Fin

1/27/10

Casie:
I can’t believe I am here and I can’t believe I am going back to the states tomorrow.
Learning about WW2 on this trip has been….well I can’t really find the right words for it. It’s opened my mind to how real the war was and how lives of many different cultures were affected and some are still affected by it. It linked us to a world in the past and that’s pretty incredible. I see war in many different perspectives now. This trip has made me more conscious of what is going on in the world and as obvious as it is, we do need to be reminded of how important it is to be conscious of our surroundings. It is very necessary that we never become numb.

As for travelling with my classmates, I have loved it. I never would have gotten to know some people had it not been for this trip. Imagine, even though we go to the same school and may be mutual friends, I never would have gotten to know some really beautiful people that can keep me laughing for hours. I am going to miss our hectic days of rushing each other out the door and travelling together.

9 countries
Battle history
Accumulation of more than enough souvenirs
Awesome people: Hunt and Karen Tooley
3 weeks
New friends

Seen 9 countries.
Trekked battlefields.
Packed and ready to give souvenirs
Still awesome people: Hunt and Karen Tooley
3 weeks finished
Close friends.

Thanks to everyone who went on this trip.
Thanks to all the places we saw.
Thanks to you for reading our blog and keeping up with our lives.
You are awesome and I wish many travel adventures for you.

Cheers,
Casie

Becca:
So I guess this is it for the blog. It has been fun. Thanks for following us around Europe for these 3 weeks. I could never have imagined how emotionally and physically draining this trip could be, while at the same time providing me with so many beautiful memories that will continue to renew me for years to come. I am so incredibly thankful that I had the opportunity to see the things I did and learn what I have learned, all alongside some of the best friends anyone could ask for. Lessons of humility and thankfulness. Old and new friendships, odd pairings and ones that make perfect sense – they have all been wonderful and make JanTerms special.

I keep saying it but I don’t think I could have asked for a better trip with better people. It was so enriching and fun and spontaneous and planned, all at the same time. The course was called “War in the Heart of Europe.” One thing is for sure – Europe has my heart.

Happy travels, my friends,
Becca

London- last day

1/26/10
Casie:
Today was our last day. My friends and I decided to have a loose plan and just wander about London to our destinations. I just wanted to see London and take it all in. It’s strange this feeling that tomorrow we will leave all of this.
We will leave getting on the bus early in the mornings, museum trips, sight-seeing, getting lost, snacks, wonderful coffee breaks, metros, trekking on to another country. We are leaving all that and I don’t think we want to.

We went to a market in Covent Garden and wandered about some shops, which is never good because that means more spending. However, we did enjoy a bit of window-shopping after we met our quota for spending. Then we took a break and had some tea in a café nearby and wrote postcards. It was such a relaxing day. I loved walking in the streets of London and seeing the people.

To top the night off, we had fish and chips and strongbow cider at the pub for a classic London meal. Then, another musical…Les Miserables.
It was stunning and even better the second time seeing it. The set, music and musicians were impeccable. This theater was much smaller and intimate. I absolutely loved it. It was a classy evening and just a perfect conclusion to our trip.
That musical has my heart.

Good night London. Cheers.

Becca:
Last day in London. Sigh

Today was beautiful. No rain, thank goodness. I shopped quite a bit today…but when in London, I feel that you must. I don’t know the next time I’ll be back here…such a sad thought.

It was a hat shopping, tea sipping, postcard writing kind of day, and a fish and chips eating, Strongbow drinking, Les Mis singing kind of night. A perfectly perfect end to our wonderfully wonderful trip.

London-third day

1/25/10
Casie:
The Imperial War Museum is by far one of my top museums visited on this trip. There were so many exhibits:

World War 1 and 2
Events after 1945 that covered so many countries like China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Africa, Ireland, etc…
Crimes against Humanity
Holocaust and Auschwitz
Displays of Aircraft and rocket ships

There was just so much and it was all so interesting. We spent about three and a half hours there and it was well spent. I was very impressed with museum and it was free as well! I really liked how they included history of other countries such as Vietnam. I think it is important to realize how war and its repercussions in other countries as well. We saw a video in the Crimes against Humanity exhibit. It was a hard movie to sit through but I liked how it explained a fairly biased view of those who enforce ethnic cleansing and those are suffer from it. It is a frightful ideology but it’s even more frightful how easily we could fall under it.
It is scary to think how things can turn out when we think in terms of “us versus the others”. Many of those types of dictators really believe in a world without harm and the only way to solve that is to exterminate the others.

We were supposed to meet our group at the Tower of London at 2:30 that afternoon. We had stayed at the museum much longer than expected and were in much need of a break. Hurrying along, we found our tube stop and got on, then realizing we were going the wrong way. So off we go, and waiting for our tube stop some more. We were not going to make it on time but instead of being a bum on a log about it, we just laughed and realized it happens. These things happen on trips and all you can do is laugh unless it’s your plane ride home (which I am kind of debating about “missing “ it? ☺). We eventually made it to the Tower and walked around. It is still magnificent from the outside. So we were there, just not in there.

However, the highlight of my day was WICKED, the musical. This was my first performance to see in London. I was jumping up and down like a little kid the whole way there. Finally the songs didn’t come from my Ipod instead from the stage!
It was spectacular!
The sets, actors, and music just blew my mind away. I was still dancing on clouds after that night. This music has songs that I share with my close friends like “For Good” with my B and “Popular” with my music buddy David. We blare them in the car and sing our little hearts out all the time. So it was really special to me.
I still can’t believe I saw it. I had such a wonderful time.

Wonderful theater London.
Cheers.

Becca:
Honestly, today started off pretty badly. I woke up and was incredibly sore and kind of dreaded having to go out into the city on the wet, cold, gloomy day. But, it was Imperial War Museum day, and I love the Imperial War Museum…so off we went.

Once we arrived, we wrangled up a wheelchair so my legs and back wouldn’t have to work so hard against the weather, and set off to explore this gigantic museum that covers all of the topics that Casie mentioned…so much to see. I had visited it last year as well (one of the reasons I was so excited about the London Theatre JanTerm, besides loving the theatre, was the amount of time I would get to have to explore World War II history in the city), but it was great to make it back and see some of the things I missed the first time around.

I think my favorite thing we saw was a Crimes Against Humanity movie. It was very powerful, detailing different types of injustice against people, in a very graphic and moving way. Genocide is a relatively new creation…the 20th century was the first time in mankind’s history that people began to attempt to completely wipe out another ethnic group. We have confronted this issue throughout our entire trip, as we studied the organized massacre of the Jewish people. There was a decisive shift in the allocation of casualties during the last 75 years. In the past, 90% of fatalities were military, with only 10% of them civilians. Now, 90% of deaths are nonmilitary. And interestingly enough, think about the number of actual declared wars the world has been involved in in the past century. We have been in “peacetime” a huge part of it. “We’re making war out of peace…”

Again, this museum took me back to that quote that I heard at Versailles. “The art of government is closely associated to the art of war.” The two are inextricably linked, and the visual that this museum provided of the major wars and conflicts throughout the 20th and 21st centuries illustrated this in a profound way.

After leaving here, I had to go back and lay down at the hotel…London and I have amazing potential to be best friends, but it would have to give up some of its rain. We are still discussing this. I wanted to be feeling well for Wicked…..AH-mazing. I saw it last year on my London Theatre Janterm, but not with Casie. And this is our musical. So needless to say, we were gonna make it happen. It was phenomenal and made my heart swell to bursting. Last day tomorrow.

London-second day

1/24/10
London, U. K.
Walking tour and Museum
Picture: Me, Robert, Lion and Becca.

Casie:
London is the calmest city I have visited so far even though there are a lot of people. There are people of all kinds of cultures and it is so cool. Imagine 3 shops right next door to each other consisting of a Gelateria café, Maharaja Indian cuisine, and American fried chicken. Isn’t that crazy? I never would have thought that about London.

We had a tour today with our professor and looked at some main sites in the more known areas of London such as Trafalgar square.

Trafalgar Square:
This square was the main site of the cinema where they have movie premiers as well as plenty of ticket booths to purchase tickets for musicals and plays.
White Hall Street: center of government and historical center
Parliament square: Westminster’s Abbey, Big Ben, London Bridge and statues of important figures such as Churchill and our very own Abe Lincoln.

There was a WW2 memorial for women. Hunt talked about how the topic of women in WW2 is becoming a more important subject and I am glad for that. Close by stood another memorial, Cenotaph. It stands in remembrance of November 11, Armistice day. Schools still have a 3-minute silence time for that day to remember the date.
I think that is important and awesome that schools still celebrate that in history.

My favorite moments:
I have very many but mainly I loved looking at the sties, buildings, and people. Seeing London is very much like seeing Rome for me. Everywhere you look, it is so beautiful and my eyes have tried to take everything in. I had fun climbing the huge granite stone lions with my friends at Trafalgar Square.

Then we went to the Churchill museum. We got to see his war room chambers. They had rooms for war planning and others for resting chambers so workers could stay late at night and work instead of having to commute. Many described Churchill as a straightforward man and sometimes very short but very loyal and committed to his staff.

My favorite room as well as Becca’s is the MAP ROOM! It is so cool. I felt like I was in on the action planning during the war. It was interesting to see how detailed their maps were. They had graphs made of height, weight and attacks of each bomb and weapons used.

Later on we went for lunch at the pub and I am definitely hooked on the Strongbow cider. It’s ridiculously good! Also, I had the classic fish and chips. Again so very good!
Then we went to purchase tickets for my very first show in London
drumrollllll pleaseeeee…for WICKED! I get to see WICKED with my B!

Cheers friends.

Becca:
Walking tour today of the central city. I love this section of town…so regal. The monuments and type of architecture make me think of DC a little bit. Makes sense that I would love it. Casie already detailed what exactly we saw, and there is only so many times that you want to read that (haha), so I will talk about my favorite part of today….the Churchill War Rooms.

I had already visited these last year when I was in London for JanTerm, and it was one of my favorite things that I did, so I was quite excited to come back and see them again. The audio guide was very informative in detailing the purpose of each room and giving personal accounts from Churchill’s employees and contacts. It was really interesting to see the actual maps that British military officers wrote on and planned strategies for the Allied forces. There was an original Hitler “graffiti” on the conference room map. Pretty cool to see. The best room ever – the Map Room. There were maps and maps and more maps all over the walls with so many different colored pushpins in them marking significant places on the warfront. When I grow up and have my own home, I will have a map and globe room. I’m so pumped. I took a ton of pictures of Churchill’s private room…a bed, desk, and walls covered with maps. Sounds perfect to me.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to just experiencing London – buying West End tickets to Wicked, eating gelato in an Italian gelateria, and going to a service at Westminster Abbey (one of my favorite places in the entire world). Being in that place is incredibly moving for me, and I was so blessed to be able to see it again, get renewed again. Imperial War Museum and Wicked tomorrow.

London-first day

1/23/10
Imperial War Air Museum
Duxford, U.K.

Casie:
Today we visited the Air Museum and I must say I learned so much about British airspace. I did not think I would be too interested but I was. There were so many models and information on the entire process of building an aircraft. I got to see the progression of how the airplane came to be so successful as it is today. One of the earlier experiments included hot air balloon experiments. I loved reading individual stories of people’s involvement with the aircraft development. A daring lady, Elisabeth “Dolly” Sedgewick known as the “Parachute Queen” was a pioneer balloonist and parachutist. She worked as a waitress and volunteered for the experiment.

We got to look inside the Concorde. It was the only successful supersonic passenger airplane in British airspace history built by Britain and France. December 1971 was its first flight. It crashed in 2007 and then shut down. Max speed was 1,450 mph and weight was 169,000 (empty). It was an impressive plane.

This was a place I knew my dad would have loved. He would have loved to see the hangers, airplane engines, and rockets on display. It was a well laid out museum. I really liked being able to focus on a single aspect of the war such as airplanes. The museum did a good job displaying the complexity and details of construction.
It helped me see that it takes so many members to collaborate and successfully produce weapons during the war. They not only need skilled architects and engineers but also well trained pilots and courageous people to try out the new equipment.

Becca:
Today we visited the Imperial War Air Museum at Duxford (about an hour outside of London). We got off of the Chunnel train and onto a bus to take us here. I didn’t know what to expect for an “air” museum, but was pleasantly surprised. The main AirSpace exhibit had a lot of interesting information in it about the history of aviation and Britain’s role in the industry, which has swelled and contracted in relation to demand for new products, Before World War I, Britain had a very small number of planes, and both world wars demanded more production and innovation in this field. This exhibit seemed to support the view that war helps the economy, which has recently become a controversial view, considering the disruptions that wars create in terms of workers, allocation of resources, and trade. In any case, the wars did help spur on technological advancements that pushed the aviation field to new levels.

One of my favorite parts of the museum was a video that I watched on strategic bombing. It went through the modern wars and discussed different bombing strategies for each war and the progression of conventional thinking. It discussed the Dresden fire bombings, which I had learned about in my Europe Since 1939 class and in the “rolling classroom” on this trip. They were incredibly controversial as the targets in Dresden were cultural targets rather than military ones, and the majority of casualties were civilians, numbering in the tens of thousands. The video went all the way up to the Iraq War and the “Shock and Awe” strategy used by the American military to put a “quick end” to the war. Hmm…

Another cool thing about this museum was that it had information on the material used in aviation products – including polyethylene. I have a special connection to this type of “wonder” plastic – part of my artificial jaw joints are made of it. ☺

Overall, it was pretty cool to see so many different types of airplanes in one place, especially since my grandfather was a colonel in the Air Force and flew during the Vietnam War. I’m looking forward to the rest of London in the next couple of days. Ahhhhh, I love this place.

Paris

Becca:
The drive into Paris was our last official bus travel day of the trip, and I was quite surprised to find that I was sad about that. I went in to this trip hating buses because they make me feel sick, but luckily sitting at the front of the bus has helped a lot with that problem, and we’ve gotten to see some amazing countryside this way. We had to say goodbye to Jean Paul, our trusty bus driver for the last 5 days. He has been awesome – making funny jokes and telling us some amazing stories about people he has driven before. It has been great. Needless to say, we all got attached to him and were very sad to see him leave us in Paris. The bus ride was complete with a private VeggieTales sing along with Kristin and I and some pretty epic Photo Booth pictures and videos. SO MUCH FUN.

Paris…what to say about you? You are quite beautiful, that is certainly true. And your weather was infinitely better than when I saw you last. Thank you for that. That made things a bit better.

We started out the evening with a beautiful boat ride down the Seine River…so pretty. There is something magical about bridges and water and lights. London and Paris have this in common. Oh London…but for now, let me talk about Paris.

On our first full day, my group of friends headed out to Versailles to see the Louis XIV’s palace. It was incredible. Something interesting the headset commentary told me as I walked through the Apollo Drawing Room – “The art of government and the art of war are closely linked.” And it is so true. A country powerful and stable enough to succeed in warfare is most likely to have a strong government and be able to assertive itself over others as well as its own people. I just really liked that statement for some reason, as a total polisci nerd.

As we toured, I couldn’t help but think what it would be like to work/live in a place so full of culture. Do you just get used to it? I think I would have a hard time getting over the awesomeness of some of these places. I mean, I was standing in the freaking Hall of Mirrors. Seriously? A girl born and raised in North Texas was standing in one of the most beautiful rooms in the world where World War I was ended. Come on. You can imagine me freaking out, and not in an “I’m such a tourist” way but in a “this is one of the coolest things I could imagine” way.

We also visited Notre Dame, which I had seen last year when I came to Paris, but it was gorgeous anyway. Again, I don’t think it would get old for me. The pickpockets and scammers would, however. Boo.

The next day, we went to the Musee D’Orsay and had a wonderful time perusing Monets and Van Goghs and Renoirs…it was heavenly. So many beautiful things inside one building. It was really extraordinary. And I found another artist I really enjoy – Degas. Some incredible work.

Then it was off to the Eiffel Tower to meet up with some friends and wander around the streets of Paris, looking for anything that happen to catch our eye. People watching in cafes has quickly become one of my favorite things to do. Europe is absolutely perfect for it too. I feel like Europeans enjoy their leisure time more than Americans do. We rush. A lot. Sometimes just sitting for no particular reason is wonderful and needed and enjoyable. I want to do it more often when I get home.

On our last night, we went to a Scottish pub called The Highlander and visited for hours with the proprietor/bartender Allison. She was so interesting and had lived such an exciting and random life. I hope to be that interesting to someone else someday. When I go back to Paris at some point, Allison will be on my list of people to go see. ☺

We left our hotel at 6:30 am to catch the train to London. That was really early, but I was glad to going to London. I love Paris, but there is something about London that has won me over. So happy to be here. So, so happy.

Paris-romance, pastries, and Audrey Hepburn

1/22/10
Paris, France
Picture: Me and Becca on a bridge in Paris. Can you see the Eiffel Tower in the background?
Casie:
My first experience with Paris happened at night. We took the metro to meet our class for a riverboat tour on the Seine River. As we walked out of our stop, we found ourselves on a beautiful bridge lined with soft lamps. To the right of us was the Eiffel tower sparkling in the night. Along the streets were boutiques and shops warmly lit as well.
It was beautiful. A grown man would have cried…ok, maybe that is a bit dramatic but it truly was beautiful.
We started out our day with Versailles, known for its Chateau or Palace built in the 17th c and location known for the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. This was the home of Louis IV, the “Sun King”. It was the most elaborate place I had ever seen. It is so extravagant decorated with gold trimmings on the exterior and artwork in the interior. Each room was different in style, color and furniture. The famous Hall of Mirrors was sunning and again extravagant. One side is full of lengthy mirrors and the other of windows with decorative artwork and chandeliers draping down. I needed to be in a long black cocktail dress to fit in.

Louis’s room was located right in the middle of the house facing east, towards the front of the palace. He liked to face the sun because he believed the sun represented life, vitality and strength. I could easily imagine how sheltered the children were from the poor life that existed outside that palace. It’s hard to imagine how such a extravagant place was made and still there was a growing poor community outside the city.

My most favorite part was the gardens. It was beautiful. I could not believe how spread out the landscape was. We walked through the gardens and you couldn’t help but feel charming.

Then we decided to see the Notre Dame. Now unfortunately on our ride back from Versailles, some people tried to pick pocket us. It was the most frustrating and scariest thing. Nothing was stolen but it’s such an aggressive action that you can’t help but get sick to your stomach about it. So if you come to Paris. Be careful please!
They crowd around you trying to get your attention then pick pocket.

Arriving at Notre Dame, I was hoping the pigeons would not fly into my face or dispose of their droppings on my head. As we walked inside, I couldn’t believe I was in Notre Dame. I have always loved visiting cathedrals. The architecture and work put into constructing is impeccable and represents such dedication on the spiritual aspect of it. The cathedral took about 180 years to build! It beautifully sits on an island in the middle of the Seine and you can see it from any angle.

So what else do you do when you have Paris for two days? You cram as many touristy things as you can. A formula which I do not recommend. We decided to tackle the Louvre for that evening which is comparable to “I have finished my three course meal and am now going to eat an elephant.” The end result does not come out well. Further, the layout of the Louvre is very complicated or at least it was to us. I think the security camera men secretly plotted this so that they could watch tourists scrambling around for amusement. Well, we decided to see the major works of art and then leave. It’s a terrible thing to admit but we just did not have the time.
Of course the Mona Lisa was on the list. However, it was not as impressive as I thought especially with the green exit sign glaring on the glass shield covering the painting. There was also a class there sketching sculptures…”Oh, I am just going to the Louvre to sketch today.” So normal. In the end, the Louvre is incredible and I really hope to be back in the future again. You could never spend enough time there. It was nearing the end of the day and all we wanted to be was back at the hotel.

Next day, we set out for Musee D’orsay which houses impressionists work to contemporary art of the early 20th c. The Musee is a restored train station which looked wonderful and it was surely smaller than the Louvre. I really liked how they displayed the artworks. I found many new painters I love and fell in love with old famous ones I never really paid much attention to like Renoir’s earlier paintings and Degas ballet paintings. They also had an Art Nouveau exhibit that I loved especially because it contrasted with the older works in the museum.
Now, drumroll….the Eiffel Tower. How we get to the Eiffel Tower is another story. Paris metro system. This is fun. Took us about an 1 and a half to find this place. Nothing is more frustrating than being able to see this huge tower and having no clue how to get there. Alas, we made it and it was incredible how much taller it got as we approached it. It was never ending. I couldn’t believe I was there. It was incredible.

We stumbled upon some other friends from our class at the tower and decided to go to the Paris Opera house. We took so many pictures in front of this beautiful building with statues of Bach, Beethoven and many others. Unfortunately we decided not to tour because the main auditorium was closed for rehearsals.
So we decided to go to Angelina’s for their famous hot chocolate. This was also the place where Audrey Hepburn loved. There was a line outside the place it was so popular. So we waited, took Audrey Hepburn pictures by the door and then ushered by who we like to call Lumiere to our seats. More on Lumiere later.

So we ordered the famous hot chocolate. They came by with a medium size glass pitcher of this hot chocolate and gave us fresh whipped cream. I video taped this entire tasting session and needless to say we were all thoroughly satisfied. It was soooooo delicious after such a long day. Now, Lumiere. He is exactly what you think when you think older and charming Frenchman. Well, I wanted a picture with him. I just thought he was the coolest person ever. As we were getting ready to leave I figured I was going to do it. So I gave my friend the camera and as we approached I asked, “Pardon, un foto avec vous?” (my attempt at French), he was mundane because he thought I wanted him to take a picture of my friends and I. However, he was like with me? ( very surprised and happy). So I took a picture with him and later found out his name is Phillipe and we made our introductions. So adorable. I have a friend at Angelina’s now. I have a classic French man friend there.

It was a lovely day and evening, Paris. You are truly beautiful. Your romantic atmosphere makes me sick but maybe it won’t be so bad in the future.
Au Revoir!
Bisoussssss!

Now on our last trek to London through the Chunnel!!!! ☺

Battle day

1/20/10
Normandy day
Casie:
Picture: My Professor Hunt, me and Karen at Normandy Bay

“Before a war starts, it has long begun in the hearts of man.” –Leo Tolstoy

This quote was posted at the German cemetery Le Cambe. This quote is scary because it’s so true. The cemetery was not like most that I have seen. There were groups of 5 cross stones around the cemetery. They were carved out of darker black stone which created a somber and dark atmosphere. The groups of cross stones represented how they buried soldiers in masses.

We visited a Cathedral in St Mere Englise where an American paratrooper, John Steele, hung from the top of the cathedral overnight and miraculously survived. His parachute got caught on a steeple. Could you imagine? He survived a whole night and observed the entire war. He could have gotten killed up there. It’s an absolutely amazing story and a great testament to the war fought.

Another site we visited was a few miles inland along Normandy bay:
Longues sur-Mer batteries, which held German guns that could shoot for 6-8 miles long into the sea. The batteries are shelters that hold the guns. It was amazing to see how they have survived for so long. We climbed on them and got to see just how huge they were. I loved being able to see the sites. It makes the war experience come alive.

My favorite site was Omaha beach on our Normandy visit. It was the place where so many different countries came to battle. There were a total of 90,000 to 100,000 Americans, British, and Canadian troops on the coast of Omaha. It is about the size of my hometown of Wichita Falls. Each trooper had to carry about 80-90 lbs on their backs so others had to push them into the water. If the equipment was too heavy, men would drown in water about 4-5 feet high. I often hear about men dying in battle due to gunshots, explosions and sickness but never do I hear about men dying for reasons other than that such as heavy or malfunctioning equipment. It’s really sad.

I don’t know what is it about this beach that I liked so much especially since so many died there but there was a beautiful peace to it. Every landscape was just right. My friend Robert made a comment on how he took pictures of the rough brush and weeds on the slope from the beach to the top of the hill that was probably there in the battle. I then turned and took a snapshot of it too. It hit me that too often we see just the pretty Hollywood battles instead of the rough brushes, to say the least. Some men were bombed or injured and couldn’t make it all the way into shore and were swept away by the tide. Someone said that even though the movies make the soldiers look very tough, many of them are scared to death when up on the plane. Many threw up and were continually sick to their stomach. Who wouldn’t be?

This was one of my favorite experiences thus far.

Becca:
The Normandy Invasion day – another day that I was anticipating/dreading. I have always been a sensitive person, and the thought of actually seeing the place where so many people fought and died honestly scared me. If I’m being truly honest, this whole trip scared me. Thinking about seeing concentration camps, battlefields, and places where incredibly important political decisions were made scared me. How would I handle being exposed to something that serious? That unimaginable? That monumental? All of this has been so much bigger than, well, me, and really anything that I have had to encounter before. So today I had been preparing myself, not to be intimidated or afraid of how big D-Day was, but to see things that would touch me. And they most definitely did.

By far the most moving thing of the day was Omaha Beach. It was to believe that something so bloody and violent took place in such a beautiful place. Normandy is gorgeous, with pretty beaches and picturesque scenery, but around 100,000 men were involved in this battle. That blows my mind. I kept looking up and down the beach and up and down the hills, wondering how that many people were in one place at one time. I was awed.

Like the Battle of the Bulge, I had studied D-Day extensively, but for some reason, could not make it all work in my head. Traveling down the coast and up to Pont du Hoc, in which a miraculous attack was launched on the Germans (by a Texan) that should have been completely impossible, definitely helped wrap my head around at least the logistical part of the battle. I don’t know if I can say that I have a handle on the battle itself – again, I don’t think it is possible for me to understand the fear and pressure the troops were under at this time. I can’t even imagine.

Another amazing thing we saw today – the German cemetery at La Cambe. It was incredibly moving. Hunt thought that it was important for us to be reminded that it wasn’t just Allied troops that lost men in the Normandy invasion, and I think he is completely right. Not all of Nazi Germany’s troops knew what was going on in other parts of their country or to the Jewish people. Many of them did not agree with Hitler and his ideals. All of these men had families and parents and lives too. I walked down a row and looked at the names and ages of the men there. 24, 21, 18, 18, 18, 19, 18… so young. Both sides lost. Both sides made sacrifices. It was a very poignant day and I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to experience it.

Our Penthouse in Bayeux

1/19/10
Bayeux, France
Picture: Becca, Kristin and I in our penthouse. This was a secret hiding place in our place. :)

Casie:
Our arrival to the hotel:
You might be wondering why the heck would you mention your hotel experience?
Well, let me tell you, our room was quite an experience!
We got our key and realized that our room was all the way at the top. We figured it was going to be mediocre.

Well, we opened the door and found an entry way that had a double room with two bathrooms. Then we entered into the living room with a desk, couch and table leading into another bedroom. Yes, this is luxury and we jumped up and down for while.
It was and always will be our little penthouse.

Becca:
Okay, I stopped dancing around long enough to video tape a walk thru of the penthouse and to journal about its amazingness. I have now declared its wonders on the world wide web and now will return to dancing around. ☺

Battle of the Bulge

1/17/2010
Battle of the Bulge and memorials
Bastogne, Belgium and other cities.
Picture above: My friend Lindsey and I in front of the German Tiger Tank.

I really enjoyed walking through the battles sites and discussing how they took place. I couldn’t imagine the soldier’s mindsets during the heat of battle. Not meaning to make the war sound any less but being the last person in a game of dodge ball makes me nervous already let alone one of the last in battle. I was amazed at hearing a story of how it came down to only two survivors of a platoon during the battle and how they still stayed strong and didn't abandon ship.

It was interesting learning about the different types of weapons and war tactics involved in the war. I did not know about the German Tiger tanks. Americans could not even destroy it and some bullets couldn’t even penetrate it. Further, 1/3 of the civilians in Luxembourg were killed from firing and bombs. It’s unbelievable how many lives were lost. A lot of people were involved in this war even though they did not want to be involved. Many of these instances make me question, “whose decision is it to fight/call orders and who’s to blame for the consequences?”

We visited many memorial sites such as the Mardasson Memorial near Bastogne and I started to notice more closely how each are designed differently. I think that is what I liked most. Those who designed the memorials put a lot of thought into how to best honor those who sacrificed their lives.

As a psychology minor, I was really interested in the psychological aspects of battle.
It is easy to think soldiers fight for solely for their country but I did not realize that soldiers hold a lot of their loyalty to their fellow squad in battle. It is hard to even begin to think what is going on through their minds while fighting. Also, it is hard to draw the line between selfish and selfless decisions in battle. I was not sure how I felt about that. For example, during the heat of battle a general makes a command that best serves him instead of his company. Is that fair that the whole group suffers because of one bad decision? But then in retrospect, how many bad decisions do we make in one day? It’s hard to blame someone for it.

The issue of surrendering is even more provocative as we talked about the Battle of the Bulge and Normandy. What happens when you don’t agree with your general’s command and want to surrender? You are named a coward. In Germany, they had a doctrine of surrendering. If a soldier surrendered, they would be executed.

The weather that day was not so great. It was rainy, cold and snowy still. Basically add them all together and you get miserable conditions. However, our professor, Hunt encouraged us to sacrifice some of our time to honor the soldiers. We stopped at a US Memorial site on our way back to Bastogne and even though the weather was getting worse, students still walked around the memorial sites. Even though we did feel miserable, for a little while, we experienced a glimpse of weather conditions they fought in and took time to realize the war as much as we could.

Becca:
Today was one of the days that I had been looking forward to/dreading for a while now. With all of the classes I’ve taken on World War II and all of the things I’ve read about it, for some reason, I have a really hard time comprehending the Battle of the Bulge. I think that I am a very visual learner and that I need someone to sit me down with a Risk board and show me what happened. Actually going to some of the sites of the battles was helpful in this regard, allowing me to more fully understand the layout of the troops and the consequences of each of the individual fire fights.

We have been visiting so many different memorials paying tribute to the soldiers lost during the war – it is interesting to compare how they highlight different aspects of the troops. The memorial we saw today at Mardasson emphasized the sacrifice that each state of the union made, with all fifty states represented around a center memorial. You can bet that everyone wanted to take pictures by the Texas monument.

Then we went to December 1944 Museum and got to look at actual artifacts from both the Allied and German forces. I really enjoy looking at the products the troops used during their time on the front, everything from the type of gum they chewed, to the language handbooks they had on them, to the first aid equipment they had. I know how hard it has been to carry around my luggage every day from place to place and nice hotel after nice hotel…I can’t imagine having to carry everything you need for a battle on your body. Makes you think about what is necessary/important/how luxurious our trip actually is.

Seeing the Twin Villages where several of the key battles were fought was really interesting. I loved piecing together how one thing up a road affected another thing down a different road, culminating in an eventual Allied victory. So many little things had to be right, however, or the casualty rate would have been even higher. I realized the importance of roads – everything in the Battle of the Bulge revolved around which road could be contained and cut off, and which was accessible for the troops. Our bus couldn’t get down one of the roads we had planned on exploring due to snow…if this happened in December so many years ago, you can bet there was snow, and these soldiers weren’t plowing through in huge tour buses. Accessibility was key.

We discussed the ethics of war a lot today, which I have always found to be incredibly thought provoking and interesting. Who should be held accountable for troop mishaps and poor decision-making? The individual soldier? The commanding officer? The Commander in Chief? How far does it go? Many ethical issues arose simply because of culture differences in how warfare was conducted by Americans versus the Germans. Who is responsible for culture, or the lack of awareness of it?

Needless to say, today made us all think and reflect on resources, ethics, and sacrifice.

Belgium Waffles

1/17/10
Bastogne, Belgium

Casie:
Belgium waffles.
Picture it, man on a street making waffles fresh from a waffle maker.
Then you walk up with 1.30 euro in your hands, waiting in line, with increased anticipation for this Belgium snack everyone raves about.
You go in for a bite of warm goodness and all expectations prior to your experience is satisfied to the max.

Bastogne was an adorable city with the little streets were full of people shopping. As we were walking down the street, we could not help but hear “I gotta feeling” Black eyed peas playing down the streets through megaphones.
Yes, this song keeps following us through the cities we travel to.
Really Europe, Really?

The best part for me was getting to play on the piano in our hotel!!! Finally I found my love after such a long time! The hotel family’s kid plays the piano too. He played some songs for me and I played some for him.
It was incredible and I felt incredibly lucky.
Good times Bastogne. Good times.

Becca: Man…so Casie talked all about the waffles. I will just add that this waffle was in the top 5 things I have ever eaten. Completely fantastic. Belgian lace and waffles made Bastogne awesome.

Amsterdam

1/16/10
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Anne Frank and Corrie Ten Boom
Casie:
Today we went to Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam. I had been looking forward to seeing her house mainly because that is the prominent story we associate with WW2 in school since elementary. It was the strangest feeling walking around in the annex on those creaky wooden boards over 60 years ago. Besides that, I started journaling because of her. The fact that journaling was her safe place during the war is a beautiful thing. She wrote because she could and no one could take that right away from her. She kept her journal in her father’s briefcase. When the Nazi officers came to their hiding place, they emptied her father’s briefcase and filled it with valuables. They diary was left on the floor and Miep kept it in a safe for her father. It was then that her father found the diary and decided to publish it. I understand her perspective is only one amongst many others but her view on the war was insightful and makes the war situation more personal nonetheless.

Next on the list of sites was Corrie Ten Boom’s house. What a woman she was. We walked through the house and saw the room she stayed in. Behind her bed, they had made a “fake wall” that could hold up to 6 people very cramped up in it. There was a story that 6 people were behind the wall for 2 days because officers guarded the house to make sure people were not hiding. They all survived. After that, she went to Germany to share her faith and help others. I think if she was still alive, we would go a cup of tea and she would share miraculous stories of all the sites she’d seen and encourage me to open my eyes to the brokenness in the world.

Becca:
Amsterdam: wonderful, wonderful town. I promise to return for more than part of a day. You were one of my favorite things on this trip. The buildings, the people, the shopping, the food – all fabulous. Ahh.

Anne Frank’s house – I was really excited about visiting the Annex. I think a lot of girls relate to Anne growing up, as practically everyone reads her diary at some point. For me, we studied it in depth in eighth grade. I distinctly remember sobbing in this class the day we talked about the Holocaust. I was a very sheltered child and I could not possibly comprehend how something like this could happen, and to someone I felt like could be my friend if I had lived in another time and place. Vivid memory.

The Annex was incredibly cramped. I can’t imagine the hardship of living in such close quarters so quietly for so long. I guess if it is a matter of life and death, you do it. It was amazing to be there in the rooms they walked and lived in. It is not something I will forget easily.

We then went across the city to Corrie Ten Boom’s house – a Christian lady who housed Jews, both men and women, disguised as women (who were considered to be less dangerous and intimidating than men) from the Nazis. Some of the students got to go into the actual “hiding place” which provided the title for Corrie’s famous book, The Hiding Place. Another very interesting experience run by a very interesting lady.

Tomorrow is Battle of the Bulge day…lots of walking in battlefields and whatnot. I’m a bit worried since my back has been not so friendly lately, but I’m hoping that I will be able to trudge away. It is something I have been anticipating, hoping to understand its role in the war more thoroughly.

A poem for Becca

1/16/10
Casie: A poem to my friend:

Becca oh Becca
Here we are together
On a journey to Europe this year!

I know some parts have not been fun,
But let’s hope those days are done,
And if not, eating pastries always works
Have no fear!

Skies are gray and white,
Your smile, still sunny in spite.
So close your eyes and reflect for me please,
You and me here in Europe,
The big, the bad, the bestest ever,
B & C!

Another day on the road...

1/15/10
Nordhausen, Germany
Mittelbau-Dora Museum

Casie: 7:15 AM is early. 7:15 AM is when Becca and I began our trek to Nordhausen to visit the concentration camp and cave site where the German SS officers worked on the V1 and V2 rockets. Most of the barracks had been destroyed but we got to explore the cave and see remains of the projects.

Working conditions at the camp: 35-40 degree F all year around in cave and 6 cans for bathroom use for many thousand workers, no doctors to treat prisoners, execution/infractions for many things even greeting an officer in a different manner.

Again, this site was eye opening as the others. It’s fascinating and mentally exhausting to see how the war affected many different cultures and people with every new site we approach.

Becca: Today was a long day. We got up earlier than we anticipated in order to drive out to yet another concentration camp. This one was unique in that it was inside of a mountain, so needless to say, was really cold. Once again, a pattern here in Europe: the cold. The Dora camp housed men who worked on Nazi weapons systems and was very much a technologically minded camp. Someone Americans may recognize who was involved with this camp was Werner von Braun. Remember the hero figure in October Sky? The rocket man? Von Braun was associated with the SS (Nazi officials) during World War II and came over to the United States after the war was over, brought over safely by the government so he could work for them. He went on to start NASA. Strange to think of the connections some of our institutions have. History can be funny that way.

The cave itself was really eerie, and while it seemed warmer compared to the icy cold outside, it was still incredibly cold. And we had winter coats on. That never ceases to amaze me that these people worked and lived (and often died) in these conditions with hardly any form of protection from the weather. I wouldn’t last a day. We loaded back onto the bus and finished the trek to Arnhem…which we did nothing in. Our hotel is a couple of miles outside of the town, and we have no way of making it there. So a night in it is. I think we stayed here so that we wouldn’t spend a night in Amsterdam, but that is just me thinking out loud. And knowing some of the people on our trip, that is probably a wise decision. Better to have 40 tired and slightly bored students so up to the bus at 7:30 tomorrow morning than to have half the group missing from “recreational activities” the night before. Off to Anne Frank’s House tomorrow.

Berlin in a nutshell...or two nutshells...

1/14/10
Berlin, Germany

3 days of Berlin.
Casie: What can I even say about:

German culture
Incredible architecture
Apple streudel
Berlin wall remains
Brandenburg gate
Site of where Hitler killed himself that is now turned into a playground
Jewish cemetery
Potsdam
Nightlife
Wannsee haus
Checkpoint Charlie
West/East Berlin
Metro system…my goodness the metro system

Yes, those are just some of the many sites we saw in Berlin the past 4 days. As nice as travelling sounds and as pretty as the pictures are, we certainly got lost so many times. Adjusting to a new culture for a couple of days can be pretty rough. It’s all necessary to a good travel!

Instead of going over each and every detail, I am just going to give some input on sites I enjoyed learning about. Check point Charlie told many stories of how East Berliners escaped to West Berlin. One of my favorites: a singer made space for his girlfriend to fit in his amp and carried her across borders. It’s incredible how innovative people were with tactics of how to escape.

The Berlin Wall was exciting to see. I could not believe it was just 1989 that it fell down. It’s hard to think that we stand in a country that was divided not so long ago. I never felt closer to history than I did now. It’s easy to get caught up in the touristy sites, food and culture. However, some parts of Germany are still transitioning from the war—kind of like “Where do we go from here?” To me, those must be fuzzy parts of history. “How do we do better?” “What do we put in this area that was bombed?”

The Wannsee haus was the location where the Nazi officials planned “the final solution to the Jewish problem”. I can’t really grasp that statement as I reread it over again.
“Jewish problem”
“Racial hygiene”
“Plans for mixed marriages-no children allowed”
“Evacuate Jewish from their property”
It was interesting how official they made it sound and how easy it was to make orders and organize the death of many. Observing the process of their meeting was chilling.

Overall, spending a couple of days in Berlin gave us a chance to learn some German, meet people and experience the culture. Give me some apple streudel in a pool of warm vanilla sauce anytime please. Now as for the cold, I must quote from our friend Erin, “Cold, our relationship is over!” Just when you think it is as cold as it can get…it gets colder. Just imagine that nasty cycle occurring over and over again.


Becca: Berlin was a little sad for me. It decided to wage war on my back, so I ended up missing most of the “historical” part of our trip. On our first morning there, we took a walking tour of part of Berlin, including some really gorgeous churches and Hitler’s bunker where he hid out at the end of the war/committed suicide. I missed the Checkpoint Charlie Museum and the afternoon tour because I was unable to stick with the group at that point. That was pretty unfortunate, and I was pretty bummed. I didn’t get to see much more historical stuff on our free day either. The walking just wasn’t happening, so I had a very limited trip to get apple streudel. It was quite delicious. I went back to the hotel (again) to rest for the next day because I was SO excited about going to Potsdam the next day.


The Cecilienhof Palace was phenomenal. I was so excited to be standing in the room that the Potsdam Agreement was deliberated and signed. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Potsdam Conference, it took place in 1945 and basically decided Germany’s fate after World War II. Democratization, demilitarization, decentralization, and deNazification were the four pillars of the accord, but there was huge controversy over what each of these things would look like in post-war Germany. Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt (later Truman after Roosevelt’s death) didn’t always agree on how to carry these larger ideas out…and we see the beginnings of the Cold War in these disagreements. Robert and Casie and I took a picture that replicated the one taken of Churchill, Truman, and Stalin in 1945. It was pretty great. I’m convinced I have to live in that palace. I am moving my Globe Museum into one of the rooms and setting up camp. That’s allowed, right?

Poland? What's in Poland?

1/11/10
Krakow, Poland (pronounced Kra-koov)
When we were told we were going to Krakow, Poland, what did we think?
Becca: COLD. And POLAND? What’s in Poland? Silence… I read a depressing book about Poland once.
Casie: Krakow, never heard of it and COLD.
Kristin (our amazing other roommate): COLD.

Notice a pattern?

As we arrived to our hotel, we decided to take a rest and look at our trusty hotel map. There were lovely and helpful descriptions of places to eat, drink and go for nightlife fun. Apparently, the Polish are definitely about nightlife fun, or at least the men are.

Excerpt: Club Shadow.
“Club Shadow is a wet dream for foreign lads where they can be served by blonde bombshells…” It went on, but that was the best part.

We decided this had to be put on our “must-do” list, but unfortunately our time in Krakow was really limited, and this jewel of a place had to be left unexplored. Maybe next time, Club Shadow.

Juxtaposed with our incredibly reflective time at Auschwitz, the rest of our stay in Krakow was very fun and lighthearted. Once we got back from our day trip, Becca decided she needed to have her first ever professional massage experience. Our AWESOME hotel offered spa services, and Becca did not want to miss out on this delightfully relaxing opportunity. The masseuse, a dashing young Polish man named Simon, was quite wonderful. Becca returned to the group refreshed and ready to join in on the nighttime excursion out to the festival in the Market Place. There were vendors selling pottery, jewelry, toys, everything! Then we went to the best Polish restaurant EVER that was underground beneath the main square. We each had interesting native cuisine…Becca’s dish was called Pork Knuckle. Sounds disgusting, but was actually pretty good. Casie’s soup was in a cute little bread bowl with a top on it, with a sausage surprise when she took off the lid. We had a good time in Krakow. ☺

Auschwitz - Becca's perspective

January 10, 2010
Oswiecim, Poland

Wow. Today was yes, as Casie says, unimaginable. This is one of those times where you want to share an emotion or an experience, but don’t possibly see how words will accomplish that task.

Before we even got to the camp, I was having a bad day. My back and Poland do not agree with one another, and I’ve been feeling pretty badly the past day and a half. It was suggested that I miss today and rest, but how could I do that? How could I miss seeing this place that I have read about and studied for so many years, that frightens and horrifies me? The place that, if I had been there 70 years ago, would have told me to go directly to the gas chambers without giving my temperamental body the chance to work? The least I could do would be to go and honor and remember the men and women who were sentenced to an unjustified death, simply because I was able to do so.

There was an entire room devoted to the leg braces, artificial limbs, canes, any sign of handicap that the Jewish prisoners brought in with them to the camp. Anyone with a physical disability was immediately gassed. Today was another day that I didn’t feel the right to complain.

Casie covered some of the main points from the tour, but one of the most shocking things I heard today was that the Red Cross actually came and visited Auschwitz – but it was the more “tolerable” of the Auschwitz complex camps. It was kept moderately presentable just in case members of the international community came to visit. Birkenau, just down the road, was actually where the majority of the killing took place. But it was literally right down the road. The chimney stacks were high. The camp was expansive. How do you not know? Accounts from escapees were actually discredited in the U.S. because what they were describing was so unbelievable.

The snow. We trudged along in our huge coats and snow boots and gloves. The prisoners had none of that. They had wooden clogs to protect them from the snow. I can’t imagine. And our tour guide mentioned that today was not as cold as it would have been for the prisoners – global warming has made the average temperature increase dramatically in Poland. Hard to believe.

Overall, my word is unbelievable. The conditions, the thought process that led to such efficiency, the lack of knowledge or recognition of the horrendous killings, the list goes on. I am incredibly blessed to have seen what I did today. We cannot forget what happened to innocent people not so long ago.

Auschwitz - Casie's perspective

1/10/10
Oswiecim, Poland

Today we visited the well-known concentration camp, Auschwitz. Basically all I knew about it: that the worst killings occurred there and some scenes of Schindler’s list are from there. That was it. I am not an accomplished history buff like my dear friend Becca but I had such great anticipation of seeing and learning more about the camp.
It was a snowy day and the camp was covered in white. It was an eerie and chilling feeling. I don’t think we would have wanted to view the camp any other way. It made the coldness of the past and present feel so very real.

The museum was divided into two main sites: Auschwitz I and Birkenau. Auschwitz I was the first site where not only Jews were held but criminals as well. Further, Jews would be processed there and only men were kept there. There were pictures of them on the walls with dates of when they arrived at the camp and when they died. Some were alive for many months, years and some died within 2 days.

What struck me most was the philosophy of recycling and efficiency concerning the bodies after death. They would use their hair for weaving certain types of rugs, gold teeth for gold bars and human fat for soap. To think that these were the very raw materials people in Europe used during that time is unimaginable.

We walked along the rows of bunk beads layered with hay where at least 10-15 bodies were crunched together. Many times people would dispose of their waste in the bunk beds because of the limited number of toilets. Because the beds were so cramped, people would bite and scratch each other to force them to make room. Our tour guide said that when people are treated like animals, they behave like animals.

Then we moved on to the Birkenau site. As we drove up, everyone was stunned at how far the barbed wires extended as it faded into the snowy distance. Crematories and gas chambers were covered in snow but we could see the tops of them. It was still eerie. It was at this site that Jews were selected either to be terminated in the gas chambers or serve in the work site. Some people would cut themselves and rub their blood on their faces to look well enough to work.

Numbers, facts and figures were used in the tour but being on the site made me really think about my family and I. There were families, lovers, friends, siblings forced to believe they were subhuman, prisoners, and did not deserve life.

The best word to describe today for me: unimaginable.
Even if I tried my hardest, I do not think I could understand even an ounce of what happened. However, seeing these sites was necessary. Understanding the consequences of other’s actions in war is completely necessary.

Lost and Found

January 8, 2010
Praha, Czech Republic

List of things to do:
Getting lost-Czech!
Finding the famous Astronomical Clock- Czech!
Seeing many other memorable sights on the “lost” way- Czech!
Having snow hit your face every second in the biting cold-Double the Czech!

Did we have an agenda you might ask? Yes, a loose one apparently. ☺
However, getting lost turned out to be one of the best things ever. We got to see many sights that we did not plan such as the Powder Tower and a mall with 200 SHOPS! It was overwhelming but gave us a resting place after walking through such a blizzard. Sitting and people watching was the most wonderful part of our trip.

After remembering what our limbs felt like, we ventured out to find this famous clock tower that was a must see. Well, we arrived about 6 hours later than planned and noticed that we had just walked circles around the city. Yes, we felt silly but seeing this gigantic tower neighboring historical and beautifully decorated buildings completely made up for getting lost. We were really bitter people before that.

Now we were encouraged to press on and visit the Jewish museum and cemetery. Similar to the Jewish museum in Terezin, CR, this museum was just as moving. The memorial had the names of all the Praha Jewish lives lost during the Holocaust written on the walls in 4 rooms. Also, they displayed children’s drawings of their perceptions of the war and their home life. The tour ended with a walk through the cemetery. We were stunned at how many tombstones lay in that cemetery. It’s sometimes hard to fathom this really happened in the past. It is even harder to realize that we stood and stared the past right in the face today.

As it was getting dark around 4 pm, we decided to end our adventure with the exquisite Praha castle! It was a must see. We managed to find it over a bridge. Now the main question was: were we going to settle for observing it from the bridge or braving it over the bridge for a real view? Well, reasoning how we’ve made it this far in the blizzard, Becca charged forward and we followed to get a final and glorious glimpse of the castle.

After a very eventful day, we thankfully found our way easily back home in a cable car. Wow Praha, you surprised us!

On the road again

January 7, 2010
On the road to Praha

So as we said goodbye to Vienna, we pressed forward onto Prague, via Terezin, a transit camp for Jews in route to Auschwitz. The bus ride was really pretty, and we made a pretty amazing restroom stop at this place called Excalibur City. It was a restaurant/store/market/recreation complex with HUGE statues (don’t quite know what to call them) of interesting characters. We took lots of pictures for your viewing entertainment. Our favorite is the one we have included here, but you should check out the rest on Becca’s Facebook album called Praha.



We arrived at Terezin and took a tour of the fortress where political prisoners and elderly people were held. We saw group cells, isolation cells, tunnel passages, and propaganda movies from the 1940s. It was very humbling, and we both felt no right to complain that day about anything.

We then went across the little town to the Ghetto Museum, which was a memorial to the children housed there during the Nazi regime. These kids lived in the Jewish ghetto until they were transported to Auschwitz, where a huge majority of them were killed. There were exhibitions of their art around the walls, depicting pictures of “happiness” and “life before the ghetto” and “fairytales.” It was an incredibly sad day.

Now we have arrived in Praha and are very excited and thankful to see the sights tomorrow with the two eyes and two legs that we both have. We all need a little perspective sometimes.

Oh Vienna, how we love you!

January 6, 2010
Vienna, Austria

On our second and final day of Austria, we went on a tour of snowy Vienna. We were amazed at all the architecture, café shops and puppies with special snow-shoes. However, after a long trek in the cold, we were ready for a café.

A warm, revitalizing drink desperately.

We found ourselves in Aida on a corner. It’s a popular one in Austria and felt like a diner with the waitresses dressed in pink uniforms. I got a cappuccino and Becca got plenty of the special Viennese cream in her coffee.

We visited the Hapsburg Art Museum, which was stunning, full of artists from the Netherlands, Italy, German, and Spain. Another museum we basically had to force Becca to go to was…The GLOBE MUSEUM. Not really, she was estatic. Yes, her camera was out before we even approached the building. Globes everywhere, astroglobes, landglobes, political globes, craterglobes, big, small, all kinds, globs of GLOBES! Incredible AND as Becca would like to point out, the only globe museum of its kind in the WORLD.

(Becca’s interjection: THE GLOBE MUSEUM MADE MY LIFE. Okay, I had to get that out. It was amazing. Rooms and rooms of globes! It was incredible. I wanted to inquire if I could rent a room there and just move in, but the museum worker man was not particularly friendly and probably thought I was already strange enough, squealing every couple of minutes with excitement. The thought did cross my mind though. Okay, excited rant over.)

Needless to say, Vienna stole our hearts and we are pressing onward to Praha!

Vienna

After a nine hour flight from Dallas to London, we almost missed our connecting flight to Vienna…Bad News Bears. For those of you who haven’t been to Heathrow Airport, consider yourself lucky. Let’s just say it isn’t the most efficient of places. Once we finally got through security, our group was practically running to our next gate to make it. We made it, and two hours later, we were in Vienna. And lo, and behold, when we stepped off the plane, what did we see? Fate staring at us right in the face. We captured it on film for you…

We got to our hotel – a wonderful, modern building – as it began to snow. Our first dinner here was a nice buffet…but our favorite part was the wine list. In both German and English, it had the most tantalizing descriptions of wine either of us had ever read. We will leave you with our favorite: Beerenauslese 2006 – “Opulent sweetness dances with refreshing acid on the palate and the finish displays discreet nuances of citrus and orange.”

May your dreams be filled with “opulent sweetness” and zesty, refreshing nuances.

Headed out...

1/4/10 - DFW Airport

Here we are, about to embark on our first joint European adventure! We are sitting in the terminal waiting to board the plane, completely excited for what is about to happen. We’ve been talking about expectations – for the trip, groups of friends, and ourselves. It’s hard to say what we expect…we think it is safe to say we expect the unexpected. Traveling can be grueling and you never know what can come up. With nine countries and 23 days to go, you can bet we will be ready for anything and everything that is in store. :)