As I mentioned on Monday, our trip to Hamburg this weekend was really fun. And although we missed the munchkin, she was having a great time at home with Oma and Opa. Apparently Ayla was the only one that did some pouting. When we got to the airport in the morning, the...
WEBMU 2010 was definitely a big hit
We're back from Hamburg and what a weekend it was. We saw the city in a whirlwind of fun, food and lots of laughs...and it was really great to finally meet so many of the people I've conversed with over the years via our blogs. I've got a bunch of photos to share and...

Ten Ways to Make Sure You Have a Great Trip
Those who know me well, know that I tend to be a little bit obsessive compulsive when it comes to certain aspects of my life. I almost wish I could say it's in all aspects of my life, because our house would probably be a lot more clean and organized then...but I...
Lantern Fest Fun Part 2: Kings, Queens and Alcohol
Alright, I intended to post these yesterday...but well, there just wasn't time. So you get them as a dose of Friday fun instead! These were all shot during the Saturday night parade here in our village. It's always a great time and there was a really nice turnout this...
Woof Wednesday: I look at least 2 years younger!
Hi puppy friends! Hope you had a fabulous Fourth of July weekend (if you're in the US) and a lovely regular, plain old weekend if you're living elsewhere like me. Actually, we're having a pretty exciting week because we are at Oma & Opa's house and there are a...
Giraffes and Monkeys and Guanakos? A trip to the Opel Zoo
Opel Zoo (website: www.opel-zoo.de, Königsteiner Straße 35, 61476 Kronberg, Tel. 06173/ 325903-0) is one of two zoos in here the Frankfurt area. The other, Frankfurt Zoo, is located in downtown Frankfurt and is your more traditional sort of zoo with seals, snake...
If you’re ever in Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig…
It seems like the winter vacation we took to East Germany was ages ago now, but somehow I still didn't manage to say everything about it that I wanted to about it. I talked about our guest house, shared a bunch of photos from one of our walks and the trip to the...
Almost like swimming with the fishes
Our first day in Schmiedefeld, we had absolutely gorgeous weather. We really hoped the rest of our time there would be just as wonderful but it started raining on day two and we refused to just stay inside. Thanks to the loads of brochures in the table of our guest...
Forest walk — Day 1 in Schmiedefeld
I think I mentioned how incredibly gorgeous it is in this area...but you really can't grasp the natural beauty unless you see it yourself. I'm not even sure my photos did the area justice. It seemed that almost everywhere you looked, it was just so serene... and I'm...
Our new favorite family in Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig
Two weeks ago today we were woke up in our apartment in East Germany, ready to explore this unknown world. East Germany has a pretty bad reputation because a lot of places have become desolate and dilapidated in the past 10 years. We were near the Thüringer Wald...


