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

"Lost" (or "Cold War Secret Cave Tour")

Interior map shows us how to get appropriately "Lost" as power outages inside are par for the course.  Center photo shows the cave entrance in the 1960's and to the right, the entrance today.

Our family and several friends recently toured the "Kindsbach Cave".  Actually I think we experienced a reality version of “Lost”, the ABC television drama:  complete with an authentic research station, “Others”, and smoke (mold dust) monsters!  

Touring the cave was an interesting mix of history and terror:  we inhaled a few mold spores as we walked thru the creepy disrepair learning about it's place in 20th century history.  This cave was the center of top secret communication during the Cold War. Technologies were developed here during the 1960’s that advanced global communication capabilities and enhanced military readiness.  Here, air movement in the “East,” 1600km away, was monitored on multiple radar screens and commands to proceed with air defense could be instantly communicated to the Ramstein flight and missile defense units.  

Our guide shares a piece of WWII history discovered in the cave--a Nazi song book and newspaper. Peeling paint, dark hallways, and mold.  Lots of mold --because keeping a the AC running to provide the appropriate levels of dry air in a cold cave would cost a fortune!  

The history of the Cave

• 1876:  mineral sand mine, purchased by the current owners' family
• 1937-1944: German engineers drill tunnels for ammo storage & create HQ for Western Frontier Command WWII
• 1947-1951: French troops planned to destroy the cave, but halted as the East-West cold war changed the political picture of Europe--used for ammo storage instead
• 1953-1964: USAFE units occupied & renovated the Combat Operations Center & constructed the 412L (computer) system
• 1964-1980’s: US military continued to fund and operate the Center, however, it’s use was steadily declining.
• 1991: property returned to the original owner's family

"THEN AND NOW" --such resourcefulness --they kept the same mop for over 50 years!

Like the cast of "Lost" we discovered top secret acronyms,  strange markings on the walls and the abandoned radar viewing room.  Above left, photo of original radar booth in the Cave.

"The center was a state-of-the-art 67-room, 37,000-square foot facility where USAFE could’ve lead an air war against the Soviet Union. The center had a digital “computer” to work out bombing problems, cryptographic equipment for coded message traffic and its own photo lab to develop reconnaissance photos. Responsible for an air space extending deep behind the Iron Curtain, the center interacted directly with the Pentagon, NATO, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and all USAFE bases. With its massive telephone switchboard and 80 teletype machines, the cave was plugged into everything in the outside world. The center was receiving more than 1,000 calls a day." (Source: Kaiserslautern American, March 12 2004)

Our guide cautioned us about what to NOT touch!  (Meredith's hair is now curly and she's still smilin')

"As a further measure of protection, the cave was fully self-contained with its own water supply, electric backup-generators, climate controls, dining facilities and sleeping accommodations for its 125-man crew. Visitor passes were rarely issued to this secret facility."  (Source: Kaiserslautern American, March 12 2004)

See what happens when you don't clean up the bathroom--your mom was right, it doesn't clean itself!

Many other caves were utilized during the last century for similar purposes, however, most have been sealed closed with concrete.  In spite of it’s highly toxic environment, we enjoyed being able to witness a real piece of US history in its original form.  My hope is that this will become like the castle ruins we tromp thru today --a place 1000 years from now that people will be able to visit and learn about a significant part of world history.  (Perhaps a massive vacuuming and little restoration first though!)

One of 4 entrances to the cave and a map showing lines of East/West Germany and the rest of Europe

Contact:  Wolfgang Wuermell, owner

0172 9375410

Am Wingertshuebel 66862 Kindsbach

Cost:  €10 per person, children under 12 free.  Must have a group of 10 to do the tour.  

My suggestion, don't bring kids under age 8;  bring flashlights & surgical masks --it'll save you the allergy agony later if you're prone to mold issues!

Tschuss!

Linda

Games secretly disguised....or "Discovering YOUR village"

All you moms out there can relate to this, I'm certain:  beautiful, sunshiny, warm day and the kids are draped over the couch like blankets, complaining to each other about "who" killed "what" on mine craft!  (Or some variation of that argument!)  So, clever mom and clever 15 year old create a game.  Not just any game, but one that is secretly disguised as "get the kids out of the house, no matter what, but must not involve the wasteful use of water in the street!"

(drum roll...) Village Photo Scavenger Hunt!

It's likely already been invented, but we've never played.  So here's what we did to not only get out of the house, but also get a better scope of the little details in our village.  We took pictures of the quaint little things you probably wouldn't really photograph, since they aren't a national monument or castle or something, BUT, photos that reminded us of the PLACE we live.  At the end of the day, the photo scavenger hunt becomes another documented memory for the family to recall when we've moved on to yet another base, another land, another village.

The object of the game is to find the places where the opposing team took their photos.

1.  Divide into teams --1 parent per team

2.  Choose a boundary for the game (we used our street all the way to the bus stop - about 4-6 blocks)

3.  Team 1 has 30 minutes to walk around outside and take 5 unique photos:   photos must have stationary objects--something that doesn't move, so the chickens across the street don't count.  Unless you ask them to please stand still for the next hour.  So far, these chickens don't listen to anyone.

4.  Team 2 takes their turn at getting their 5 photos.

5.  Trade cameras (or iPhones, ipads, etc) and start scavenging for the places the opposing team took their photos.  **You must take a new photo with one of your teammates in the picture to prove you actually found the photo spot.

6.  Winner is the team with the most photos correctly identified (best of 5)  Time limit is 45 minutes.

Enjoy the time well spent with your family and take the opportunity to really "see" where you live!  One variation:  go to a city/village you've never been to, mark the boundaries and see what you discover there. I'm thinking this would be fun in a big city square like the Grand Platz in Bruxelles or the Altstaat in  Innsbruck.

This one was actually easier to find than we thought --and both teams photographed it!

Our neighbors down the street have the only patch of purple tulips...
these are the front yards we walk past everyday to the bus stop.

I'm curious to find out if any readers try this...let me know!

Lonely tree from afar, pigeons in an old house, horses in a car garage

old wall, gardens from above and down the street

Happy Scavenging!

Tschuss!

Linda

A Cloudy Sunday Drive

A cloudy, dreary weekend with baseball games postponed due to rain.  Tired of playing yet another indoor nerf game. The desperate need to get the wiggles out resulted in a wonderful Sunday drive discovery:  Wildpark Potzberg!  

Our mission was to find a place open on Sunday to purchase a pretzel.  Instead, we found the Wildpark and apple cake (pretzels, sold out.)  The weather kept a lot of people away, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.  Although it was a bit windy on the mountain top, we enjoyed the hike around the grounds and the opportunity to feed the very, very friendly beasts.

They have daily Falconry shows at the park and had lots of birds --some on stoops, some in cages, all were incredibly well fed, judging from the remains in their dishes!  

Animals you may encounter:  peacocks, bunnies, donkeys, ponies, moose, white deer, elk, bald eagles, falcons, hawks, horses, goats and more!

We enjoyed a delicious apfel kuchen in the café after spending more time with the goats
and the giant barrel on the playground.
Time spent out of the house: 2.5 hours.  Time spent finding something new:  priceless 

20-30 minute drive north from Ramstein AFB
Cost: €5 child; €7 adults, food for animals €1/box

Wildpark-Falknerei Potzberg
Inh. Harald Schauß
66887 Föckelberg
www.Wildpark.potzberg.de

Two Words for Venice (or Venice, the short story)

Venice for spring break.  Awesome choice since we escaped cold, dreary "spring" to  sunny, warm Italy! And, checked another country on our list (totally want to go back for more!)  We were only there for 2 days, so it was just a "taste" of Italy.... I asked the boys to give me 2 words to describe Venice.  

Zach:  "Bridges and boats".......
"and Water, lots of water!"  that was 3 Zach...we said 2 words!
Zach's best Venice joke as we crossed this canal for the 14th time:
"Look! it's a gondola stau!"  (pronounce Sht+oww = traffic jam) Zach loved the whole city--in and out of museums and checking out the architecture, prisons, weapon displays, paintings and globes.

Nate:  "Gelato and narrow streets"Nate is our culinary expert --he managed to find us the BEST restaurant and gelato places!  But, don't ask him about the pigeons...(couldn't stand them being everywhere and likely to land on or near you...which they didn't, but....)

The narrow streets were a bit tough to navigate as he didn't like that "lost" feeling....but getting lost we found our hotel, above.  And, we found a woodworker's shop: met a wonderful Italian man who shared his puzzle crafts with us and talked about life in Venice.   He had all 3 boys in the palm of his hand for 30 minutes.  Priceless.  and, his Gelato recommendation was the best! Here's what we took home in addition to memories:

Alex:  "Architecture... and Lions"The winged lion is the symbol of Venice's patron St. Mark --we found lions EVERYWHERE!  (way more fun to count than # of McDonald's restaurants in Europe)
Above left, 16th century trade/business building in Piazza San Marco
Right, gondola parking in front of the Rialto bridge 
Of all our children, Alex will appreciate the beauty of Europe the most, as he realizes these are things you just don't see everyday in "the States."  He was not impressed, however, with the kitschy miles of stores in the Rialto merchant district!  <sigh> he is not my shopping buddy

Last words: Venice = "Magic & Fashion"
A young Italian girl on the train said she hoped we would find Venice to be a magical place.  I'm not so sure, I would really describe it that way, but it did have a certain allure about it.  I had no idea Venice was such a high-end shopping mecca --Gucci, Prada, Versace, Channel, etc...the window displays were amazing..I was too scared to even look at the price tags! I certainly want to go back and see more of the city, take a gondola ride, visit Murano glass blowers, listen to more dueling orchestras.   

FYI:  more about St Mark's bones: "stolen" from his Muslim-occupied gravesite in Egypt in 828AD and built St Mark's Basilica in his honor.  Original church burned in 976, but current structure was begun in 1063 with an "East meets West" decor:  Roman arches, Byzantine mosaics (imagine paving a football field with contact lenses-according to Rick Steves), Muslim inspired onion shaped domes, and marble slab walls from all over the world.

Where have all the flowers gone? (Or, how to enjoy dirt)

I'm hearing strains of Pete Seeger as I write this post about our excursion to Keukenhof Gardens in Holland (which is technically The Netherlands).   It's been a long winter in Germany ~ even the Deutsch are tired of waiting for spring.  Usually by April 1st the tulips are in bloom, but this year the shoots are hanging out in warm dirt.  I totally don't blame them...

If you squint really hard, you can see all the beautif......

Perhaps the beauty in the cold, windy day was the lack of people at the Garden...
we pretty much had the place to ourselves!  

Welcome to Disney  Keukenhof where the queues are non extant,
the streudel is warm, and the flowers are in pots.

 It was a lovely garden with plenty to see/do inside and out.  We wandered thru much of the park checking out the sculptures and enjoying the outdoor living ideas.  They even had a small animal farm and a zipline on the playground, so a whole family could find something to enjoy!

Playground --yes the water was cold, no I didn't get wet!

EYE loved the sculptures!

Oh, the fun we all could've had back in Iowa if we'd only had
cool camper like this instead of the boring old tree house....

Actually, I wish I had a little sanctuary like this now...but the camper needs to be a little bigger...

Seeking respite from the crisp, sea air we checked out the tulip displays inside the Oranje Nassau pavilion.  Hundreds of flower show arrangements and rows of beautiful tulips in every color & variety.

Drawn to the art: paintings and stained glass work for sale..inspiration for Zach!

Lastly, one can't visit Holland and the tulip world without talking about shoes.
Not your average, run-of-the-mill wooden shoe, though.
Here they had everything from Giant to fairy sized, orange pumps to painted blue shoes! 
 

I would totally try the pumps if they weren't nailed to the bench!

Good thing God got the proportions right for us!

So, the rest is all flowers --lots of pictures, but I couldn't pick just one!
Enjoy!

Vaarwell,

Linda

"Fringed tulip"  Spiky seems more apt.

these were some sort of double bloom tulip
--hard to really capture the dimension in the photo!

frilly and perfect--reminds me of those dresses you just twirl around in!

One can always depend on crocus for a little early spring...

loved the pale blue color --so different!

Seriously GIANT amaryllis --this must have been 3 feet tall and blooms the size of  my hand!
From inside this shop one could purchase bulbs and ship them anywhere in the world.

another cool sculpture -I love the movement in this piece.