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Carrie Rodriguez 
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Great morning. Diego calls out, “Nana!” from his room and I hear him because I had just woke up. Very quietly I moved to his room and said, “Hi, Diego.” He was so surprised to see me because he had been looking at the side of his bed and did not hear me coming. Had some play time and then out to have some cereal and fruit and milk. Cesar had asked for coffee and I found the hand crank coffee grinder for the beans and got started. Think my arms are going to hurt tomorrow but the coffee was good. Got everyone up, dressed and fed and were at the PX by 11 picking up a couple needed things (how did I forget to pack those??). Enjoyed a lunch of some American food and German pastries and coffee. Andres and Cesar changed the oil in their Explorer; the new oil pan plug will be used next time as it was at the house and we were not. Needed to check my ID…thought I would not be the one with issues this time since I got through passport inspection without questioning.
Nice drive up to the Burg Hohenzellern Castle. It was hotter than usual and the shuttle was ready with just enough seats for us, so we skipped the 90 degree weather and selected the 5 minute drive over the 40 minute walk. Sure the baby was thankful; she has been warmer than she prefers to be. Because the interior tour was only in German today, we opted for walking the exterior on our own. With the kids and the stroller, I think we made a good decision. We were able to stop lots and look out at the country side, seeing miles away from any vantage point we chose. You hear the details of three foot thick block walls and archers slits but till you see it…Who knew to put drains at the bottom of each elevation? Who knew to slant the window sills all down so every opening could be defended? And who lived long enough (hundreds of years for some castles) to move from one location to another to pass on the knowledge? The acquiring of materials and building crew and means of getting those to the top of mountains which would be a part of the fortification; it is more than words could explain for me. Victoria found a bottle of ink she could use with the calligraphy pen set Andres and Adrianna gave her for Christmas in the gift shop. Diego found an excellent gelato. Cesar found brauts and beer and fries and an apple cake for all of us which we ate while Diego trotted up and down the 2 steps behind us to the edge of the castle wall and around the beer garden, mastering jumping off both steps at one time. The shuttle arrived just as we were ready to head down; good timing.
The trip home included “Meatballs with a Chance of Rain” and a rather quiet back of our vehicle. Isabella tried chewing on her pacifier and a bird hanging from her car seat handle almost the entire way home. Her new trick looked like pushing the nipple to the very edge of her lips then pulling it back in. She is also improving her hand coordination with being able to pull the bird back to her mouth when she lets go of it.
The evening included planning for Paris this weekend. Finding a hotel with the end of the Tour de France was a challenge. But it sounds like we were successful in making a reservation. Drive in Saturday and explore the layout of the town and Eiffel Tower and race course. Sunday will include the race for some and shopping for others. Monday we will venture out together and drive home.
During the planning/online searching, Jasmin and Greg brought some flowers as a thank you for the sign-in book we made for them. An adventure they had today was dropping their dog at a pet hotel to give it a try before they leave him for an extended stay. Sounds like it was harder on them than the dog; think it will all work out for them. More abondigas for dinner, yummm. A quick call to the Fletchers before Diego headed off to sleep; he was on his way to his room on his own before Adrianna called him back to make the call. Isabella cried for a while and as soon as Adrianna went to check on her she started kicking her legs and smiling at Adrianna, instantly…Adrianna tried leaving her after checking. She did the same thing again. Such a smart baby.
Some reading for some, a video game and blogging. Great end of an evening. Tomorrow? The town they filmed “Sound of Music”; watch for the video we hope to record.
Being out and seeing the wonders of the culture and the creations of our Father God makes me all the more thankful for His Son Jesus and the eternity with Him we will have.
Great morning. Diego calls out, “Nana!” from his room and I hear him because I had just woke up. Very quietly I moved to his room and said, “Hi, Diego.” He was so surprised to see me because he had been looking at the side of his bed and did not hear me coming. Had some play time and then out to have some cereal and fruit and milk. Cesar had asked for coffee and I found the hand crank coffee grinder for the beans and got started. Think my arms are going to hurt tomorrow but the coffee was good. Got everyone up, dressed and fed and were at the PX by 11 picking up a couple needed things (how did I forget to pack those??). Enjoyed a lunch of some American food and German pastries and coffee. Andres and Cesar changed the oil in their Explorer; the new oil pan plug will be used next time as it was at the house and we were not. Needed to check my ID…thought I would not be the one with issues this time since I got through passport inspection without questioning.
Nice drive up to the Burg Hohenzellern Castle. It was hotter than usual and the shuttle was ready with just enough seats for us, so we skipped the 90 degree weather and selected the 5 minute drive over the 40 minute walk. Sure the baby was thankful; she has been warmer than she prefers to be. Because the interior tour was only in German today, we opted for walking the exterior on our own. With the kids and the stroller, I think we made a good decision. We were able to stop lots and look out at the country side, seeing miles away from any vantage point we chose. You hear the details of three foot thick block walls and archers slits but till you see it…Who knew to put drains at the bottom of each elevation? Who knew to slant the window sills all down so every opening could be defended? And who lived long enough (hundreds of years for some castles) to move from one location to another to pass on the knowledge? The acquiring of materials and building crew and means of getting those to the top of mountains which would be a part of the fortification; it is more than words could explain for me. Victoria found a bottle of ink she could use with the calligraphy pen set Andres and Adrianna gave her for Christmas in the gift shop. Diego found an excellent gelato. Cesar found brauts and beer and fries and an apple cake for all of us which we ate while Diego trotted up and down the 2 steps behind us to the edge of the castle wall and around the beer garden, mastering jumping off both steps at one time. The shuttle arrived just as we were ready to head down; good timing.
The trip home included “Meatballs with a Chance of Rain” and a rather quiet back of our vehicle. Isabella tried chewing on her pacifier and a bird hanging from her car seat handle almost the entire way home. Her new trick looked like pushing the nipple to the very edge of her lips then pulling it back in. She is also improving her hand coordination with being able to pull the bird back to her mouth when she lets go of it.
The evening included planning for Paris this weekend. Finding a hotel with the end of the Tour de France was a challenge. But it sounds like we were successful in making a reservation. Drive in Saturday and explore the layout of the town and Eiffel Tower and race course. Sunday will include the race for some and shopping for others. Monday we will venture out together and drive home.
During the planning/online searching, Jasmin and Greg brought some flowers as a thank you for the sign-in book we made for them. An adventure they had today was dropping their dog at a pet hotel to give it a try before they leave him for an extended stay. Sounds like it was harder on them than the dog; think it will all work out for them. More abondigas for dinner, yummm. A quick call to the Fletchers before Diego headed off to sleep; he was on his way to his room on his own before Adrianna called him back to make the call. Isabella cried for a while and as soon as Adrianna went to check on her she started kicking her legs and smiling at Adrianna, instantly…Adrianna tried leaving her after checking. She did the same thing again. Such a smart baby.
Some reading for some, a video game and blogging. Great end of an evening. Tomorrow? The town they filmed “Sound of Music”; watch for the video we hope to record.
Being out and seeing the wonders of the culture and the creations of our Father God makes me all the more thankful for His Son Jesus and the eternity with Him we will have.
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