Our trip to Germany. Day 6.

     Today was my favorite day of our entire trip.  It was zoo day.  And so we headed to the Munich Zoo via train and immediately knew it would be a good day.  It was much like many zoo trips, except that my kid LOVES animals and got to do something very special.  She did something she still  talks about.  Because see in the Munich Zoo they have a petting zoo that you can actually walk into the pens with the animals (specifically goats and small deer).  Maggie LOVED it.  She still talks about "pet a goat" and asks to pet a goat a lot.  This will mostly be a photo dump of pictures from the day.

Getting ready

one of the adorable goats we got to pet

Maggie petting the goats

Maggie swinging in one of the swings at the park

Another one of the swings

a goat trying to get food out of the dispenser OVER the fence

Scott's favorite part of the zoo, the PENGUINS

All bundled up in her stroller

Daddy was her favorite person by this point

My monkeys with a monkey

     The rest of the evening was interesting as well.  Today we walked out a different entrance of the zoo than the one we entered and quickly succeeded to get lost on a wooded trail near a small town.  We walked and walked thinking we would find the bridge to cross the river to the train station, but the bridge never came and the woods went on for what seemed like forever.  So we found a beer garden that had a nice restaurant in it.  We ate dinner & had the restaurant call us a taxi.  We took the taxi back to the train station and went back to our hotel.  

     As you can see our days are never dull in Germany & now I am glad for that as it makes our time in Germany even more special.  

Our Trip to Germany. Day 4 & 5.

     Warning this post includes information about a Nazi concentration camp.  It may be emotional to some, but is a part of our trip I don't want to ignore.

     On Day 4, we did nothing.  We walked around Unterhaching & ate at McDonalds & played in the hotel play room, but we did not go anywhere.  We were just too tired & too comfortable in our hotel room.

     On Day 5, we went to Dachau, a concentration and prison camp just north of Munich, reachable by train.  If you want to know more about the camp than what I will talk about here please visit Wikipedia for a run down.  This camp was not what we, as Americans, think of when we hear the term.  We think of places like Auschwitz in Poland and horrific images of children starving to death or being put to death by gas chamber, but Dachau has it's history and it was still a somber experience.  One in which I am glad I had Maggie there to remind of the good in life.

How could you forget the good with this little bundle

 of joy keeping you company?

     Today though we set an alarm clock because it takes about an hour to get to Dachau from our hotel and we wanted time to be able to walk the grounds without rushing.  So we got up and got ready.  And went to the train.  The day started with a snag in the plans as our train could not take us all the way to the train station in Dachau because someone had jumped on the tracks to commit suicide.  This was explained on the train in German and it took someone coming up to us & talking in English for us to understand we needed to get off the train early & catch a taxi to the camp.  And so that's what we did.  We shared a taxi with a couple going to work & were pleased to find the taxi driver spoke excellent English & had a wonderful conversation on the way.
     Once at the camp we ate sandwiches in the cafe & got coffee.  After eating & heading to the entrance we quickly realized that the stroller we took sucks on gravel & made for a fun adventure through the camp, as most of the grounds are gravel.  Maggie did enjoy being able to run free in the camp, although we tried to keep her quiet so others could absorb the depth of the experience in their own way.  Just as we wanted to.  Scott and I were amazed at the place & spoke very little except when we noticed something we thought the other would find interesting.
     I cannot describe the feelings I felt while in the camp or reading of the horrors, but I will share the few things that stuck out most to me.
     This camp was not used for mass murder, but there was a gas chamber and a hanging place.  And much torture and beatings took place.  One of the things that stuck out to me most was that one of the forms of torture included doing something I am very familiar with doing.  The prisoners would be forced to stand at attention for hours or even days on end without food or water in the yard used for roll call.  I do not believe I have ever stood at attention in the Army for longer than about an hour straight & so I can only imagine the torture it would be for the prisoners to stand there longer, not being allowed to help those that fell out or died in the yard because of the punishment.  I prayed for there souls and told them all how sorry I was.
     The next thing that struck me almost to silence was walking into the crematorium.  This is where the prisoners would be cremated, sent to the "showers" (gas chamber), or hung.  This is also where they would sanitize the clothing dead prisoners wore for use by the new prisoners coming into the camp.

These are the crematorium incinerators.  2-4 bodies could be

placed inside at once.  Bodies were stored in piles in 2 rooms

adjacent to this room. 

This is the beam that prisoners would be hung

from.  This beam is directly in front of the 

incinerators. 

This is one of about 5 chambers that were used

to sanitize the clothing of dead prisoners.  Sanitation

included piling the clothing in this chamber and gassing 

it.  Vents would be open to air out the chamber.  I have been

through a gas chamber because of my Army training and know

first hand what putting on gassed clothing feels like.  This

would not have been pleasant for incoming prisoners.  

     I was unable to take pictures of the gas chamber.  It was designed to look like a shower room, complete with shower heads, as to trick the prisoners into their own deaths without any resistance.  You had to walk through the chamber to get to other parts of the building.  Adjacent to the chamber was the room in which the prisoners would undress and wait to walk to their own deaths, thinking they were about to receive much welcomed showers.  When I walked into the chamber, I felt a sense of dread come over me that I have never felt before.  It was an instant sadness and dread that I could never explain, except that all I wanted to was escape from the room and was saddened to silence for minutes afterwards.  

     The next form of torture for the prisoners was one that would have a lasting effect, even on those who lived, because this torture was in the form of suppression.  The prisoners were required to keep spotless barracks and common areas.  They were so scared of what would happen to them that the wood floors shined and not a prisoner dared to wear shoes within the building.  Even the toilets had to be spotless.  The floors shined so well that in a black and white photo taken just after the liberation of the camp you can see the floors shining.  The floors were plain wood, not treated wood, so this was indeed a form of torture.  

This is the common room of one of the barracks.  Can you 

imagine making that wood shine?

     The only thing that put me at ease within the camp was knowing that those who died there in vain would never be forgotten.  This is evident by the amount of people who toured the camp the same day we did as well as the number of memorials held within the camp itself.  

These are just three of the memorials. 

     This was one of the few things on the trip I knew I must do.  I could not go into Germany and not remember those who had fallen at the hands of the barbaric Adolph Hitler.  I will never forget the horror of this camp and I only saw it through memorials and photographs and a few relics.  I will never let this happen again and wish so much that I could help those who are threatened by genocide even in today's society.  I will never forget.  

     We did however follow up this somber visit to Dachau with a dinner in the city.  I ate crispy skin pork with sauerkraut and potatoes.  This was the best meal I had while in Germany and I even enjoyed the sauerkraut.  

     Oh, but I should say that the trip back from Dachau to Munich and our hotel was VERY eventful.  I was in charge of our train tickets that day & found them safely in my pocket all day long.  I even checked my pocket before stepping on the train.  Today though the train officials decided to walk around checking tickets.  I reached in my pocket for the ticket & found it empty.  EMPTY.  I had somehow lost it in the five minutes before boarding the train.  This loss of ticket costs us 80 euro and a trip off the train with the officials.  I wanted to cry, but now I laugh.  I would be the one to lose a ticket on the very day the officials check the tickets.  During the rest our time in Munich, we saw the officials only one other time & they were not checking tickets.  FIGURES because we had our ticket every other day.  

Our Trip to Germany. Day 3.

     I would like to start off with a few announcements.
     First, in just 5 or so weeks I will be moving back to NC.  I pick up the keys to my new home on January 13th and couldn't be more excited about it.  It will be sad to leave my family, but wonderful to set up a home for my husband's return.  Please pray that the moving goes smoothly, that I do not pull my hair out, and that the job hunt once I move up there is short & that I find a wonderful position that I love, preferably in an office in the financial field.
     Second, I would also like to ask for prayers as I begin the C25K (Couch to 5 K) journey tomorrow.  I really need to pass my PT test after almost 3 years of failing it so that I can get promoted, receive the last portion of my bonus, qualify for Tuition Assistance, and just be on better terms with my unit.  This is a goal I am going to work for to pass my PT by the middle of February.  And also pray as I mentally prepare to start a healthy life style after the first of the year to lose weight (the weight I have been trying to lose for 2 years now, but am pretty sure that I am finally mentally ready to do).
     Third, please keep my sister in your prayers.  She is pregnant with her 4th child, a little girl names Jonnalee.  My sister is only 33 weeks, but is having some spotting and random contractions.  Please pray that Jonnalee stay put for at least another month, preferably until after the 8th of January as that is when my sister is having her baby shower (she hasn't had a baby in over 8 years, so she kind of needs to be spoiled again).
     Okay, but that is it.  Now on to GERMANY!!!!!

     On day 3, Maggie was feeling much better and even slept in until about 10 am, which was AWESOME!  After getting ready, we decided to head into the city and go to Marienplatz to explore and see the Glockenspiel.  Today, our train ticket buying went much better and only spent 10 euro instead of 50 euro.  We made in to Marienplatz just in time to see the Glockenspiel in action.  It was exactly what the reviews said- a huge tourists attraction that is actually quite boring.  But it was cool to see.  After seeing the Glockenspiel, we decided that we needed to eat.  So we ate at restaurant not far from the plaza center.  While at lunch, Scott ordered a beer as big as his head & I saw a woman cut spaghetti with a spoon.

     After lunch we just started walking down the street, with no particular destination in mind.  And how about this?  WE FOUND A STARBUCKS! But German holiday flavors are different from American flavors, like no pumpkin spice or caramel brulee. But it was Starbucks nonetheless and we walked right in and order right up and rejoiced in its yummy goodness as we wondered through the streets of Munich.  

     We found lots of beautiful buildings, but have no idea what any of them were.  We found tons of shops, but did not walk into any of them.  But it was wonderful to walk around the streets of Munich talking with my husband and being a family again.  Scott and Maggie got more bonding time.  Maggie fell asleep in her stroller again, but again today refused to walk.  She knew she was in a new, strange place and acted accordingly.  Scott loved it.  I hated it.  

     After walking around for about 4 hours we hopped back on the train and headed back to our hotel and enjoyed some room service, where a club sandwich has an egg on it and soup was still piping hot.  We watched some German TV, hung out as a family, washed laundry from where Maggie puked on me, and discovered the play room in the hotel.  It was a great day to just be a family.  

Our Trip to Germany. Day 2.

     We had decided to do something fun for Maggie today so we located an aquarium in Olympiapark but we woke up to a little girl not feeling well.  Feeling so under the weather that she puked all over me.  Not once but twice.  It was an AWESOME experience.  One that I would recommend you NOT encounter in your whole life.  Scott did run out to a pastry shop down the street to get us breakfast which was delicious! We walked to the train station & we paid WAY too much for our tickets because we didn't understand the ticket we needed.  So €54 later, we were changing trains like pros and walking around Olympiapark like tourists who knew exactly where we were going.  We didn't though & even ended up walking in the wrong door at the aquarium (I guess we should have learned a bit more German before our trip).

    The aqurium was expensive & no better than any I had gone to before in North Carolina.  But Maggie and Scott used it as a time to bond.  He held her the whole way through the aquarium & looked at the fish with her. I just pushed the stroller and took pictures (which a BIG thank you goes out to my father-in-law for letting me borrow his wonderful Canon DSLR camera).  While in the aquarium Maggie would not let Scott put her down & I refused to carry her.  Scott loved the fact that Maggie was letting him carry her.  

     This was also the first we had laid eyes on the BMW Welt, Museum, and Headquarters.  This made Scott very happy as he has a slight obsession with BMW (only a slightly less obsession than his obsession with penguins).  Olympiapark was also beautiful and very cool to walk through.  We ate at a small restaurant in the park & were very timid about ordering & such.  This was the first place I had encountered that the language barrier was slightly an issue.  We did not know how to order or anything considering that it was a walk up to the bar & order, then seat yourself & they will bring your food to you kind of place.  It was good food & this is where I realized I love that Coke doesn't come with ice in it.  
     As we left dinner we decided to walk through the park some more back to the train.  On the walk through the beautiful park, we put Maggie in her stroller so that we could wrap her up in her stroller blanket.  The little girl FELL ASLEEP in her stroller.  I can barely get her to ride in her stroller for longer than 5 minutes in the states, much less get her to fall asleep in it.  

This is probably my favorite picture of the whole trip

     She slept all the way back to the hotel and then stayed up late.  We all enjoyed the bonding and playing together though so none of us complained.  And the next day we would go to Marienplatz to explore.  

Our Trip To Germany. Day 1.

So you want to know about my two week stay in Germany do you?  Yeah, I would want to know too.  I would want to know about the attractions, about the food, about it all.  And hey, I would definitely want to know about such a trip with a toddler in tow.  So here we go, let me take you on a journey to Bavaria (the state) Germany and Salzburg (the city), Austria.  Be ready for a roller coaster of lost train tickets and stories about what happens when you leave the zoo through an exit different from where you entered (because well you can't read a map in German).  So let's begin.

Day 1

     Day 1 was actually our travel day from Florida to Munich.  So because of my nerves & anticipation, the day started promptly at 8:00 a.m., at which time I climbed out of bed and jumped in the shower (mainly because I was not sure when my next shower would be, potentially 36 hours from then).  Maggie also woke up during this time & I gracefully handed her off to my dad so he could get a few last minute cuddles before his favorite girl left for 3 weeks.  After my shower I dried & straightened my hair because trying to get to sleep on an airplane with a pony tail is always a disaster. 

     After this, I dressed and threw all my last minute stuff in my luggage, things like hair straighteners and medication and loaded my 2 suitcases, diaper bag, backpack, stroller, purse, and car seat into my Sorento.  And then we were ready... To head to Target.  My parents where driving me to the airport but I wanted to stop at Target for some Starbucks, extra batteries, and wisps (the things you can brush your teeth with with no water).  I needed Starbucks because 1) I hadn't slept well the night before 2) was about to be on an airplane for 12+ hours 3) my terminal in the airport was the only place the airport DID NOT have a Starbucks and 4) this was the first day that the season caramel brûlée latte was out.  So it was important. 

     When we arrived at the airport the recommended 3 hours early & checked in we quickly realized it would take no more than 20 minutes to go through security.  So my parents, Maggie, & I, plus all of our carry on luggage went for lunch at Romano's.  While I was not hungry because of my nerves, I ate a few slices of margarita pizza my dad & I shared.  After lunch I was delighted to discover a family line going through security, so if I took forever getting through with a 2 year old and all required stuff, IT WAS NOT MY PROBLEM.  But I didn't and the processes was much smoother than my nightmares lead me to believe it would be. 

     But I still had to occupy Maggie for about an hour and a half before boarding.  So I didn't what any mother traveling trans-antlanticly would do, I bought her jelly beans, iced tea, & sat by the window so she could look at the airplanes.  And our planes totally sponsored the Carolina Panthers and was Panther blue.  We boarded & that was a hassle trying to juggle everything & Maggie while collapsing the stroller, but I did it.  During take off I gave Maggie a new Elmo coloring book & crayons.  Then she watched Horton Hears A Who on my iPad while she fell asleep with her head in my lap graciously kicking the lady next to her.  Success! 

     Until we got off & Maggie refused to ride in her stroller.  You carry a 25 pound baby & back pack while pushing a stroller with a carseat attached through the Philadelphia airport.  Yeah I was sweating by the time we arrived at our gate.  I changed Maggie at the gate, in the floor because I refused to juggle all of our stuff into the bathroom to change her.  We boarded our 8 hour + flights & everything from there was pretty easy, except the food was gross, specifically the rice. 

     I did not sleep for 2 reasons.  The first was that Maggie wouldn't let me, she never slept long enough for me to fall asleep.  The second was that the closer our airplane got to Germany the more my stomach turned in anticipation of seeing my husband.  And eventually after what felt like forever we landed.  I rushed Maggie and I through passport control and got to the baggage claim, but there was no Scott.  He was supposed to land before me, but he wasn't there.

     Eventually (okay about 10 minutes) I saw a guy in an Adidas sweatshirt and a fedora walking towards me.  My heart jumped and I started crying.  To lay eyes on him was amazing, our first hug was the best I have ever received.  And while Maggie was not completely comfortable, she did let Scott hold her while I went to the bathroom.  We got our luggage which came out on the same belt, got cash out of the ATM (hello Euros & their different size bills), and caught a cab.  We were going to drop our luggage off at the hotel & walk around Unterhaching until it was time to check in.

     But when we arrived at our hotel we were pleased to find out that our room was ready and that we could check in early!  So after discovering that the hotel restaurant was not yet open, we all took a nap.  It was glorious & our beds were very comfortable.  I say beds because in Germany a king bed is comprised of 2 twin beds put together.  Maggie's crib also was nice & came with its own down comforter. 

A girl and her daddy after almost 9

months apart!

          (Short break to tell you about our hotel room.  It was twice the size of a normal hotel room & had 2 bathrooms, a wet bar, towel warmers, a desk, & a flat screen TV.)

     After our nap we ventured out into Unterhaching, but cut our trip short because we were starving.  We went back to the hotel & ate dinner.  I had the best pot of goulash EVER and Scott & Maggie split some schnitzel.  Both were delicious.  After dinner we hung out in our room & unpacked our luggage.  I was not living out of suitcases for 8 days.  And we went to bed. 

**a note our hotel was about 10 minutes walk to the train station followed by about a 20 minute train ride into the city of Munch.  We stayed in a hotel in a business district on the outskirts of Munich for our wallets sake.  Although if you ever go to Munich, Germany I completed & 100% recommend the Holiday Inn Munich-Unterhaching.  It was a superb hotel & the only downfall was its distance from the city, which was so worth the stay in the hotel. 

A flight home

     This morning I am boarding a plane to head back to the United States with the same dread in my heart that I felt the day he deployed. The fear of being apart, of him being in a war zone, of my daughter being without her father again. But I must stay strong, we are on the final leg. More than 3/4 of the way done, we hope. But I can't help the pain, the fear, the tears.
     But amid the tears and the dread, I am overwhelmed with memories of our first family vacation. We have been married over four years and other than our honeymoon, this is the first time we have gone on a vacation that did not require seeing family (while seeing our family is wonderful, bonding as our little family of 3 was awesome). The memories of the way Maggie's face lit up with delight when daddy took her swimming or when we would let her ride the Minnie Mouse carousel. The memories of feeding each other food we have never tried & discovering Maggie's love of spatzel. The ease of falling back into a partnership & arguing about making small decisions like whether or not to go into a department store while walking the city. And the joy in Scott's eyes every time he looked at his not-so-little little girl amazing him with all of her skills like talking, running, singing, and so much more. He is such a proud dad & I was able to see that so clearly while we were together.
     My favorite memory though was the tears that escaped my eyes when I saw Scott walking towards us in the airport the first day. The way Maggie did not reject him & the first hug. It was more overwhelming than I ever thought it would be. But that just confirmed that I have fallen more in love with my husband through out this entire deployment. And that after almost 9 months apart we fell right back into being a family.
     And a observation that will never slip my mind is that after 9 months apart and spending 15 days together in a small hotel room (or 3 actually) we did not fight. We did not argue. We spend 15 days loving our time together, never taking it or each other for granted. But now I realize just how much I want my husband home. Just how much I hate the distance that will separate us, the ocean between us. But I have so much to look forward to. I have so much to be happy for.
      I have so much to be thankful for. We are a family no matter where we are at & we always will be & I have that to look forward to each day & I cannot thank God enough for my family or for these 15 days or that my husband will be home in 3-4 months. I cannot express how much it all means to me. Stay tuned for more details on the 2 weeks we spent in Germany over several posts. We did so much & I want to share it with you all. (This should have been posted this morning, but lack of Internet impeded my efforts.)