Car Bingo German style (Are we there yet?)

Remember those days long ago when license plate bingo and the sign board ABC games kept you busy in the car on those long road trips?  Living in Germany, those games aren't so easy.  The license plates here are all the same, save for the little (microscopic, really) "D" for Deutschland or "A" for Austria letters in the lower left corner.  Advertisement sign boards are pretty much nonexistent, too, which makes that game pretty much "boring-er".  (I must admit, I don't miss signboard litter!)

 So, I came up with a list of things to find to pass the time during your next journey thru the country:  

1. Count castles
2. Count steeples
3. Count McDonald's (they're nearly as plentiful as castles)
4. Count the number of times the autobahn crosses the Danube River.  (Or the number of times your kids tell you to "stop!" as you sing once again, da-da-da-da-da- blip- blip; blip-blip.)
5. Count the pig farms --guaranteed difficult level as I've only seen them once, in a truck, on their way to market.  Better luck counting those in Iowa.
6. Count stau's (autobahn traffic parking lots--those of you who live in LA or DC will totally understand.)
7. Don't count stau's: there's either traffic or you've got the road to yourself
8. Count the number of times the speed limit changes to 120kph with 3 lanes, after unlimited speed on 2 lanes of curvy...
9. Count the lazy boy chairs or mattresses on the highway....(oh wait, forgot we're not in (insert American) city where the load fell off "uncle Ed's" truck.)
10. Find the smallest car towing the biggest trailer load of "Klaus's" wood pile

Or, do what the boys do: turn your iPad brightness down all the way and pray your movie will outlast your battery before you have to start asking, "are we there yet?"

Next up.. German words that make us giggle.

Auf Weidersehen!
Linda

Spain & Portugal (a short story!)

Sometimes the best laid plans are the ones we don't create.  I thought we were headed to southern Spain for some relaxing-fun-in-the-sun time.  We not only got that, but also traded the stuffy, runny, sneezy allergy mecca of Germany for an allergy free vacation!

First, photos of our wonderful time with hostess, Elaine at Villa Los Paraisos in the countryside near Seville, Spain:

Villa Los Paraisos:  Swim fun, olive groves, shade for dinners and card games, the dog, Bobby loves the attention, Paella for dinner!

Next day:  Carmona Spain --a city with largely intact Roman (and even Carthaginian) and Moorish ruins --how cool to walk around here!

Nate's mission: find candy from each country we visit.  My mission:  find a Starbucks Cathedral and in Seville--the bull fighting museum.   Found it! 3rd largest Cathedral in Europe, Columbus' tomb; free wifi, and another cup for the collection (Ronnie!)

Bull Fight Museum:  Zach's takeaway "did you know one of the most famous toreadors in the world
was 9yrs old when he started,  died in the ring at age 25?" (Jose Ortega)  Impressive and sad.
2 boys are "caught" actually LOOKING at the artwork! (Above left)
This bullring is non-profit, all proceeds go to local charities!

Back to Portugal:   Hilton Vilamoura resort.  Part of our timeshare, the Hilton was nothing less than fantastic.   The beach was a mere 5 minute drive from the resort.  Forget the pools, though:  boys just want to dig!

The view from our balcony!  The pools were nice and never crowded when we were there!

Portugal Sail and BBQ: Catamaran, private beach, fish for lunch (ewww-heads!), kayaking, cliff- cave exploring, and Captain Z takes the wheel!

The Big Moon rise and a quick trip to Lagos: medieval fort --Alex's take away:  "Doesn't seem like much of a fort when all you have to do is go around the corner to get in!"

Driving home from the German airport, I asked the boys what they noticed was different about this countryside and that of Portugal.  Barely looking up from their ipads, they all commented "I don't know."  Oy.

Tschuss!
Linda