Europe 2009

OK....I know this is super late but for some reason I haven't been too keen to blog lately. Yet....I know I should write something about our fantastic trip to my home country and other adventures we had over in Europe.

Craig and I were able to do quite a bit of travelling, considering this was Craig's first time ever in Europe or even outside the USA. He loved it but also had some things to get used to as Europe is quite different from America. We landed and my parents picked us up from the airport in Frankfurt. The reason we flew into Frankfurt and not Berlin was because my parents actually work there and since we had to attend a soccer match that night it was easier to just fly into Frankfurt. We landed and drove straight to Munich to see the Audi Cup. This was Craig's dream come true event and he loved every minute of it...even though we were awake for about 30hrs by the time we got to Munich. Right after the game we drove the Switzerland and finally arrived at 5am in the morning at our cabin...what a first day!!!

We then enjoyed being in Switzerland...you must know that Switzerland is probably one of the most beautiful...clean...safe...and most expensive countries in the world. Let's just say...WE LOVE IT THERE! Our little modest cabin is in the french part of Switzerland and in the middle of the ski resort of Portes Du Soleil and the actual town is called Champery...it's the cutest little mountain town with typical Swiss traditional architecture and farms and...and much more!!! We hiked a few times and found that they put in a great Zipline course and other fun summer activity stuff right by my cabin and we will definitely do them next time we will visit. My parents took us to Evian, France while we where there since it is only 30 minutes away from my cabin. I am sure everyone knows about Evian...since it is famous for it's Mineral Water. Craig loved Lake Geneva...we went swimming and just drove through old midevil towns...it was so much fun. Craig also got to eat Raclette...a traditional Swiss meal with lots of melted cheese, potatoes and pickles. He kind of liked it but not really...I guess if you don't grow up with that stuff like I did you can't really get used to it. It's the same with me and drinking Dr. Pepper...it's just a weird beverage if you ask me.

After our Switzerland visit we drove back to Frankfurt to take the train to my grandparent's house. I still have both of my grandparents and I am so happy to visit both of them when I come home. This side of my family is my dad's side and they live in this tiny little midevil town in the country side, where my dad grew up. The town has a castle, a stone hedge, a brewery, and a lake. Craig and I relaxed and had fun with my grandparents for 3 days. We visited one of the biggest concentration camps from World War 2 called BUCHENWALD. It was really heart breaking and I don't think Craig had every experienced something like this. You should check out the link and look for yourself. I thought it was important for me to show part of Germany's dark history to Craig...it was a reality check for sure!

After my grandparents we finally went to Berlin. Berlin is the capital of Germany and also my hometown. I was born and raised there, and I had a lot of catching up with the city itself and some of my high school buddies to do. Ever since the Berlin Wall came down and Germany was reunited after the Cold War, the city has changed dramatically within the past 20 years. I pretty much have not lived in Berlin for about 9 years now and I cannot believe how much it has changed. It is one of the most beautiful cities in this world with so much to offer. If you ever want to experience a mix between Paris/London/Amsterdam you should put Berlin on your To Do List. I was not able to show Craig nearly as much as I wanted to but since this is not our last visit we were fine with it. He saw downtown and the EastSide Gallery....he got to eat a couple of Doenners (Turkish Food but native to Berlin due to it's large Turkish population)...he met a few of my high school friends...we partied and experienced the awesome nightlife and clubscene in Berlin...and most importantly Craig got to go to the 1st Bundesliga game of the season watching my home team Hertha BSC Berlin beat Hannover 96.

During our Berlin visit we decided to go ahead and drive the 2.5 hours up to the Baltic Sea Coast and then on the way back drive to Hamburg a coast beautiful city to visit my friend Sarah, who I had studied with in Sydney, Australia. I love the Baltic Sea and I am happy Craig got to see it...even though it was kind of cold and rainy. We made the most of it and went swimming at the nude beach when no one was there...it was so much fun...and Craig's first nude beach experience turned out to be a great time for him hahaha!!! Craig loved Hamburg as well...it's a coastal city with a big harbor and it's super nice...I think Craig fell actually in love with it.

So here we go...we pretty much covered all of Germany...and we loved it. The only thing we will do next time is take it much easier. We are planning on spending 5 days or so with my family and then do a trip by ourselves within Europe. Most likely we will be at our cabin for the first few years exploring from there since it is so central in Europe...it would take us only a 2-3 hours to France, Italy or any of the BeNeLux countries. Please check out our pictures on facebook. I will only post a few on here since it always takes forever to upload them. We can't wait for the next trip!!!!

Audi Cup ~ Allianz Arena Germany

Peach Orchard Saillon, Switzerland

Hiking in Champery