Nuremberg - World War 2 Military History Tour

If you guys know me at all you can tell by the title that this is not a tour that I picked out. Justin was dead set on taking this tour since he had first heard about it and it didn't help that the gentleman in the USO office told him he would LOVE it. As luck would have it, I actually learned a lot on the tour and really did enjoy myself.

Nuremberg is most famous for its trial of the major Nazi leaders for "war crimes" post world war two but the city actually played a much larger role in the rise and fall of the third reich. The city was home to all of the major Nazi party rallies as well as major speeches given by Hitler during the early 1900s. These huge parties provided major propaganda for the Nazi party and enabled them to spread their ideals. Our first stop was the Nazi Rally Party grounds, we climbed up the steps and stood in the exact spot where Hitler delivered his speeches. About 90% of the city was bombed and destroyed by British and American troops at the end of WW2 so not much was left. The Germans wanted to destroy what few reminders of the Nazi reign remained but under tons of international pressure they deemed the grounds a memorial.

The platform from which Hitler gave his speeches

On the rally grounds lies the Documentation museum in a building known as Congress Hall. The museum is all in german but they do provide headsets for other languages. As you walk through the museum it is designed in such a way as to explain the rise and fall of not only Hitler but the entire third reich. From the development of the Nazi party and Hitlers rise to power, opening of concentration camps and eventual destruction and bombing of Germany. The black and white photos from the time period provide the viewer with the somber reality of life in the area during the early 1900s. It was a chilling experience knowing that the halls we were walking through were used by the Nazi leaders.

Each card in the train tracks represented 100 people killed during the holocaust

Photo of the Nazi Rallies that took place in Nuremberg 

After the museum Justin and I walked around the grounds. We even found the inner courtyard of the Congress hall which Hitler designed to look like the colosseum is Rome. Most of the grounds have been turned into a park complete with a walk/jog path and large lake in the middle. Afterwards we piled onto the bus and headed into the middle of town.

In the very center of town lies a large cathedral, multiple museums and a large fountain known as the Der Schoene Brunne. Directly across from the fountain is St. Sebaldus church. Absolutely stunning church, the paintings and carvings were exquisite. From the church we walked just a block over to the St. Lorenz church. This church has been basically gutted and turned into a memorial. For a small donation we got a brochure and were able to take all of the pictures we wanted. Every time we visit the churches and cathedrals I am just floored. The architecture and attention to detail the artists put into the churches is something that can not be replicated.

St. Sebaldus Church 

Inside of the St. Lorenz church/memorial

Justin and I ducked into an Italian restaurant for some wine and pizza before boarding the bus for a quick trip over to the Palace of Justice and courtroom for the trials. The courtroom is still in use today but the second and third floor of the building have been converted into a museum for the trials. It explained the prosecution, defendants and 21 accused Nazi leaders. They were tried by russian, british, french and american judges. Almost all of them were found guilty for war crimes and sentences ranged from death by hanging to long term prison sentences. After the quick tour we were able to see the actual courtroom used in the trials. Since it is still in use today, it is only open on Saturdays for a certain amount of time, we were fortunate to make it on time. Our tour guide for the entire trip was an older German woman who on the way back told us stories of growing up during the war.

The courtroom

The Courtroom during the trial and how it looks today

Three and a half hours later we were back in Kaiserslautern. On the short drive back to Baumholder Justin and I got to talking about WW2 and our time in Germany. All of our tours and exploration so far have been focused on the ancient Roman influence or the destruction that occurred during the 30 years war. It is near impossible to find anyone willing to talk about recent German history. We were told that it is such an embarrassment to the Germans that it is rarely talked about or even taught in schools.

We were both really glad to have participated in the tour and we learned so much about the war that we would have never known otherwise. I highly recommend a trip to this city if you ever get the chance!

Holland - Keukenhof gardens, wooden shoes and fresh dutch cheese

Early Wednesday morning, at about 1:30am Justin dropped me off in Kaiserslautern at a tour bus so I could take off to Holland for the day. Normally my husband would just LOVE to spend all day at a tulip garden but alas he claimed he just had to work... I was one of the last people on the bus and since the tour was full I didn't get to choose my seat. Fortunately, I ended up next to a lovely 67 year old Puerto Rico lady who was also traveling solo. As soon as the bus started my Dramamine kicked in and I passed out. Next thing I know I wake up and we had arrived in Holland at a hotel where according to my tour guide we were treated to a "traditional dutch breakfast". Basically it was like any other continental breakfast at a nice hotel but what do I know...

After eating we headed over to a local farm right outside of Amsterdam. The farm is famous for home made dutch wooden shoes as well as their delicious flavorful cheese. We piled into the small room for a quick demonstration in shoe making and in about 10 minutes the shoe maker had carved up a perfect shoe! 

Wooden clog demonstration

Cheese Making

We then followed a narrow hallway into the room where they make all of the cheese. The farmer's wife gave us the quick run down of cheese making and then led us into another part of the farm so we could taste all of the different cheeses! They had an entire wall, floor to ceiling of different cheese wheels. Each delicious cheese wheel is sealed in paraffin wax and will last for years. I ended up buying two different wheels, one was made with whiskey and the other was named "Farmers Flame". The Farmers Flame cheese came about because the dutch farm owner married a girl from San Antonio. She always talked about how much she missed good tex-mex so he designed a cheese with jalapeños and chilies. It was AMAZING! Plus is reminded me of good old Texas... 

Our next stop was to finally see the famous Keukenhof gardens. Acres upon acres of perfectly groomed flower displays. Multiple building filled with orchid and tulip displays as well as a giant wind mill which you were able to climb up in order to get an arial view of the tulip fields. Since the weather has been so bad lately the gardens were about three weeks behind of their normal blooming schedule but there was still plenty of flowers to see. 

A couple of hours spent strolling through the gardens in the perfect weather was just what I needed to relax and think about our future. You see my wonderful husband had sprung a little news on me right before I left for the trip. It turns out that do to an Army screw up with paperwork (no surprise there) Justin had just been informed that he was on assignment for Ft. Lewis in Washington State starting on December 10th. Wow... Now this was a huge surprise, we were supposed to be in Germany until October 2014. Justin was given the choice to either fix the army screw up or accept that we were moving early. After a lot of talking and some personal reflection we decided the best thing for both of us would be to move to Washington. We both love Germany and if Justin was stationed anywhere else in Germany we would be staying! 

So to all my wonderful friends and family Justin and I will be flying back in late November, spending a little bit of time in Texas before heading up to Washington to start the next chapter of our life! We love all of you guys and are so blessed to have such a great support system. 

Me hanging out with the tulips 

Heidelberg - irish pubs, puppies and exploding cars

The small wine barrel 

Last week Justin and I joined up with our favorite married couple and hit the road again! Off to Heidelberg castle, home of the world's largest wine barrel. Sounds promising, right?! We opted to do the self led tour and after a hearty breakfast of bockwurst and gluhwein we started our wandering. The castle is semi destroyed and at the time of our visit the castle was under reconstruction. We took a tour of the apothecary museum, snacked at the castle restaurant and tasted wine in the famous wine cellar right next to a giant wine barrel!

Afterwards we headed down the hill into the heart of the city. The city had multiple churches and one of them was even open for viewing. It was quite unique with a giant gold draped creation hanging from the ceiling and paintings covering the walls. The streets were lined with stores, carts selling roasted chestnuts and even a german mall! We walked up and down the town snacking on the local cuisine and window shopping. On the way back to the car we ducked into a Irish pub for a delicious dinner and of course happy hour!

Inside of one of the churches 

Our irish pub 

My first roasted chestnut. I am not a fan.

Thoroughly stuffed from schnitzel and beer we packed into the little BWM and headed over to Mannheim to look at a litter of vizsla puppies Justin had picked out. They were absolutely adorable 8 tiny month old puppies all frolicking around, we narrowed it down to two little girls and finally decided on the dark one. Her name is Layla and we will be picking her up in just three more weeks!

All hopped up on puppy love we began the two hour journey back home or so we thought... Two minutes later we were pulled over on the side of the road with a severely overheated car. The boys popped the hood and started messing with things when all of a sudden we see an explosion of liquid, the coolant cap go flying and my husband stripping off his shirt on the other side of the road. Apparently there was still quite a bit of pressure in the coolant thingy and it exploded boiling hot liquid all over Justin's hand. We rinsed the burn off and waited what felt like forever for the car to cool down, filled it with water and tried again. We at least made it 20 minutes to a gas station this time... Another hour of waiting for the car to cool down and then off again. Fifteen minutes later we are pulled over on the side of the highway in an extremely sketchy rest stop. I am pretty sure we were almost killed or at least caught up in a shady german drug ring... So to avoid possible death we didn't hang around long before calling a buddy to come pick all of us up and we managed to get the car into a McDonalds parking lot without anymore explosions. Five hours later it is 2 am and we are finally pulling into the army post. Justin's hand had blistered up really bad and despite my advice to go the ER he claimed he was fine, he is such a macho soldier sometimes!

Needless to say Justin showed up at work the next morning only to be sent to the ER. I was there to greet him with the ever useful "I told you so" phrase. Everything ended up ok, Justin got his hand all doctored up and with his extra day off we were able to pick up the car and make it safely back to Baumholder, drop the car off at the shop and pick it up the next day all fixed! I would love to tell y'all what was wrong with it but they used a lot of car jargon and I basically stopped listening...

Luckily we are both alive and doing well! 

A Royal Day - Burg Eltz and Cochem Castle

For weeks Justin has been obsessed with looking up the best castles, cathedrals and breweries in the area. So when one of his buddies brought up the idea of a road trip he jumped on it and planned a full day of castle sightseeing. We all piled into our little BMW and took off in the direction the boys thought we were supposed to go. After getting lost a couple of times we pulled over and bought a map. It ended up being the best purchase. We eventually found the castle we had been looking for and it only took a couple of hours. Plus we even hit up a couple of other castle ruins along the way.

Burg Eltz is one of the most famous castles in the region. It was quite the hike down and around to the castle but the hike allowed us plenty of photo opportunities. It was amazing! The castle was set down in a valley and was surrounded by a flowing river that seriously resembled a moat. Hiking trails were all over the area and the castle was even pet friendly. We saw plenty of well behaved dogs roaming the area with their owners. Maybe when Riley is a little older we will take him to a real castle instead of just the ruins... There was a little cafe outside of the courtyard and we were able to get our fill of bratwurst before exploring the area.

We bought our tickets for the english version of the tour and headed down into the "treasury" room while we waited for the tour to start. The treasury contained collections of guns, knives, ornate jewelry, armor and silver ware. It was quite impressive.

Afterwards we headed into the courtyard and started our tour. The young tour guide did such a great job and explained every room perfectly. The rooms were like we had seen before. Huge wooden four poster beds were set up on platforms with stairs up to the bed. Designs painted all over the ceiling. Huge tapestries hung from the walls, oil portraits of past inhabitants and carved wooden furniture decorated every room. Once again pictures were not allowed inside of the castle. Bummer. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and then we took the long uphill hike back to car so we could head on to the next part of our adventure.

We hit the Mosel river and followed it south about 40 minutes to the town of Cochem where our next castle waited. We parked the car right along the river and started the long hike up to Reichsburg castle. Turns out that there was a parking lot right next to the castle so we wouldn't have to hike but I guess we needed the exercise anyways... This castle had a more dark look to it than Burg Eltz and was surrounded by a vineyard so I automatically was more intrigued. We made it just in time for the last tour. Luckily our tour guide was AWESOME. She let us touch things, spoke english and german during the tour and let us take all of the pictures we wanted!

The castle contained a ridiculously deep well, our tour guide dropped water from the top and it took four seconds for it to hit the bottom. The rooms were gorgeous. Dark, carved wood furniture, large paintings and tapestries just like the other castle. A room full of different types of animal mounts and a balcony overlooking the Mosel river and the surrounding vineyards. One of the rooms had a secret door to a passageway that lead to the center of town, quite useful in the old days. The most interesting part of the castle was the witching tower. It was the original, un restored tower of the castle that was used to hold women prisoner until they were tried for witchcraft. The women were pushed from the top window of the castle, if they lived then they were witches and were immediately executed. If they died they were given a proper christian burial.

The Witching Tower

Apparently every so often at night the castle will actually do a ghost tour. This definitely sparked Justin's interest and I am sure it will be added to our "To Do" list. Although after hearing about the witches I think the tour would scare me! The castle also has a falconry area and four times a day there is a demonstration of the falcons. We just missed the last show but from a distance we could see the falcons perched, they are such beautiful birds. We hiked back down the mountain and headed to the center of town to find a place to eat.

We took our chances on a Mexican food place (all of were from Texas and were craving some southern tex mex). I have to say that it was not the worst mexican food I have had but it was not anywhere close to the best. Afterwards we took a relaxing stroll along the river, reveling in our long day of adventure. Right as it was getting dark the rain started so we piled back in the car and began the long journey back to Baumholder, definitely exhausted.

Lions and Tigers and DINOSAURS, oh my!

Well the title might be a little deceiving because we didn't see any lions or tigers but we did see plenty of DINOSAURS! Last weekend the weather had finally taken a turn for the better, it was semi warm, the sun was actually shining and as long as you ignored the cold wind it was perfect. We had heard about a big park in Kaiserslautern that was known for its large statues of dinosaurs so off we went to explore.


The park cost about 9 euro a person but it was definitely worth the cost. When you first enter the park off to the left was a garden with all sorts of colorful flowers and replicas of farm equipment. Then you continue on the path to a bridge that crosses over the road to the main part of the park. It was the perfect park for kids, they had a small skateboard park, soccer field  and plenty of jungle gyms to climb all over. The dinosaurs were pretty awesome, they had life size replicas built and even though most of the signs were in german a couple of them also offered english translation. Unfortunately it was against the rules to ride the dinosaurs and that was all I wanted to do! FUN FACT: the famous fossil Archaeopteryx was discovered in Germany! For those of you who don't know, this is the transitional fossil that allowed scientist to make a connection between dinosaurs and birds.

After strolling around learning about the dinosaurs Justin decided he needed a snack and drug me over to the crepe making stand where he proceeded to order a baileys filled crepe topped with cinnamon sugar. It was messy and deliciously perfect! The crepe combined with the bratwurst I just had to have gave us the energy to continue on the next part of the park.

We wound our way around the forest and ponds, climbed up what seemed like hundreds of stairs to another part of the park. The second part was not as cool as the dinosaurs because we were there before all of the flowers had bloomed. It is supposedly really pretty later in the year once everything is alive and blooming. They had a barefoot section where you walk across different types of rocks, sand and grass with no shoes on so you are able to experience the different textures of everything. They also have a little microbrewery in this part of the park. Unfortunately it was closed but Justin has made it a priority to make sure we go back just so we can try the local beer.



Overall another fun and informational experience. We even bought a little replica dinosaur to add to our collection of knick knacks from around the world.