Our final days in Germany....

Were spent taking care of Gabe. After a visit to a German hospital emergency room he was diagnosed with pink eye in both eyes and a cold. He was really miserable and his eyes had a yucky green discharge that sealed his eyes closed. Our military provider recommended the emergency room visit and the German staff helped us out with forms and with their broken English made us very comfortable. Gabe's doctor was very sweet and pleasant...she even shared the same name as my mom! (Carmen) Here are some pics :


My pink eye child

The hospital
Waiting for the doc...

Our lovely doctor (pic taken by Gabe)

Here's another pic of the Olympic stadium we visited

Walking around town looking for a pharmacy

Another gorgeous pic of the Bavarian Alps

Semi-Wordless Wednesday....

I have so many things to blog about, but you'll just have to wait until tomorrow to get a long bulleted post about it all. Until then good night and here are my wordless entries for today.

Pics from our trip to Gaeta, Italy last year around this time:

German guys....and drinks

Just a few pics of my German boys:

and the array of drinks we had as the hubby and I spent some alone time at Zuggey's Bar this evening. The Riesling wine tasted fruity and had the aroma of green apples. One of my favorite white wines. Also Trent likes the German beer that smells like piss...he can drink it as much as he wants I just won't kiss him until he has a mint. And yes there is a cappuccino in that pic.....nothing like mixing alcohol and coffee. I could use an Italian espresso shot right about now though.

Ciao,

Stephanie

Partnach Gorge hike by torchlight.....

This evening Lesley and I went on a group tour of Partnach Gorge. Children under eight were not allowed on this tour so Trent stayed behind with Gabe. { Noah didn't want to tag along} They took us to the olympic stadium Hitler built for the 1936 olympics and we got to see the ski jump area.
Then we hiked by foot 1.5 miles uphill. It was a nice evening walk, but I kept slipping and sliding in the snow. I almost busted my bootay, but thankfully a young man walking behind me caught me before I hit the ground. At the top of the hill we each got torches which we carried through the gorge.


The natural ice formations were so cool.



Afterwards, the group stopped by a local German restaurant to eat dessert and drink hot beverages. I accidently left my euro at the lodge and didn't have any money on me to buy anything so we were bummed out. That changed instantly when I met two Air Force wives who generously ordered us drinks and shared their huge dessert with us. I tried Gluhwein for the first time with them. It is red wine boiled and served warm with spices. It tasted really good and warmed me up. They were both really sweet, the conversation was entertaining, and we hiked back to the bus together. They will be here at the lodge until Wednesday so I hope to bump into them again. This little guy was across our table.....poor thing.

Hopefully, Trent and I can carve sometime out tomorrow to visit during the day. Here's a bonus pic of the kids in the hot tub this afternoon.

Germany part deux.....

Before heading off to the commissary this morning to pick up some goodies, we said our goodbyes to the Fernandez familia who were leaving back to their casa in Ramstein. Afterwards, we came back to the lodge ate lunch and then left to the train station for an hour and a half ride to Munich. The train was one of the cleanest and most comfortable I've been on in Europe. It wasn't difficult to figure out either. Below is just a glimpse of our day in Munich....{I forgot to mention it was FREEZING outside today....}

Gabe taking in the view from the train &

. ...a few pics of one of Munich's shopping districts

Walking around town

Plus as an added bonus.....Voila!!! Lesley and I showing off our ice skating skills in the town center. LOL It was so much fun and I know I'll beat Lesley next time.
{ Jenny when we move back to the states we will definitely have to spend one Christmas in New York City and ice skate at Rockefeller Center ;D }

Road trip to Germany.....

We were up at 4 o'clock and out the door by 5:45 AM. I unwisely stayed up chatting on Skype with my sister until 2AM so I was functioning on only 2 hrs. of sleep. Our drive was smooth and when we entered the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy that's where it began to snow. I just love the snow...probably because I never saw it while growing up in Texas. The drive was very scenic and once we entered the Alps the views were especially great like the one below.

We arrived in Garmisch a little after 3 PM and proceeded to check in and get settled. I just love this resort it is so very relaxing. Here is the lobby still decked out with Christmas decorations. We love to sit by the huge fireplace pictured and rock in the rocking chairs provided.
Here are the boys by the enormous lobby Christmas tree
After settling in we got a bite to eat and went searching for Yesenia and her family. They arrived on the 1st but are leaving tomorrow so we only had this evening to hang out. We met at the pool and while the kids swam Trent & I enjoyed some time in the outdoor hot tub. The temp outside was freezing with snow on the ground, but it was so relaxing. Below are some pool pics.

Yazmine & Lesley

Cristian & Noah
and Yesenia & I. She didn't go swimming.

We swam until ten p.m. then went back to our rooms to change. We met up at the bar downstairs and hung out until midnight. I was too tired to try out the German beer they were drinking, but I had fun regardless. Plus David's beer smelled like piss. As always I enjoyed seeing my high school buddy. Well time to turn in......tune in tomorrow.

Arrivederci.....ciao

That child of mine.......

Finally I was able to catch Gabriel singing in Italian. He is too cute...a sponge absorbing everything in this environment. And so, without further ado...introducing Gabriel my little singing Italian boy. Turn up the volume to hear him.

Buon Anno...Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year familia and friends. May it be filled with lots of happiness :D I'm including a video of the celebration here from my bedroom balcony. It was amazing...Italians love fireworks and the video doesn't do their celebrating justice...it was so much better live. When you hear us hollering "Happy New Year" we're shouting to our American neighbors across the street. Also it's funny how just by their screams and hollers Lesley is able to identify the Americans that live in our neighborhood. LOL Well enjoy!!

Let's hit the road Jack....

I never intended for my blog to be a place to vent, but please bear with me. Writing helps me clear my thoughts.

We are heading to Garmisch, Germany for a week of fun in the snow.What a great way to begin the new year. We are anxiously looking forward to getting Swedish massages, sledding, skiing,the resort gym, the food, and relaxing in the pool. The views are absolutely breathtaking there and the fact that we get to hang out with the Fernandez family while we're there is an added bonus. Here's a pic I took when we went earlier this year in March. Isn't it so pretty...this is a view from where we'll be staying at Edelweiss Lodge Resort.


I'll try to post before we leave in a few days.

My husband's version of treats for Santa...cookies and a cupcake:D

Enjoy this clip of Gabe leaving treats for Santa :D

My goodness I dislike the way my voice sounds recorded;P EEWWW. Do I really sound like that??