May 5, 2012
May 4, 2012
This morning we went to the summer "home" of Sophie Charlotte, the first queen of Prussia. Her husband Elector Friederich III had this built for her. After her death just six years later, he had it renamed after her, Schloss Charlottenburg.
Behind the palace were these lovely gardens and lake.
We had lunch at the palace cafe. I ordered some real food, but lets face it, this cream puff was the main course.
In the afternoon we set off to find Wittenburg. Jill had never been there before either, so once we made it to the city we didn't really know which way it was to the church. Imagine our awe as we came down a road to find this...
May 3, 2012
Today we visited Sachsenhausen concentration camp. I came away with a sad realization that there were so many truly evil people running these camps. I can't understand how the officers could do what they did to the prisoners, some children, and then go home to their families and own kids, who lived in homes just outside the camp wall.
This was a pleasant ending to the day, sitting in Jill's house, browsing through her family photo albums.
May 2, 2012
Tuesday evening we flew from Paris to Berlin, to stay at my sister Jill's house for the remainder of the week. She was our official tour guide today. We began at the Brandenburg Gate...
then walked over to this building (honestly I can't remember what it is exactly. A governemt building? Impressive none the less.)
Next we came to the Memorial to the Murdered Jew of Europe. The designer of this memorial purposely made the ground uneven to make those who walk through it feel insecure, as the Jews felt during this time.
Whitney, Mom, Jill, Jami, Jenny (hidden), Ashley
Oh, Jame...
May 1, 2012
Our second day in Paris, we began here, at the Arc de Triomphe. We got on the tour bus from here (we found it!) and spent the morning seeing the city and hopping off at different stops that interested us. The bus had headphones, with an English speaking guide and lovely classical music. Some of these pictures I don't even know what they are, I just found myself taking random photos of anything that looked cool.
Notre Dame
This is the fountain into which Anne Hathaway throws her phone at the end of The Devil Wears Prada.
April 30, 2012
Back in February, my sister Jami texted me and asked me if I wanted to go to Germany. Um, yeah. My oldest sister Jill has been living there for the past three years and is moving back to the states this summer. My mom and sisters hatched a plan to go visit her before she moves. So after much coordinating of husbands' work schedules, babysitters, and plane tickets, we were off. I flew by myself from Dallas to Paris, where I met my mom, two sisters, and two sisters-in-law.
Paris was about as perfect as I could have imagined. Once we finally got settled into our hotel, (it only took us about an hour and half to find our way to the hotel, which was on the airport property) we set off to the city, the Louvre our first destination.
I couldn't resist. They actually have platforms for people to stand on to take this exact picture.
My mom had purchased tour bus tickets for us before arriving in Paris. We kept seeing the red double decker buses, but couldn't for the life of us figure out where they stopped so we could hop on. It was almost comical how we'd be standing on the side of the road, watching the bus pass right in front of us and not be able to get on. But missing the bus (multiple times) turned out to be a good thing. We wouldn't have seen this cool walking bridge. From far away you can something shining in the sunlight, but it's not until you get close up that you can see the hundreds of padlocks on the sides of the bridge. People write their and their love's name on the lock, sometimes with the year, and attatch it to the bridge. Very romantic.
When we finally did catch the bus, it was raining and only had a few more stops before it was done for the day. I didn't care. I still wanted to sit up top and see Paris. Yes, it was freezing, but awesome!
After freezing our patooties off sufficiently, we went into this delightful cafe for dessert and hot chocolate. But it was not just dessert and hot chocolate. I had fabulous crepes with fresh berries and the thickest, most decadent hot chocolate ever, along with a silver goblet of whipped cream to add to both. The waiter was so charming. He brought out our chocolate in individual silver teapots and insisted on pouring it into our teacups for us. Definitely a high point.
Right outside of the cafe was this:
Paris was about as perfect as I could have imagined. Once we finally got settled into our hotel, (it only took us about an hour and half to find our way to the hotel, which was on the airport property) we set off to the city, the Louvre our first destination.
My mom had purchased tour bus tickets for us before arriving in Paris. We kept seeing the red double decker buses, but couldn't for the life of us figure out where they stopped so we could hop on. It was almost comical how we'd be standing on the side of the road, watching the bus pass right in front of us and not be able to get on. But missing the bus (multiple times) turned out to be a good thing. We wouldn't have seen this cool walking bridge. From far away you can something shining in the sunlight, but it's not until you get close up that you can see the hundreds of padlocks on the sides of the bridge. People write their and their love's name on the lock, sometimes with the year, and attatch it to the bridge. Very romantic.
As we were waiting for our cab back to the hotel, the Eiffel Tower started twinkling. Perfect.
April 29, 2012
Photo taken somewhere over the eastern United States.
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