack as many people together as possible at these things but even that couldn't take away from the experience. Anyhow, we were all pretty surprised when the band suddenly donned cowboy hats and broke into a version of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads". On a side note, the Germans have sort of a thing for the Country Western thing. Anyhow, the place went crazy and everyone sang along with thick accents. We met up with some friends of ours and they too had a great time.

We head to the mother of all festivals, Munich's legendary Oktoberfest, in a couple weeks. Should be a blast.

Take a moment to check out some of the pix on this post. The one with the float is from the B-K Winefest. If you look close, it is a float dedicated to spanking naughty children. Love it! For some reason, Julia didn't. Another one is from the Pig Burners festival. I think Daniel and I actually ate some of that unfortunate piggy. The next couple are from last weekend's wine fest in B-D. The crazy couple to the right are friends of ours from Ramstein. Good stuff.

Prost!

The Hills Are Alive! Salzburg and Austria's Best Villages

We loaded up and headed out to Salzburg, a.k.a. the land of the Sound of Music as Jen would remind us all. Very nice city. The weather, on the other hand--not so nice. Even though it is still officially summer, winter has set in. We didn't let that deter us.

While Julia and Jen took in a Sound of Music marionette show on our first night there, Luke and I hit the town. We hiked to the top of the fortress and took in this grand city. My son, who is too cute for words, has become quite a flirt. BTW, he loves it when girls speak German to him. He gets the biggest grin and really responds to it.

Salzburg was also the home to one of the best Biergartens I've ever seen. The Augustiner Brauhaus is exactly what I picture when I think of a good biergarten: Huge beer steins, endless tables under the shade of trees, and lots of brats and pretzels. A little slice of heaven! Speaking of which, the place was run by monks. I wonder that meant we didn't need to attend church the next day. I certainly hope so.

Here are some pix of our day in Salzburg:

Jen and I in Mirabell Gardens

Cannons awaiting the Turkish Invasion

Happy Family

Hi. I'm Luke and I'm Cute!

As nice as Salzburg was, I knew Austria had better to offer. The next day, we discovered that it did indeed. In fact, I 've come to adopt a travel philosophy as a result. It goes like this: Over the last two and some odd years, I've learned a valuable travel lesson: Stay out of the cities. They're overrun with Japanese and Americans (or worse, new rich Russians), they're expensive, and they're not authentic but rather kitschy. Sure, the cities are cool for a while but after a while the become boring. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. Jen will definitely disagree but once you've been to Paris, all other cities pale in comparison.

Julia Taunting the Ducks

I've found the best of Europe in the small villages. One such village was St. Wolfgang which was about fifty clicks outside of Salzburg in the Austrian Lake District. This place was incredible.

It wasn't crawling with people and it really felt like the real deal. Example: the locals actually wore lederhosen and it wasn't for some lame tourist attraction. Let me try to paint the picture for you...We were taking in the amazing half timbered houses and quaint walkplatz streets as night fell after an incredible Italian dinner. As we were taking in this great lakeside village on foot, the town marching band marched into the town square with trumpets blazing and performed a set for anyone who would listen. As they played locals got up from their tables and danced the night away under the stars. The ladies who accompanied the drum major went around to those who gathered and filled their wine glasses with schnaps from a barrell slung over their shoulders. Our kids were totally into in and Jen and I even got a chance to share a kiss while the kids were distracted. I wish there was a better way to describe the felling but you really needed to have been there. Here are some pix from St. Wolfgang:

The next day we make our way back to the Fatherland and stopped at the border town of Berchtesgaden. Most Americans remember this town as the home of Hitler's Eagle's Nest but it is also home to the Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden or the town Salt Mountain mine. This is part mine, part attraction. On a rainy day like last Sunday, it was just what we needed. It didn't start out so well. We explained to Julia that she had to put on a blue jumpsuit just like the other miners and she flipped out. Not just a little but a total and complete "Tom Cruise Crazy" hysterical breakdown. "I WANT TO WEAR PINK!" she cried. Once we got her in the suit, she saw how incredibly cute she looked and quickly got over it. Thank God! Anyhow, we descended deep into the mountain and got a tour of the salt mining operation. To get down you had to take a large slide down. Cheesy? Yes. Fun? Oh yeah. Take a look at the pix (poor quality unfortunately). What a blast!

Little Miner in Training

Oh, the Places You'll Go

Here's a wonderful poem by the imcomparable Dr. Seuss. This is something I am going to read before heading out on all future trips and vactions. Have a read!:
Congratulations!Today is your day.You’re off to Great Places!You’re off and away!You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourselfany direction you choose.You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care.About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find anyyou’ll want to go down.In that case, of course,you’ll head straight out of town.
It’s opener therein the wide open air.Out there things can happenand frequently doto people as brainyand footsy as you.And when things start to happen,don’t worry.

Don’t stew. Just go right along.You’ll start happening too.OH!THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!You’ll be on your way up!You’ll be seeing great sights!You’ll join the high flierswho soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.Except when you don’tBecause, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say sobut, sadly, it’s trueand hang-upscan happen to you.You can get all hung upin a prickle-ly perch.And your gang will fly on.You’ll be left in a Lurch.You’ll come down from the Lurchwith an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,that you’ll be in a Slump.And when you’re in a Slump,you’re not in for much fun.Un-slumping yourselfis not easily done.You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked.A place you could sprain both you elbow and chin!Do you dare to stay out?
Do you dare to go in?How much can you lose? How much can you win?And IF you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find,for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.You can get so confusedthat you’ll start in to racedown long wiggled roads at a break-necking paceand grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place……for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to goor a bus to come, or a plane to goor the mail to come, or the rain to goor the phone to ring, or the snow to snowor waiting around for a Yes or a Noor waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.Waiting for the fish to biteor waiting for wind to fly a kiteor waiting around for Friday nightor waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jakeor a pot to boil, or a Better Breakor a sting of pearls, or a pair of pantsor a wig with curls, or Another Chance.Everyone is just waiting.

NO!That’s not for you!Somehow you’ll escapeall that waiting and staying.You’ll find the bright placeswhere Boom Bands are playing.With banner flip-flapping,once more you’ll ride high!Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.And the magical things you can do with that ballwill make you the winning-est winner of all.Fame!
You’ll be famous as famous can be,with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.Except when they don’t.Because, sometimes, they won’t.I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too.Games you can’t win’cause you’ll play against you.All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,Alone will be somethingyou’ll be quite a lot.And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chanceyou’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.There are some, down the road between hither and yon,that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.But on you will gothough the weather be foul
On you will gothough your enemies prowlOn you will gothough the Hakken-Kraks howlOnward up manya frightening creek,though your arms may get soreand your sneakers may leak.On and on you will hikeand I know you’ll hike farand face up to your problemswhatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course,as you already know.You’ll get mixed upwith many strange birds as you go.So be sure when you step.Step with care and great tactand remember that Life’sa Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.And never mix up your right foot with your left.And will you succeed?Yes! You will, indeed!(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Brayor Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,you’re off to Great Places!Today is your day!Your mountain is waiting.So…get on your way!

Julia's 4th Birthday Party

It's hard to believe but our little princess is celebrating her 4th birthday this week. She celebrated with her friends this past weekend. This year she chose a Wizard of Oz theme complete with a rainbow pinata and little baskets for goodie bags. She had a great time bouncing in the bounce house and opening all her gifts. Here are some pictures of the celebration.

Aeromedical Evacuation Mission

Got a chance to go on an C-17 AE mission back to Andrews AFB, MD last week. For those of you who aren't familiar with my job, I plan these AE missions and this was a chance for me to see the mission up close and personal. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity. Here are some pix from the trip:

Maj King, Me, TSgt Moore before the mission launched

-See how well rested we appear...It wouldn't last

Onboard the C-17 enroute to DC

-Not the greatest pix but I didn't want to interfere with the patients and nurses

-You'll notice the litter (strecher) stanchions for the non ambulatory pts

-The Walking Wounded sat in the web seats on the side of the aircraft

Arrival at Andrews

-Most of the patients will go to Walter Reed Med Ctr or Bethesda Natl Naval Med Ctr which are both in the DC area

-Others will hang out at Andrews until they can board another mission bound for their ultimate destination

-The patients are transported by ambus

-Total mission time was about 9 hours...not too bad!

New Air Force Memorial in DC

Even though it was only for about 24 hours, I was glad to be back in the US. There was a 7-11 across the street from the hotel and that was definitely the highlight. Since we were all on Central Europe time, it was nice to have a place to go at 3 in the morning that was still open.

The flight back was a little rough. We departed around 10 PM eastern time so we were all wiped out. Fortunately they let us spread out and sleep on the floor of the aircraft which was nice but the aircraft was carring an MRAP which took up most of the plane. An MRAP is a mine resistant personnel carrier which looks more like a lunar lander/tank than a modified Humvee. It was huge and took up most of the floor space. I was wedged up against one of its gargantual tires which made for a rather uncomfortable ride home. Once we arrived I was in serious need of rub down (too bad I never got one).

Despite some of the inconveniences, this was an amazing exerpience. I got to see our incredible medics in action. It was awe inspiring to see their dedication to our patients and to the mission. I'm sure this will be a trip I won't soon forget.

Stockholm Surprise

Tick-tock tick-tock. Our time here in Europe is running out...FAST. Because of this we felt compelled to see as many places on our impossibly long "must see" list as possible. Scandanavia was next on our list. So many places to choose from but fortunately we were able to get cheap airline tix to Stockholm and we took full advantage. So last Friday we headed north for our Swedish getaway.

A few brief observations of Stockholm and Sweden:

1. The place is expensive! Sure the dollar is weak against the Euro but against the Krone, it is monopoly money. Everything is pretty much triple what it would cost in the US.

2. Everyone speaks English...fluently. What a relief. Fortunately we were able to manage with the one word that is too easy for us Yanks: Hey. Hey in Swedish means hi. Too easy.

3. Stockholm is really underrated. The place was gorgeous and the skyline was incredible. It reminded Jen and I of Seattle/Vancouver. Water ran through the city and the architecture was stunning. Many of the old historic buildings never were bombed and are in prestine condition. Ah the joys of neutrality (and isolationism).

4. The Swedish people were very nice. Example, if they bumbed into you, they would say "excuse me". This concept is lost on most other Europeans but not the friendly Swedes.

5. There were 7-11s everywhere. As an American growing up with a 7-11 on every street corner, seeing these stores was a taste of home (not to mention the taste of a slurplee)

6. I know I'll get in trouble for saying this but Stockholm, hands down, had the best looking women in all of Europe. Jen even mentioned to me that the girl taking our order at McDonalds would win America's top model if she entered the competition. I'm sure she was right. To make matters worse, they were young women everywhere. To all of my single male friends, I leave you this message: Go North! You'll thank me later. Now I hear Kazakhstan has some hotties walking around but I have to base this on places that I've visited.

Here are some pix of us around town:

JJ and I at Skansen Open Air Cultural Center

A rare pix of entire family taken by a group of outgoing Indian students

Jen and Luke the Viking overlooking the amazing city of Stockholm

The Baldwin European Blitz

As most history buffs know, the blitz was a tactic perfected by the Germans during WWII. The revolutionary concept in warfare called for "lightning warfare" instead of slugging out in the trenches reminiscent of the hell that was WWI. It involved fast maneuovers, intense action against an unprepared enemy, and a general romp through the countryside on the way to the enemy's capital.

Since my brother has been in town, we've adopted this concept and have applied it to travel. I must be in the blood since my parents did the same thing when they were here. They did something like fifteen cities in twenty days. Jen and I did the same thing when we were here vacationing as poor college students. Intense!

Here's a sample agenda from the last few weeks:

Thurs to Sun: Paris

Mon to Thurs: Misc Germany

Fri to Mon: Amsterdam/Leiden

Tues to Fri: Misc Germany

Sat: Wittlich Pig Burners Festival

Sun to Tues: Garmisch/Bavaria

Earlier I mentioned this blitz tourism was intense. I meant exhausing.

On a personal note, I've really enjoyed all of the visitors we've had this summer. Seeing Europe with friends and family is a terrific way to see new places. As for those places we've already seen, we feed off of the excitement of our guests and it's like we too are discovering it for the first time. Here are some pix of places we've been in the last few weeks:

Kiss at the Seine

Jen and Mandi at Eis Dolomiti in Landstuhl

Julia, Emma, and Mandi at Cologne

Bruthas in Paris

Thanks to my brother Daniel for these pix. Lucky for us he was bit by the photographer bug.

Vin & Versailles (oh yeah, Paris too)

Bonjour! Spent the last weekend in Paris and made our way out to Versailles. Rather than throw away 50 euro in admission to this grand palace, we decided to admire the amazing architecture and the sprawling palace grounds. What really made this experience special was that they played classical music throughout the entire gardens and allowed the patrons to enjoy some wine while admiring the grounds. After spending 13 hours of slogging around Paris, it was just what the doctor ordered.

Atop the Eiffel Tower

Speaking of Paris, we ventured out with my brother Daniel, sister-in-law Mandi, and niece Emma. Had a really good time and did much of the usual Paris circuit: Notre Dame-Crepes-Eiffel Tower-baguettes-etc. The highlight, without a doubt, was going up 400' to the observation deck of the tower. We really lucked out. It had been gray and gloomy all day...until we started up the steps (yep, we bypassed the crowds and took the stairs). By the time we got to the deck, the clouds had parted and the sun finally made its glorious presence felt. The picture simply doesn't do it justice.

Sleepy Baby on the Seine Cruise

The night ended with a cruise down the Seine. This was worth every penny! We witnessed Parisians at their best while cruising down the river. We saw everything from romantics making most of the night, stumbling drunks who partook in too much vin, and couples dancing under the stars. Oh yeah, the architecture wasn't too shabby either. After spending over two years in Europe, I've noticed that we pay less attention to the buildings and more attention to the people and their culture. That's where Europe really comes alive.

6 months already

It's hard to believe, but our little guy is 6 months old today. The last 6 months have just flown by. Luke has changed so much and has added so much to our family. As of today he is 17 lbs. 4 oz and 26 1/2 inches, putting him at the 40th percentile for both height and weight. He's got his two bottom teeth and boy does he know how to use them! He's sitting up by himself and loves to roll around the house. He'll be crawling before we know it!

Luke loves:

• his sister, especially when she dances for him



• his milk



• terrorizing Reagan



• taking long walks in the Baby Bjorn with dad



• cuddling with mom



• grabbing anything and everything within arms reach

He's not so sure about:

• solid foods, so far he doesn't like bananas, green beans, peas and sweet potatoes



• sleeping by himself in his crib



• spending too much time in his carseat



• Baby Einstein...tv's just not for him

Luke lights up our days with his smile and his laugh. He loves to play and cuddle. I can't believe he's already half way to his first birthday.

Only a little over a month until Julia's 4th birthday. We're already deep into planning and have decided on a Wizard of Oz theme. Stay tuned for pictures!

Julia the Photographer//A Visit from the "King"

Had a great time catching up with some old friends from the Republic of Texas last week. Our friends James and Kim were out here visiting from the Dallas area and stopped in for a few days. James and Kim are old Army ROTC buddies from my Tech days and they were in Europe. Anyhow, Kim's maiden name is Koenig which means "King" in German. Let's face it, it's not everyday we have royalty in for a visit.

While strolling around Bacharach, our favorite Rhine village, Julia took a halfway decent pix of us all (see above). It was truly a point and shoot affair with no countdown or "everyone say cheese" but it's not bad for one of her first pix.

While they were here, we had the chance to hit up some of our favorite local spots. In addition to Bacharach, we headed over to Annweiler and checked out an amazing castle called Burg Trifels. This was a first for me and this castle was really awe inspiring. Unfortunately my camera crapped out so hopefully James (a great photographer BTW) has some good pix. After hiking down from Burg Trifels, I got a quick shot of the guy off to the right who was playing his little music box with a crank of the handle. It was raining when I took the shot so that is why he is under his lift gate. Nothing spectacular...just a cute slice-of-life experience.

We also hit up Speyer which is home to the famous "technical museum". Since their loss in WWII, the Germans are not big on war museums to nobody's surprise. Instead, they focus on things like technical museums and put all of the cool military hardware on display to show off the engineering aspect of the stuff. For my friend James, who is a pilot and an all out airplane junkie, this was right up his alley. His enthusiasm for the exhibits was infectious.

Speaking of visitors, my brother Daniel and his family are due in tomorrow. It's Daniel's first time to mainland Europe and Mandi's first time as well. We're really excited to have them out.

Our little man's got his first tooth!

Luke's first tooth came in this past weekend. He's been teething for a couple of months now and has been in obvious discomfort so we were so excited to see that his bottom tooth finally pushed through. He is 5 1/2 months now and is growing and changing so quickly. He's 26 1/2 inches and 16 1/2 lbs. He's still smaller than Julia was at the same age, but he's quickly catching up. He's rolling all over the place and is sitting up for short periods by himself. He can't wait until he can chase his best friends Julia. Here are the latest pictures of our little prince!

Ole! Ole! Ole! Running With the Bulls in Pamplona

Last year around this time, a buddy from work convinced me that running with the bulls in Pamplona would be a good idea. As the time got closer, I got more excited about the prospect of risking life and limb on the streets of this Spanish town. Just think—Sangria, massive parties, and sunshine! What could go wrong? Well, that buddy got orders to Texas and wasn’t going to make it after all. By that time I had already purchased airline tix and was already mentally committed to heading to Pamplona. I was going no matter what.

When my dad caught wind of my plans, he wanted in too. As long as I can remember, he has been talking about running with the bulls during the Festival of San Fermin (the official name of the whole thing) and actually tried to make it happen last year. This was his chance and he took it. My cousin Andrew from CA, who is regarded as the family daredevil, also decided to come out for the event.

I’ll skip right to the good stuff—Running with the Bulls. Well, we pretty much stayed up all night on Wednesday night and decided to run on the morning of the 9th. They release the bulls at 8 AM and all the runners needed to be in place by around 6:45 so taking the early train into town was out of the question. Anyhow, my dad and I took the night off from drinking and tried to get a little sleep wherever we could (city park, cathedral steps, etc). Andrew, from what we could tell, went on a bender and when we found him the next morning, he was sleeping on a piece of cardboard on a street. Good times!

Once Andrew woke up we made our way to Santo Domingo street where the workers were busy preparing the course. They’ve got to do this because the night before the streets get littered with beer bottles and trash from the incredible parties that rage all night long. Around 7:30 the streets were packed and we anxiously awaited the first rocket that signaled that the bulls had been released. Up to this point, I wasn’t nervous at all. With around 15 minutes before they launched the rocked, my palms started to get a little sweaty and my heart was starting to beat fast. This, I thought to myself, is going to be freaking awesome! These weren’t nerves…this was pure excitement!

Boom! The rocket exploded high above the crowd signaling the release of the bulls and the crowd went crazy. Because we picked our starting position about halfway through the course, it took about 60 seconds before we could see the stampede of bodies and bulls barreling towards us. My cousin, always the daredevil, seemed committed to waiting until the very last second before sprinting away from the bulls. I waited as long as I could and yelled to Andrew that I would see him inside the bull ring and started running down the street. A few more seconds past and honestly, the rest was a big blur. I do remember seeing the first bull charge right past me. It was a massive brown one with a big cow bell clanking away. After he passed, I tried my best to get the heck out of the way to avoid being gored. I was able to get off to the side and the rest of the herd passed on through. There were about a thousand others who had the same idea and we were all able to somehow squeeze off to the side and cheat certain death. I imagine it was like being a hockey player being checked into the boards.

After it was all over there was an incredible feeling of elation. We all made it into the bull ring, the Spanish sun was shining on us, and most of all we were all glad to be alive.



After Pamplona we made our way to Madrid. I will probably talk about this incredibile city in a different post but in sum, I was able to link up with my old boss Julio. He was el jefe when I worked at Westwood Studios in Irvine during my video game production days. He now lives in Spain and was an incredible host while we were in town. Unfortunately he has his eyes closed in this pix but this is the only one we took.

Finally, here is a pix of Dad and I drinking Sangria in Madrid's spectatular Plaza Mayor.

Bottom line: This one is going to be tough to top.

Why Ryan Air Pisses Me Off

So we found this great fare to fly down to Venice on Ryanair.com (for those stateside, Ryan Air is the Southwest Airlines of Europe). The rate only came out to just under 50 euro for our whole family to fly roundtrip which comes out to around $75.00 Not bad, eh? Wrong. Take off you hoser! Check out my bill below:

********47.97 EUR Total Fare
********90.42 EUR Taxes, Fees & Charges
********30.00 EUR Passenger Fee: Airport Check in
********40.00 EUR Passenger Fee: Infant
********24.00 EUR Passenger Fee: CC
********20.00 EUR Passenger Fee: BAG
*******252.39 EUR Total Paid

Let's recap: 24 Euro for the priveledge of using my visa card to book the tix on the website. Are you kidding? That 20 euro baggage fee is for ONE bag. Also, Luke's ticket was the most expensive of them all. Again, our four month old has to pay 20 euro each way while we only have to pay around 8. Go figure.

So here's the deal: Even at 252 euro, Venice is worth every penny. The place is amazing and we are really looking forward to spending some more time (and hopefully less money) in that magical city. Check out the attached pix I took of the city at sunset from our first trip down there. Good stuff.

We're now officially in the visitor season. We're thrilled to have some company this summer. No, seriously! Our time is getting short here and we're on a mission to see some places we've never been. Our friends and family are going to be along for the ride as we do one last sightseeing conquest of the continent.

Just a quick picture

It's so rare to get a good picture of both kids at the same time that I have to share. This is Luke and Julia yesterday at the local Dinosaur Park.

The ideal place to live???

Ever wonder where your ideal place to live would be? Since we move around so much and have no idea where we may end up next it's a thought that's definitely crossed my mind. Greg and I both took the quiz at http://www.findyourspot.com/ to find out what it thought our ideals places to live would be. We took the quiz independent of each other but strangely enough we ended up with the same result. Our ideal place to live......Phoenix!!! See, I knew I was meant to go back there!

My top 3 were: Phoenix, Tuscon and Las Vegas
Greg's top 3 were: Phoenix, Scottsdale and Charlston, SC

Seems to me we were meant to live in the desert. Check it out and let us know what your ideal spot is.