Glimpse of Vacay 2011

Now that everyone knows we've been on VACATION....here are a few pics so you can see that we actually survived 17 days in Germany, France, & Spain with a group of 34 travelers.

Yes, we survived it. After eating lots of gelatto, potatoes, and more french bread than you could ever IMAGINE...we're home now...sleeping in our OWN beds, and smelling freshly smelled laundry once again. Ahhhhh...isn't home NICE?!!

Oh...and thank you MISSOURI, for trashing the nasty cicadas while we were gone! :)

1. DACHAU- we went through the SAME ENTRANCE as many people that entered this concentration camp. Very humbing, VERY dark, and something I'll never forget. Ever.

2. Neuschwanstein Castle- the one that influenced Cinderella's castle. What a cute town at the bottom of this castle. We toured the inside, walked around it, and it was one of my favorite things we did while in Germany.

3. BMW plant- Munich, Germany. I would LOVE to tour this place, if I ever go back.

4. Various street vendors--so cute! I love getting great bargains, and it is one of my favorite things to do on vacation!!

5. Versailles- these are only PART of the majestic royal gardens that surround this magnificent palace. WOW! The tour was grand, but the gardens were never-ending and it was so much fun to eat lunch w/ Steven in the garden!!

6. Biggest Beer Barrel in the World- that's right. Well, this one was the one beside of it. Steven got a pic beside the LARGEST one...but we could actually fit both of us and this barrel in the pic, so I will show you this one. You can't even IMAGINE how big the biggest one actually is....

7. Notre Dame de Reims- this one is almost twice as big as the one in Paris!!! We were walking in downtown Reims...and this literally popped out of nowhere!!! Really an amazing thing to see!!

Just so you can see just how big the entrance is to this thing...here I am standing just outside the entrance:

8. Eiffel Tower- of course I went to the tippy-top of it! Steven made it half-way, and I took a small group of gutsy kids who wanted to visit the top. We were so lucky this day, because every other day we went...the top was closed for visitors. Too many people and I guess they were scared it would fall!!! ha!

This is a pic of me...only half-way up, though. Can you imagine the view from the TOP?!?!!

9. Notre Dame de Paris- go ahead...go back to the one in Reims and see if this isn't smaller! But still...it was cool to see this remarkable place and go inside!!

10. Pont du Gard- the best preserved aqueduct of the Romans. Steven climbed up the side...but it is now closed off to pedestrians to walk on the top of it. What an amazing view from here. It was nice and warm, but breezy that day. Many were kayaking and canoing down the river. Wish I could've...

11. Madrid, Spain- beside the famous statue of Don Quijote and his sidekick Sancho Panza. What a neat city to visit and be able to see such amazing history!!

You'll have to wait for the "rest of the story"...for now, I'll leave you with one of my favorite pics of the trip. Just a small glimpse that captures the amazing ambiance of Europe. Freshly painted apartments. Fresh flowers and plants of every balcony. Many bikes and pedestrians along every road.

Ahhhhhh....

as much as I miss it, and yearn for more of it....

I'm glad to be home.