The Hills are Alive...

Emily joined Katie in Germany and our family took a road trip to Switzerland.  We went back to Murren where we spent a few days two years ago with friends.  It is such an amazingly beautiful area, we had to return with the girls. Murren is a small village only accessible by cable car up a steep slope to a plateau/cliff that the town sits on.  There are wonderful views of the three 13,000+ foot peaks in this area:  Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

Our weather was really great for viewing the peaks and we hiked along the edge of the plateau to get some fabulous morning views.  Our innkeepers were the same from 2 years ago - Oti and Ruth of the Bellevue Hotel in Murren. 

Milk cows grazing along the rim of the cliff overlooking the valley leading to Interlaken.

A completely natural pose for these girls.  Above us, the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau.

Our view from the Bellevue patio.



Emily couldn't resist this opportunity for a yoga pose over the valley.



A precarious perch on the edge of Murren.

Following the railroad along the edge of the mountain.

This chalet is typical Swiss style complete with the cowbells.  MORE COWBELL!!



Trummelbach Falls runs through the middle of a mountain.



Prepared for getting sprayed by the thundering falls.

Another close-up view of Eiger and Monch.

The view from our morning hike along the plateau edge from Murren to Grutschalp.

When we returned to Wiesbaden, Katie and Sara took a paddleboat around Kurhaus pond.  Sara was also visiting her expat parents this summer.

Pete and I had to remake our original picture taken during our first winefest back in August 2009.  I wore the same shirt and Pete added more gray hair.

A view from the main winefest area with the Market Church and Rathaus.

Our friends Laura and Ed joined us for an evening at our favorite festival.  There are many festivals throughout Germany, but the Wiesbaden Weinwoche is considered the largest wine festival in Europe.

As we left this evening, we just had a light rain that produced this lovely rainbow leading to the market church.

Tschuss!!

Katie Visits Germany in July-August 2013

 In July, Katie flew back with us from South Dakota to Germany for a 6-week visit.  We took advantage of the nice weather in July and she traveled with us around the region.  From our home in Wiesbaden, we traveled up the Rhine to one of favorite vineyards - Schloss Johannisberg.  Then we traveled with Pete on a trip to Paris.  The tour-de-France was culminating in Paris the same weekend we were there, so to avoid the chaos, we took off for Luxembourg City in Luxembourg.  As it turns out, there was a one-day blues festival in the old town area of Luxembourg.  From there, we traveled through the Mosel Valley back to Wiesbaden.

Later in July, we visited Pete's new colleague Philippe's family in Antwerp, Belgium.  It was also Katie's birthday which we of course celebrated at our favorite Antwerp restaurant, Arte.  In August, Katie was joined by her sister Emily for another visit to Switzerland....that blog yet to come....

At Schloss Johannisberg, overlooking the Rhine River valley.

Enjoying a nice afternoon at Schloss Vollrads vineyard with their Sommer Riesling.

On tour along the river Seine in Paris.

The many bridges along the Seine.

Katie in front of her (and her Mom's) favorite site.

  

Paris was planned very clearly to have all monuments intersect in some way.  I took this picture of the perfect symmetry of the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde.

Katie in front of the Louvre.

On the Champs de Mar, this beautiful scene unfolded.  Everyone was having a picnic waiting for the sunset.

Katie in the foreground ready to take a picture.

Pete had a meeting at the top of Montparnasse and got this amazing view.

Luxembourg City is a mixture of modern and ancient.

The old city is well below the newer section and lies along this river that cuts through the city.

Amazing at it may seem, we found beer and wine in the old section of Luxembourg.

This was just one of over 12 stages wedged into the valley along the river in the old section.  We heard covers of Allman Brothers and Jimi Hendrix.  Great Festival !

Taking a break from the many stages at the Blues Festival.

On a Sunday in August, we took a short trip to visit our favorite beer brewery - Bitburger.

"Bitte ein Bit" translated:  One Bitburger Please!

The rolling hills of the Mosel Valley northwest of Wiesbaden.

Katie and I in one of the old squares in Antwerp with the iconic peak rooftops.

Katie and I walking through Antwerp.  The cathedral tower is in the background.

Katie celebrates her birthday with Justine and Anthony, children of Pete's colleague Philippe and his wife, Pascal.

TSCHUSS!