Liege, Belgium is only an hour drive away, we had the greatest hot chocolate to start the day and were very happy. I didnt know what was up with Liege but found out that Standard Liege is the Number 1 soccer team in Belgium and I was excited to see the field and get a shirt, unfortunately, I needed directions and according to some smart ass French/Belgium guy == the stadium doesnt have an address....really frenchy how does the team get mail???
So it wasnt looking good to get a jersey, but we saw a bunch of churches, everyone was hungry so I ordered a sandwich in English-- I think she understood,. next Alyssa wanted a Waffle and again I ordered in English and they understood....:)
We finally headed home.....but we made one stop.... the Soccer Stadium and I got my shirt
Go STANDARD LIEGE
Sunday, April 19, 2009
April 17th- Koln
So we are finally headeded back to Sonsbeck after a road trip around Germany, t0 Austria, Swiss, and France. We did take a quick stop to Koln or Colgne and saw a church and saw the Sarcophagus of the Magi, --- the amount of historical things we have seen is amazing, we are so lucky.
For dinner we went to a small restaurant and had a Douner --- which is basically a Gyro as big as my stomach--- which as we all know is huge.
For dinner we went to a small restaurant and had a Douner --- which is basically a Gyro as big as my stomach--- which as we all know is huge.
April 16th -Strassburg France
The world wind tour continues.....we made a quick stop in Straussburg France to see the world's oldest astrological clock (not sure what that means....but we took pictures).
Because we parked at a street lot that let us park for 1.5 hrs, so we didnt see a lot of Straussburg...one fun thing is that some stupid french person dropped an egg from the 5th floor of their apartment and almost took out Julie and the girls.
Our next stop was Trier, Germany --- This was actually a pretty cool visit....we saw the best preserved Roman structure-- basically a really big wall. The next stop was a church that has the Holy Turin, which is the garmet that Jesus wore during his crucifixion. We then stopped to eat....Alyssa and Emily were excited ---they had chicken nuggets... I had my first Schnitzal damn it was good. Julie didnt like her lasgna but her and Barb loved the wine tasting
We ended the night on familar soil---We stayed at an Air Force Military base--- GO USA
Saturday, April 18, 2009
April 15th- Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein
Because Julie is always treated like a princess we decided to visit some castles. Both castles were built by the Bavarian King Ludwig II. Neuschwanstein took him 17 years to build but he only lived there for 172 days before he died under mysterious circumstances.... this was also the castle that was the basis for the Castle in Sleeping Beauty and at Disney. It was great waking up, looking up and seeing the castles from our hotel room.
We left Germany and headed to Mulhouse France -- via Zurich--- which was a nightmare. to end the day we bought some chocolates and found a small pizza place in France, where Dave had to fight for the correct bill as they tried to rip us off.
April 14th- Salzburg Austria
THE SOUND OF MUSIC !!!!! Dave is happy--- we visited several of the locations that were made famous by the movie. Our first stop was the Mirabell Gardens, which was a spot where the Von Trapps sang Do,Re,Mi...... So Dave pranced around the same gardens reinacting the song. Our next stop was St. Sebastin Cemetary, which was the basis of the Cemetary used in the movie for the Von Trapps to escape......next we knocked on the door to the Abbey and asked for Fraulin Maria (okay we really didnt do that but we saw it) Our next location was the front of the Von Trapp house, before we went to the crown jewel of the tour and went to the Gazebo used in the song I am 16......
We saw some other stuff too---- after walking for ever we took a tram to the Salzburg Castle
We ended the day by going to the Salt mines....Dave learned a very interesting thing....if you lick the walls they taste like salt
April13th - ROAD TRIP
Dave had his first taste of the Autobahn --- although driving really fast in a Honda Odessey doesnt do the Autobahn justice.
As Dave navaigated the left lane driving past Kia's, Fiats and more Kia's we arrived in Nuremberg we saw old churches from 1200-1300's. The highlight was we had lunch at a restaruant were the city council meet to decide about the official size and weight of the Nuremberg bratwursts....this has gone on since the 1300's,
We then stopped of in Munich at the World Famous Hofbrauhaus where we sat with locals and drank 32 ounces of beer and got pretzels from a pretzel wench.
Our final stop of the day was our hotel in Austria--- we ended the day with beers in a sports betting pub.......Cant wait until tomorrow for The Sound of Music
As Dave navaigated the left lane driving past Kia's, Fiats and more Kia's we arrived in Nuremberg we saw old churches from 1200-1300's. The highlight was we had lunch at a restaruant were the city council meet to decide about the official size and weight of the Nuremberg bratwursts....this has gone on since the 1300's,
We then stopped of in Munich at the World Famous Hofbrauhaus where we sat with locals and drank 32 ounces of beer and got pretzels from a pretzel wench.
Our final stop of the day was our hotel in Austria--- we ended the day with beers in a sports betting pub.......Cant wait until tomorrow for The Sound of Music
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Saturday April 11th- Belgium
Today we drove to Brussels, Belgium. It was our first ROCKSTAR parking spot....right outside of the King's Palace.... We were shocked by the amount of graffiti found in Brussels (all over landmarks, on the side of buildings you name it).
We figured the best way to see Brussels was by a bus tour.....we saw all the sites and learned some interesting history. Brussels is the hub of the European Union, it is big in banking and insurance.
One of the things the kids wanted to do in Belgium was eat a waffle, these are more of a dessert rather than a breakfast and they were awesome.
There is a story in Brussels that a little boy came across a fire in the city....while he was yelling for help he tried to extinguish the fire by peeing on it....when others arrived a bucket brigade was started. The town folk credited the little boy for saving the city and erected a statue of the boy. Upon seeing the statue Julie said "that is it...that isn't that big", thus making David happy the rest of the trip.
Finally we all had ABBA in our heads as we headed 12 miles out of town to Waterloo. Waterloo is the place where Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington. There is a huge statue of a lion set on a hill that we climbed all 226 steps to see the battlefield....our legs are still killing us.
We are laying low on Easter before we embark on our 5 day tour of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France.......Only 2 more days before the Goodwillie's are frolicking and singing the Hills Alive with the Sound of Music and going to the Salt Mines of Austria....yes these are a few of my favorite things.
We figured the best way to see Brussels was by a bus tour.....we saw all the sites and learned some interesting history. Brussels is the hub of the European Union, it is big in banking and insurance.
One of the things the kids wanted to do in Belgium was eat a waffle, these are more of a dessert rather than a breakfast and they were awesome.
There is a story in Brussels that a little boy came across a fire in the city....while he was yelling for help he tried to extinguish the fire by peeing on it....when others arrived a bucket brigade was started. The town folk credited the little boy for saving the city and erected a statue of the boy. Upon seeing the statue Julie said "that is it...that isn't that big", thus making David happy the rest of the trip.
Finally we all had ABBA in our heads as we headed 12 miles out of town to Waterloo. Waterloo is the place where Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington. There is a huge statue of a lion set on a hill that we climbed all 226 steps to see the battlefield....our legs are still killing us.
We are laying low on Easter before we embark on our 5 day tour of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France.......Only 2 more days before the Goodwillie's are frolicking and singing the Hills Alive with the Sound of Music and going to the Salt Mines of Austria....yes these are a few of my favorite things.
Friday April 10th- Kevelaer and Xanten
It was a good Friday, we stayed in Germany today. In Kevelaer, we visited our first historical church it was truly impressive, the detail in the craftsmanship was extraordinary. What was interesting is that the church still had mortar holes from the war. We also visited a bakery, they quickly realized we were not from Germany, but welcomed us as Friends when we said we were American.
Our next stop was Xanten, where we saw another church and went to the Roman ruins. When you think of Germany, you dont really think of Roman Empire, but on their way to conquer England, the Romans set up shop in Xanten......it was really impressive to see the fort they built, but after 3 hrs of walking around, Alyssa said it best "It is just a bunch of rocks and some dirt...can we go."
After a long day we stopped for dinner....was it a brat or a wiener shintzel....nope we had German Chinese. Yes Chinese Buffet is even popular in Europe. While they had the traditional Egg Drop Soup, Egg Rolls and Com Pow Chicken, we had kangaroo....it was great, in fact Alyssa was jumping around to get some more...she even wants it again.
We love and miss everyone
More posts and pics to follow
Our next stop was Xanten, where we saw another church and went to the Roman ruins. When you think of Germany, you dont really think of Roman Empire, but on their way to conquer England, the Romans set up shop in Xanten......it was really impressive to see the fort they built, but after 3 hrs of walking around, Alyssa said it best "It is just a bunch of rocks and some dirt...can we go."
After a long day we stopped for dinner....was it a brat or a wiener shintzel....nope we had German Chinese. Yes Chinese Buffet is even popular in Europe. While they had the traditional Egg Drop Soup, Egg Rolls and Com Pow Chicken, we had kangaroo....it was great, in fact Alyssa was jumping around to get some more...she even wants it again.
We love and miss everyone
More posts and pics to follow
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Amsterdam
What a day!!!!! The day started out nice enough, we enjoyed a simple German breakfast consisting of a ham,egg and Cheese sandwich and headed to Amsterdam, which is about a 2 hr drive. Today it took 3 hrs...but that is what happens when you go to Belgium to get to the Netherlands.....stupid GPS
We finally made it to Amsterdam and headed to get something to eat. We went to a place called the Pancake factory....here you can get any type of pancake. We had one that had ham and cheese in the pancake and another with apples and cinnamon ice cream
Amsterdam is famous for its canal system, there are over 63 miles of canals in the city. The canal boat ride was a great way to see the city and we learned a lot of Amsterdam history. Building facades are tilted forward to make the homes appear bigger. All buildings have a large arm that sticks out from the roof, this was used to lift things into the second and third stories, the tilted facade was made so that the building wasn't damaged by goods lifted to other stories.
Next we headed to the Heineken Brewery tour, where we learned about the special yeast used in Heineken.....I don't care what they use, but that beer was damn good. They have a 4D ride that allows you to feel what it is like to go through the brewing process and an area where you can have your name put on a label. Then came the free beer....Prost!
After having a few drinks we went to the Anne Frank House. It was very moving to picture how this family lived for several years, with no outside contact.
Finally, we started to go to the Red Light District...a few feet away and we decided the kids can't go so Barb (Julie's Cousin) decided to stay back and Julie and I went. There was a distinct smell in the air...not sure what that was (wink, wink) Julie made me go into some shop, but I refused to go into the little telephone booth sized booth, that had an array of lotions and some paper towel for clean up....I can only assume this is if I put on too much lotion.
More travel updates to come
Love
The Goodwillie's
We finally made it to Amsterdam and headed to get something to eat. We went to a place called the Pancake factory....here you can get any type of pancake. We had one that had ham and cheese in the pancake and another with apples and cinnamon ice cream
Amsterdam is famous for its canal system, there are over 63 miles of canals in the city. The canal boat ride was a great way to see the city and we learned a lot of Amsterdam history. Building facades are tilted forward to make the homes appear bigger. All buildings have a large arm that sticks out from the roof, this was used to lift things into the second and third stories, the tilted facade was made so that the building wasn't damaged by goods lifted to other stories.
Next we headed to the Heineken Brewery tour, where we learned about the special yeast used in Heineken.....I don't care what they use, but that beer was damn good. They have a 4D ride that allows you to feel what it is like to go through the brewing process and an area where you can have your name put on a label. Then came the free beer....Prost!
After having a few drinks we went to the Anne Frank House. It was very moving to picture how this family lived for several years, with no outside contact.
Finally, we started to go to the Red Light District...a few feet away and we decided the kids can't go so Barb (Julie's Cousin) decided to stay back and Julie and I went. There was a distinct smell in the air...not sure what that was (wink, wink) Julie made me go into some shop, but I refused to go into the little telephone booth sized booth, that had an array of lotions and some paper towel for clean up....I can only assume this is if I put on too much lotion.
More travel updates to come
Love
The Goodwillie's
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
The kids first all nighter
Emily and Alyssa are doing well for thier first all nighter. After getting up at 5am on Tuesday and going to school for the morning, we packed up and headed to the airport. After a quick 15 minutes in the air to Chicago (which brings me to a couple observations: 1. The lady who wore a size 12 shouldnt wear a size 4 shirt. 2: I am SOOOO glad I stopped having kids after 2, this poor guy had five kids 4 of them girls and all they did was tell dad he sucked and how crabby he was.....I felt for him)
So our flight to Europe was un-eventful....because we were traveling with kids, we got put in the kid section of the plane....crying babies + horny teens= no sleep for the Goodwillie's
After arriving in Deutschland, we visited the small town of Sonsbeck, unfortunatly at 9am German time the Beer Gardens are closed :(....not to worry our hosts have beers from around Europe, so on this night we focused on Belgium and the sweet nectar of cherry beer, grapefruit beer and like 8 other different beers..
Today we are going Amsterdam: Tulips, Museums, Red Lights....should be a good day
So our flight to Europe was un-eventful....because we were traveling with kids, we got put in the kid section of the plane....crying babies + horny teens= no sleep for the Goodwillie's
After arriving in Deutschland, we visited the small town of Sonsbeck, unfortunatly at 9am German time the Beer Gardens are closed :(....not to worry our hosts have beers from around Europe, so on this night we focused on Belgium and the sweet nectar of cherry beer, grapefruit beer and like 8 other different beers..
Today we are going Amsterdam: Tulips, Museums, Red Lights....should be a good day
We Arrived
The Goodwillie's have arrived in Deutschland. No sleep along with sampling Belgian beers makes for a long day.
The flight had loud kids and teenagers, no sleeping was done. Walking into the village (only a mile walk) with no food or drink seemed to take forever. Tomorrow we're headed to Amsterdam.
More updates to follow.
The flight had loud kids and teenagers, no sleeping was done. Walking into the village (only a mile walk) with no food or drink seemed to take forever. Tomorrow we're headed to Amsterdam.
More updates to follow.
Monday, April 6, 2009
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