France

Today my sister Janet and I drove into France. We saw the American Cemetery at Lorraine which was a very moving site. We then drove to Metz (pronounced Mess) where we had a great lunch; saw a beautiful, old cathedral; and then went shopping and window shopping. We then drove back through the back roads of France to Germany. Great, relaxing day.

Monday in Germany

I'm losing track of the dates :-)

Sunday we had a quiet day.  Janet and I went grocery shopping and then some of their friends came over for dinner.  Today I'm enjoying a quiet morning while Janet takes the kidlets to their summer program and goes to the gym.  We'll be visiting some of the local German villages this afternoon when the kids get home.

4th of July in Germany

Most important things first: Makeup bag found, crisis averted. It was in a side pocket of the suitcase. Not that I plan on wearing much makeup while here. Most of the buildings do not have air conditioning so I would just sweat it off anyway.

Our first day we kind of poked around the village and went sightseeing and window shopping. It was threatening rain and we didn't want to get caught in the cable cars when they shut them down because of lightening.

We started the morning out by going on a cable car ride up into the hillside of Rudesheim where we walked through a wooded area. The kids and I went into a bird sanctuary where they rehabilitate injured birds and then release them into the wild. We saw a bunch of different falcons, some buzzards, and a couple of bald eagles. We then took a ski lift-type ride down to another little town where we were going to catch a river cruise ship to see the castles that line the Rhein River. I have to tell you, that was a hard thing to do -- I'm afraid of heights. And I had Leo on the seat with me. I was proud that I managed to control my panic so I did not freak him out. We got off the ship and took the train back down to Rudesheim where we attended mass at St. Jakobus (James) Catholic Church. There was a wine reception after mass. We think the priest was named Bishop because there was a big announcement made at the end of the mass; however, it being in German, we're not sure what happened. Maybe they were just announcing there would be a wine reception after mass and that made everyone clap. We're now back home for a nice, relaxing evening.

Germany - Day 1 and 2

Arrived in Germany after about a 13-hour flight.  My sister and brother-in-law met me at the airport and we made the 1 1/2 hour drive to their home.  First we stopped at the base so that I could get a temporary ID card that will allow me on the base.  I made the joke to my brother-in-law that I could do whatever I wanted and he would get in trouble since he was my sponsor, but then he reminded me that he signed as my sponsor so that gives him the right to boss me around which I don't think I like too much.

Last night for dinner we went to an authentic little German restaurant and had an early evening.  This morning we're getting ready to go on a Rhine River cruise where we will see lots of castles and little German towns.  Photos will follow hopefully.

So far the trip's going great.  The only downfall is I either left my makeup on my bed or the TSA did not put it back in my suitcase after they searched it.  So I'm seeing Germany au naturale :-) Hopefully it's sitting on my bed; otherwise, I get to spend about $200 to replace everything when I get back.

Aufweidersein

Savannah, Charleston, Alexandria - 2009

My friend Kathryn Alexander and I decided to take a girls' trip over spring break. She chose Savannah, Georgia; I chose Charleston, South Carolina; and together we chose Alexandria and Charlotesville, Virginia. It was a great trip; and considering we did not get kicked out of any state, it was a huge success.

Savannah was a real surprise. I fell in love with this place. So much history and beauty. The historic district was amazing. It's a two-and-a-half square mile historical district which is the largest in the nation.

The city was laid out with something like 20 squares. They have all but two of the original squares still in tact and they're getting one back from a parking lot at the time we were there. The squares were once the center of each little neighborhood, and each contained the public well and the public baking oven. They're now just little parks with statues and fountains and beautiful foliage.


Since we were there right before St. Patrick's day, they turned all the water in the fountains green. As a side note, Savannah has the second largest St. Patrick's day celebration in the US -- second only to New York City. And they start partying early.

There were lots of historic homes to see -- many dating back to before the American revolution.
And some of the most amazing ceiling art.


We were able to eat at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's restraunt). It was good, but they weren't lying when they said she puts a stick of butter in each of her dishes.

Our next stop was Charleston. Ft. Sumter was the start place of the Civil War. It sits out in the Charleston Harbor which would probably be beautiful to see from the mainland if it weren't so foggy.


Fort Moultrie is where the Confederate Army fired on Ft. Sumter.

We were able to drive around the waterfront and see some truly beautiful old homes. These were the city homes of the plantation owners.



We took a tour out to Ashley River Road and saw some beautiful old plantation homes. The first one was Drayton Hall. The house was used after the Civil War by the family as a campground. Though they sold the home to a historical society, the family still has picnics on the property every Thanksgiving. There's even a growth chart in one of the rooms that is protected by plastic. They removed the plastic several years ago and added this generation's children to the chart.
Then we went to Magnolia Gardens and Plantation. It had some of the most beautiful gardens -- plus alligators. They had white peacocks which I did not know existed.


We also spent some time just walking around Charleston. This home is believed to be the oldest home still standing.

This plantation was the whole reason I chose Charleston. Its real name is Boone Hall Plantation, but in the movie "North and South" the exterior of the house and the grounds was the home of Patrick Swayze's character.
It had the most beautiful oak alley entrance
These are original slave cabins. We learned that they would put them in front of the house as opposed to the back because as guests were arriving at the home it would be a sign of the plantation owner's wealth.
If I win the lottery, I'm buying this house!!!!
After taking the night train from Charleston (which I would not recommend anyone doing. There is no sleeping on a night train) we arrived in Alexandria, Virginia. When we arrived we drove out to Mt. Vernon and saw George Washington's home. It was gorgeous.

We then went out to Manassas (or Bull Run as the Yankees call it) to see the site of the first battle in the Civil War.Next we walked around Old Towne Alexandria. This was Captain's Street, the oldest section of the town. Dressed up as Martha Washington.
And saw an apothecary shop that has looked the same since Alexandria was a shipping port. They haven't even uncorked the bottles since the shop closed.
We went to Charlottesville to see Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home.

Through the trees you can see the University of Virginia which Thomas Jefferson also designed.

Then we drove to Appommatox Court House to see the place where the surrender of the Civil War took place. This is the McLean house. Mr. McLean had moved from Manassas because he was tired of having the war fought in his front yard. Little did he know that four years later the surrender would be signed in his living room.
On the mantle was a rag doll. One of the McLean children had left it downstairs. One of the soldiers placed it on the mantle and called it "The Silent Witness." After the surrender was completed, the soldier took the doll with him; and it stayed in his family's possession until about 15 years ago when one of his ancestors returned the doll to the park.

This is the original doll.
These are the printing presses that the soldiers used to print the parole papers for the Confederate soldiers. It took them all night to get them done.

New England and Canada cruise - 2008

Heather Moutray, Doni Roper, Lori Roper, and myself all took a cruise to New England and Canada.

Before we caught the ship in Richmond, Virginia, we spent a few days in the Colonial Williamsburg area. Our hotel was right across the street from the College of William and Mary. My brother-in-law Ambrose went to school here so he was able to give us a list of things to do and places to eat.
We hadn't been in Colonial Williamsburg one day when I got thrown in the stocks. I swear I was innocent.
We also saw a dog with the coolest sunglasses walking around so we had to take a picture of that.
We always had to be on the lookout because you never knew when some colonial gentlemen would be riding their horses down the street.
On our way to Richmond we had enough time to stop by Jamestown. They have made an entire replica village complete with living historians.
We then stopped by Yorktown which was the site of the last major battle of the American Revolution.
One of our main goals of this trip was to see lighthouses. I'd say we were successful.

Then we were on to Nova Scotia where we went on a walking tour of the city. One of our first stops was the Citadel because we thought it would be interesting. It was a great choice because all the soldiers that were there were wearing kilts -- SCORE!!!!Then we found a beautiful park that had a Junior League floral design. Of course, we had to get a picture of that.
And there was a little miniature of the Titanic. Most of the victims of the Titanic were brought to Nova Scotia, and most of those that didn't survive were buried here.All too soon our time in Nova Scotia was through; however, we got a nice send off, a man in a kilt playing bagpipes.