Mary's Portion

The life of a celebrity is so very demanding. On this trip I perfected my 'camera smile' and 'goodbye kiss' for my fans (cruise staff) and the paparazzi (other tourists). I caused grown men to sigh and ask for pictures and consented to hair-touching by strangers from around the world. Mom is threatening to dye my hair a very dark color. I also learned how to be very certain I get the attention I require... I hit the nearest parent and yell MOMMY! or DADDY! repeatedly, loudly, relentlessly. It works quite well. I tried to hurt myself in a variety of ways climbing the ladder to "Eye-Yigh's" bunk on the ship (that's how I say Eli) or going down the stairs (do NOT help me) and asserted my independence to the great amusement of Grandpa Wanders who kept saying "She is a piece of work!" to my mommy. A college student we met in Venice (as she was taking my picture and talking to Grandma) was majoring in Child Development. She said "try to keep her alive until she grows up and becomes the President or a CEO, then you'll be fine." I don't know what that means but mommy and daddy went to bed exhausted every night.

Our first sea day I woke up with a fever and it stayed with me all day. All I wanted to do that day was sit in mommy or daddy's lap. I didn't play with toys, eat, or walk around. Given my usual persona this was highly alarming to my parents. But I was fully recovered after a few naps and a full nights sleep for our adventure in Ephesus the following day. Phew! Too much travelling and excitement for me, I guess. On a few occasions throughout the week I allowed Grandpa (with ice cream) or Grandma to hold me or take me on a walk. I liked mini-golf, climbing rocks, and spotting animals (cats absolutely everywhere in Dubrovnik and Ephesus; dogs in Santorini, fish in Venice) wherever they could be found. I'm turning into a good traveller (even on plane trips! SHORT plane trips!) and invite (dare) you to come and try it with me.

The Main Course: Eli's Portion

My favorite activity in all our mediterranean stops (especially in Venice) was chasing pigeons. It was my goal to get them to fly away but they were too well fed and too used to people so I had to work hard! Here's a video of me in St. Marks Square.

I loved our cruise! Especially Club Ocean. It was so much fun. The teachers blew up a volcano and took us on lots of fun walks around the ship like the Pirate Parade, the Alien Hunt, and Trick-or-Treating on Halloween. I made lots of friends there and other places too. Marie was also from Germany but the teachers didn't speak German so I helped them talk to her sometimes. We even had kids' dinner two times. Plus movies, crafts, toys and songs. Heaven!


I could have hot dogs, cookies, and apple juice all day long on the ship. One day I played Dominoes with Grandma in the library. And we played miniature golf a few times too. All the workers were really nice and always gave us stuff... like chocolates before bedtime and animals made out of towels in our room. I needed a nap every day since I was staying up so late at Club Ocean (10pm most nights) and walking all over the place when we docked. One day we walked 12 kilometers (that's 8 miles for you folks on the US system) across the island of Santorini in Greece!! Two dogs followed us the whole way. They were nice but I was nervous for awhile around them. It was a very hard hike but I'm a 'trooper' said mom and dad and I made it.

Mom and Dad were laughing because I make friends (blond women in their 20's; children of all ages) wherever I go and strangers always seem to know my name. Greetings come my way at the weirdest places... an out of the way restaurant in Dubrovnik, Croatia (blond girl I met walking around the ship); the palace in Venice (Marie from Germany); and at the airport just before coming home (some kids from the club). And I made some moves on Holly, the just married young woman at our dining room table. Her new husband, Michael, was laughing because I asked Holly to sit with me by the window for awhile and told her secrets and smiled at her.

I loved all the boats in Venice and riding on the Vaporettos (like public buses) and the Gondola. In Turkey I learned how to make rugs and roll them up and even saw a "flying carpet." Sometimes I rode on Grandpas shoulders or held Grandmas hand while we walked. It was a wonderful vacation.

An Appetizer

For a brief period B.C. (Before Cruise) we did a few day trips... Heidelberg, Germany; Beaufort Castle in Luxembourg; and Bastogne, Belgium.

This is your appetizer before the main course - which will be delectable cuts of personal cruise vacation perspectives embellished with superlative gravy on a bed of anecdotes. Enjoy with your choice of 'whine.'

Poor dad. He flies into Frankfurt and has to wander around looking for us in a mess of an airport (fog, accidents, traffic delays) and then gets dragged out for the day to Heidelberg: a beautiful city he probably barely noticed due to yawning, sleep-deprived eyes. BUT once I got there (again, slightly lost) we had a nice couple of hours people watching and walking in central Germany. The highlight for me was the student prison, used from 1798 - 1910 to hold unruly students for 3 day detentions for such crimes as snuffing out street lamps or chasing pig farmers through the streets. Silhouette graffiti art made with candle soot was actually pretty cool. We bribed the kids with ice cream and a giant gummy bear to keep them going. The catechism was written here, a welcoming town for Protestantism when it was still a new and rebellious idea.

A few days later we drove out of miserable weather to Luxembourg and explored a fabulous ruins castle with cellars, passageways, and fun rocks to climb before continuing to Bastogne in Belgium. Dad's uncle was a 'Bastard of Bastogne' in one of the most significant WWII battles and we saw the interesting museum and memorial there. We all had the audio-tour guides (like a phone you hold to your ear as you walk and listen) BUT mine was irretrievably stolen by a little blond thief in need of entertainment. The movie about the battle of Bastogne was really, really informative and inspiring and made me proud of America. Had dinner in a cute little cafe where I had to practice my French before heading home. it was a great day all around.

My pastor came for dinner one night and talked with dad, lots of fun, and we all went to the Kite-Fest for Eli's class in the hills above our house on a cold, windy day before heading for the warmth of the Mediterranean.... and with that last tasty morsel, be on the lookout in days to come for more good stuff.

Sweetness & Strasbourg

It didn't start out too well. Mom's (mine) first trip to Europe heralded grey and rainy skies and fog. Lots of fog. Her 2nd day here we went to Luxembourg to find the Valley of the Seven Castles. Disaster. Rain, cold, and construction meant everything was closed or impossible to enjoy. Sigh. But the weather did improve last week and German locals came through... Mom met many friendly, wonderful people.

• Eli's teacher, who tried so hard to impress her.
• The local flower shop owner, who presented her (and Mary) with a single rose one morning when we stopped by (which caused me to buy more flowers for my porch).
• My elderly neighbor, who begged us to come for tea and then presented, on fine china, a homemade, incredible cheesecake, several teas, and good conversation.
• Our good friend from the local bank, who came over for dinner and brought mom an autumn bouquet.
• My German language teacher, who gave us several ideas of places we could go and see.
• The pastor and his wife at church, who engaged her and a British couple in conversation for half an hour.
• and more....

I think she's ready to move here permanently. The people, rather than the sight (which have improved, see below) seem to have won her over - just as they have me this past year.

Nanstein Castle was our first foray into tourism after Luxembourg and she was impressed with her first ruins romp. Then Saturday we decided to dare the skies and head south and east into France. It was fog soup the whole way there and then, as we reached the city limits, sunshine! Lovely, 75 degrees, cathedral and carousel and riverboat tour and street performers galore. Saw a few cute villages on our way home, as well. I may dare again this Friday and Saturday.

Note to Self: The next time we move to Europe and expect visitors, buy a minivan. Guess who gets to sit in between two large car seats filled with cranky attention-hungry children in her own car? It's more than worth the mental pain and physical bullying (Mary does NOT like it when I touch her armrest, like I have a choice)... but I also need a good 2-hour break from my kids afterwards.

Realities of The Rhine

Ahhh, The Rhine. Romantic castles, incredible views, and tourists. It felt a little bit like being on a foreign game show where players' expectations don't quite match up with the reality of experience. Our odd impressions and pictures are below. Having said that - I can't wait to go back. It is beautiful. The castles are cool. The trip (in August) was great.

There really are castles everywhere you look on this section of the Rhine and it is impressive, especially from the river. We went to one 'ruins castle' where you can explore freely, and one 'tour castle' where you have a guide to see the restored inside rooms (not as much fun but cool to learn about). And we rode a river boat, the train, and a ferry. The ferry rides were Kevin's first and I think he liked it. We rode it five times. There are no bridges over the Rhine for 60 miles so ferries are necessary, plentiful, and fun.

Odd Observation #1: There is no shortage of flying insects on the Rhine. Be prepared to do battle for your food. You may have paid for it but he flies and the bees.... they want it. And they are persistent - indoors and out. Meals were all-out war zones with menus and hands waving and they were, unfortunately, long. I would love to 'do as the Europeans do' and linger over a long and lazy meal. But I have two kids. Who do not linger well when hungry. And I hate insects. Particularly those that fly.

Odd Observation #2: There is a shortage of blonds in Europe and particularly among tour groups. We've run into this before being (often) the only tourists with two cute little kids around. But Mary, with her platinum hair, gets celebrity-level attention. This was particularly strong attention to the point we were dodging tour groups and Kevin was getting upset. Strangers wanted to hold her (and tried to lure her from my arms) and numerous home movies and photos were taken, all featuring Mary. I said it was fine but I would hold her, thank you, and would have to be in the pictures too. Finally we just had to avoid them. Don't be afraid to bring your cute little towheads to Europe... just make sure they wear hats.

Odd Observation #3: We used to be the enemy and sometimes it still feels strange. The plaque in one very touristy town stated (in English) that 23 little kids and teachers died at a Kindergarten during an allied bombing raid. It's so sad to think my country was the likely bomber, but that the war against Germany was necessary back then, however we feel no animosity toward each other as people now, and how odd it all is, 62+ years later.

...education, in progress.