Germany with Schamal's-Part III...Lichtenstein

Okay. So some may have never heard of a teeny little country in Europe called Lichtenstein. After all, it's population for the WHOLE country is 35,000. And measured from north to south, it is about 15 miles long. So why go there? Because it's LICHTENSTEIN. NO ONE goes to Lichtenstein. It has no tourism (other than one small pedestrian street), it is not easy to get to and really is just a tax haven for companies and rich people. We drove 2 1/2 hours to get there, walked around for a little bit (in the pouring rain), got our passport stamped, ate lunch and then called it a day! Oh and we bought some t-shirts and souvenirs proving we had been there. Now some of you may think it was a waste of a day, but we thought it was well worth it:) On the way home, we drove through Switzerland and Austria (which completely surround Lichtenstein). The capital of Lichtenstein is Vaduz, which is where we spent 3 glorious hours.


The pedestrian street of Vaduz, Lichtenstein. The only thing to do on this street is shop for souvenirs and eat...which we did.

The government building in Vaduz. The government is parliamentary but the prince of Lichtenstein can overrule anything they pass.

The official tourism office of Lichtenstein where we paid 2 Euros to have our passport stamped-even Olivia's!!

The castle where the prince and his family live. You would think they would open this place up for tours to draw in more people but it is closed to the public per the prince's wishes.

The lone cathedral in Vaduz.

Crossing the Rhine River into Switzerland.

A quaint little town in Switzerland.

An old castle on a hill in Austria on our drive home.

An Alpine valley with some towns at the bottom.

Just thought this was a beautiful shot of Austria!

Germany Part II-The Zugspitzebahn

The next day after our day trip to Munich, my dad, Justin and I decided to go up to the tallest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitzebahn, which is near the resort. My mom graciously decided to stay back and watch Olivia as we were not comfortable bringing her up to the summit and my mom would just as rather stay back then go up either. We took a gondola up to the top of the mountain and a train that went inside the mountain back down to experience both. It was a little scary for me because I am afraid of heights but I was not going to let that stop me from seeing the top of the mountain. It did not disappoint! The Zugspitzebahn is 10,ooo feet tall and has a large observation area at the top as well as a restaurant and beer garden. There is also the unique capability of walking through a glass overhang into Austria up top as well-which we, of course, did!!


The mighty Zugspitzebahn. All 10,000 feet of it. You can see the gondola cable lines off to the right.


Justin and I at the summit observation deck. Love the snow still on the mountain!

Justin overlooking the Zug bowl.

Me in front of the sign at the top f the mountain.


Walking over to Austria!!

My dad and I at the top of the Zug. It was a bit cold.


Lake Eibsee as seen from the gondola heading up to the top of the Zug.


The actual summit of the Zug. People were climbing up a small ladder on the side of the summit and climbing over to the pole! No thank you...

My dad and I enjoying some German fare at the top of the Zug. Beer, pretzels and apple strudel.

Yes, a chapel in the bowl of the Zug. We did not have time to go to a service (if they even have one) but thought it was nice that someone included this at the top of the mountain. Maybe everyone says a prayer here before skiing down the mountain. I know I would.

Germany with the Schamal's-Pt. 1 Munich

We planned a trip to the military resort, Edelweiss Lodge, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany in the middle of July. My parents decided to join us. It was their first time to Europe! They LOVED Germany but who wouldn't? Especially this resort. It is amazing!! And incredibly cheap to stay at because it is a military hotel. The resort and the town, Garmisch, is located in southern Germany about an hour south of Munich. It's in the Bavarian Alps and has absolutely stunning views of the mountains. Plenty to see and do in the middle of summer! We decided to hit Munich first with my parents. We spent the day there and then my parents and I went on a hotel excursion to Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich.

The front of the Edelweiss Lodge.


The view from the front of the hotel. Looks like a movie set!


A restaurant we ate at in Partenkirchen. Notice the murals on the walls. Many buildings, even homes, had murals painted on them.

The world famous Hofbrauhaus! Notice we are happy with our beer steins. But Olivia is not too pleased. They didn't have a small enough stein for her.

One of the happiest days for Justin! He loves his German beer!

My parents enjoying traditional German food at the Hofbrauhaus.


The May pole in the middle of the Munich public market.


The Glockenspiel in the center of Munich. It is an old medieval building with a clock tower that still plays a 16th century story.


Every day the clock chimes and these figures start to dance and move.


The gates to Dachau Concentration Camp. Arbeit Macht Frei (Work sets you free) is at the top of the gate.

One of the original watch towers within the camp.

Original barb wire fencing and moat.

The crematorium. The dead were burned in the ovens here.

The ovens at Dachau.

The bunks inside the barracks of Dachau. 1600 were crammed into each barrack. They were only designed for 250 people.

The artistic design created to commemorate the suffering of those in the camp.

London

We had some time for a quick 4 day trip to see my friend Leah and her husband Derek again in London. This time our mission was to see as much of it as possible in 4 days. Needless to say, we were always on the move. Olivia was such a trooper as we forced some stroller naps on her again. She made it through and saw some great sights she will never remember! We had such a blast and are so thankful that the Beckmans saved us some major dough by letting us invade their apartment yet again! Warning...Long post with lots of pics.



Me and the famous "Beefeater" Guard at the Tower of London. The Beefeaters are retired military who give tours of the Tower. The Tower of London was a fortress used by many famous British monarchs throughout history including Henry the VIII. It is most known for becoming a place to house prisoners including Anne Boleyn.


The ravens that never leave the tower. They have their own pens and caretaker. They are free to roam however their wings are clipped so they stick to the grassy knoll.


The building that houses the British Crown Jewels. We saw some serious gems, gold and crowns in there. The famous "Star of Africa" diamond is there as well. Sorry no pics allowed in here.


The fam in front of Tower Bridge on the Thames River.


Couldn't resist a pic of this Underground stop.


O is super pumped to be at Hampton Court-home of Henry the VIII!!


Leah, O and I at Hampton Court in front of the many beautiful flower patches.


Justin in Trafalgar Square and the famous statue of Admiral Nelson-victor of the Battle of Trafalgar. They defeated the Spanish off the coast of southern Spain. We will try to get to where the battle was located here in Spain at a different date and take some pics. However, the Spanish have no markers showing where the battle was. Funny...


The ceremonial band at the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The whole thing was super cheesy and not that great in my opinion. The band played Austin Powers. Took away from the experience for me.


Okay one of the highlights of the trip for me. The British Museum. This place has everything! Mummies, ancient Greek and Roman antiquities and this piece of stone I am posing in front of. The Rosetta Stone (of Micheal Phelps fame). No not the language series you can buy. The ACTUAL Rosetta Stone. This stone is ancient Egyptian and was written in 3 different languages, 2 Egyptian and 1 Greek. Since the discoverers knew Greek they were able to translate the Egyptian hieroglyphics and thus understand the Egyptian system of writing.


O and I are obviously not taking seriously enough the fact that we are sitting in the same room as The Elgin Marbles. These sculptures were taken from the top of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

Justin and O in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the biggest in the world. Notice the fun red bus in the background. Gotta love London.


Ahhh. Windsor Castle. I can't believe O fell asleep. a MUST SEE if you go to London. The queen's weekend home.


Here we are in front of the castle courtyard. The queen's apartments are behind us.


The castle turret. Look closely at the flag. It is only flown if the queen is there. SHE WAS!! But we didn't see her. I can't believe she does not come out when the crowds are there and just say hi.

Just thought the sign was funny. Would have been funnier if we actually had a cup in our hands. Not rule breakers....

...unless you just have to get a picture with Queen Elisabeth I's tomb!! No pics allowed...if people are in there and see you. But no one was so we broke the rules and I have no regrets!! Her tomb is actually at Westminster Abbey but I just wanted to make sure this pic got in:)


The long walk outside of Windsor Castle. The queen's car comes down this drive to the castle. Thanks Beckmans for another awesome trip!!