Sunday walks...

Snowy walk

The birds were happy to see us!

Hey little fella!

The snowball begins small....

...and gets bigger

Goofy Bryan

Even the restaurants provide warm blankets and cushions for those willing to eat outside...

 

 

 

You wonder how many families have had a Sunday walk through this building over the years....

beautiful!

So pretty!

A little hot chocolate to keep warm :-)

I love the fact that everything is closed here on Sunday. I just think that life moves too quickly, and when you have at least one day a week to relax, reflect, spend time together etc. it makes for a better world. One of my favorite things to do is to go for a walk as a family. Sometimes, we will walk in the forest or go for a bike ride, and other times, we will just walk through the city. Last Sunday, it was just through the city. Even though only restaurants are open, the city still bustles with people (people just like us, enjoying their Sunday together). I love it! 

Pizza Maker...

After rolling out the Pizza Teil (dough that is already made - she just has to roll it out). She adds the secret sauce (she could tell you, but then she'd have to kill you :-)) Just Kidding - its simple store bought sauce. Notice her very serious look :-)

The yummy fresh mozzarella

Adding the topping - we always have Salami (on a funny note, Salami is the German word for Peperoni - in Italy, if you order peperoni, you will get a Pizza topped with peppers - we had to learn that the hard way :-))

Delicious!!!

It's as easy as that! Thanks Mia!!!

At least twice a week, Mia makes pizza for our family (well, for everyone except Camden, who is the only creature on earth that does not like pizza :-)). She has it mastered and it is absolutely delicious! The best part for me is that she makes it from start to finish, without any help at all! I want to remember all of these details when we can no longer buy fresh Mozzarella balls for 50 cents (one of the benefits of living near Italy :-))

Unesco World Heritage Site

Before moving to Europe, I had never heard of the Unesco World Heritage Site Honor.  Often when we go places over here, they are "Unesco World Heritage Sites." In order to get the distinguished honor, there is a ton of criteria that has to be met. When we were in Ireland, at the Newgrange monument, I was really surprised to see a map of all of the World's Heritage Sites. I was surprised that the US had only a handful (including the biggies: Statue of Liberty, a few National Parks, Jefferson's Monticello, Independence Hall etc.) What I was really surprised to see was that Bamberg was only one of a handful of places in the entire world where the entire town is honored for being a World Heritage Site.  It isn't just one building or one park, but instead, the entire town. It definitely should be, but I was still kind of surprised that it was one of only a very small percentage that are distinguished with such an honor. Ich bin stolz! :-) Here is the website to see the requirements and all of the Unesco World Heritage Sites...
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

Carrying your own skis...

Bailey and Camden taking a break at an Alm (hut)...

I just read a great book about the real lives and perspectives of 5 sisters that grew up in a family of 10 in New England. "The Satellite Sisters" share their tidbits in the compiled book of stories, but also are apparently part of a successful radio show as well. One of the sections of the book was called "Carrying your own skis." I clearly remember as a young kid, schlepping my skis, poles, and backpack, while also walking in ski boots the distance from the car to the ski lodge. Anyone that is familiar with skiing knows the feeling - and especially when you are young, it is not always an easy task. In the book, the one sister mentions how they were taught as young kids to "carry their own skis" As a family with 8 kids, the mom and dad couldn't help carry anyone's skis because they would be carrying their own: skis, clothing, cooler of food etc. The sister talked about how "carrying your own skis" was a great metaphor for life (Basically taking responsibility for your responsibilities), and how surprising that many people in the world have not learned how to "carry their own skis."  I can totally relate to this metaphor, and have to ask the question of my own children - Can they carry their own skis? Yesterday (for President's Day), Camden, Bailey, and I went skiing - I am happy to say - they did carry their own skis. The idea is now a daily thought in my mind. My goal as a parent is to make sure my kids can "carry their own skis" happily throughout life :-)

Ryan Air

Ryan air is the famous (or sometimes infamous) cheap European airline. Previous to our trip to Ireland, we had never flown on it...always being a little weary of what to expect. The airline cuts costs by flying to smaller airports (small airports don't charge huge fees), selling drinks and snacks (and everything else you can imagine) on board, charging for checked and big luggage, not having a ton of people working at the counters etc.  I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised how easy and nice it was. It is definitely not Lufthansa, but for the price, it was fantastic. We were a 1/2 hour late leaving Frankfurt, but they caught up with the time in the air. They proudly advertise that over 90% of their flights arrive on time - in this day and age, it really is something to be proud of. On our arrival home, we were 25 minutes early (when was the last time you have been early on a flight? - I was truly impressed!). You can get some amazing deals when they have sales (flights from as low as 10 euro each way).  They are starting to fly out of Nuremburg next month - I can't wait to see what kind of destinations and deals they offer!

More Ireland Pics....

Newgrange - older than the Pyramids in Giza!

We loved the thatched Roofs!!!!

Had to take this one for my Dad - this is a Maine Beer we saw at the Grocery Store in Ireland :-)

Me Driving on "the wrong" side - quite scary!!! :-) Notice the stick shift on the left hand side!

Bryan and I in front of Malahide Castle

An old Irish Church....

Irish and EU Flags (Ireland uses the Euro for its currency, instead of the Pound like Britain)

My highlights were the Seals in the Bay and the Sheep in the fields :-)

The Rugged Coast

2 escapees from the Castle Dungeon :-)

This was Bailey's Highlight (a bit stalkerish, but fun). We had to go to Nando's - it is the favorite Irish restaurant of Bailey's favorite Singer (from the group, "One Direction)

A silly (but cute) Leprechaun

The Coast in Howth

The entrance to Newgrange (notice the intricate design in the big rock in the front)

I Loved the Sheep, although we didn't see too many...

Newgrange

Ireland

Trinity College

The Old Library at Trinity College - looked like something out of Harry Potter

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Bailey liked this one :-)

Bryan liked this one :-)

Very cool - super old Tavern...

Sweet Family

Dublin!

I thought this was funny.... Glad to know that "thieves" operate here (definitely not Bamberg :-))

The old Library - Gorgeous!

Mia :-)

We just got back from Ireland, and had a great time. The driving was definitely something to get used to.  (Picture tiny rental car, driver sits on wrong side of car, drives on wrong side of road, and must shift with a manual shifter with left hand :-) It was tricky, but in the end, we conquered it. It was a really neat place to visit. Speaking and reading everything in English was also definitely a plus! The rugged coast reminded me of Maine. The city of Dublin was neat, with lots of cool spots to check out. We went to Trinity College to see the famous Book of Kells, and the Old Library. St. Patrick's Cathedral (Where Johnathon Swift is buried) was beautiful. We also went to Malahide Castle, which was stunning. We visited Howth, which was a cute coastal fishing village, complete with Seals in the Harbor - too cute! The highlight for all of us though, was Newgrange.  Newgrange is dated back 5000 years (before Stonehenge and the Pyramids). It is an amazing structure that allows light into its cross shaped tomb only during the Winter Solstice. It is amazing to think that 5000 years ago, people could have had the engineering foresight to figure this out. We were able to walk into the tomb and have a private tour (apparently in the summer, you are very lucky to get in, let alone a private tour). We were the first ones there on a chilly day, so we totally lucked out. I would definitely love to go back to Ireland and spend a little more time. We met a really nice Irish lady on the plane, and she had suggested more than we were able to accommodate this time, but it was a great first taste of Ireland!