Beautiful Barcelona

We wanted to head south for some warmer weather, but there aren't to many hot spots in Europe in February.  So, we went to Barcelona and we were lucky to have some sun and warmer weather.  It wasn't a beach vacation, but it was definitely warmer and sunnier.  For some of you this might bring back memories of your trip to Barcelona.  I know many of our family and friends had good tips on what to do and see while we were there.  If not, I hope you can get a taste of what this nice Mediterranean city looks like through our visit there. 

It was Valentine's Day while we were there
so there were many roses for sale on La Rambla.

The Market entrance on La Rambla

The markets are bountiful!

and tasty!

La Rambla - the main street that heads to the port.  
The hot chocolate was amazing!
It was so rich and thick that you almost needed a spoon to drink (eat) it.

We took a Fat Tire Bike Tour thru Barcelona.
Our favorite way to see the sights.

Arc de Triomf - not to be confused with the one in Paris!

A nice stop at the beach for lunch!  A little cold for a swim,
but Jack did manage to get his shoes, socks and pants wet!
It was to hard to resist.

La Sagrada Familia is the famous landmark in Barcelona.
It was designed by Antoni Gaudi in 1852 and was started in 1882
and is still under construction today.
It is estimated to be done in another 30 years.
Vivian and Jack are making plans to come back to see it complete.

We took a tour of the inside and went up in one of the towers.
This picture was taken from the nativity tower.

The inside of this cathedral is amazing.
We have visited many churches in Europe, but this church is nothing
like we have seen yet.  Very interesting architecture indeed.

Gaudi had much architecture all over town including this "Parc Guell".  
There were many beautiful mosaics in his architecture.

Vivian and Jack had fun playing hide and seek!  Jack is counting...

This was another building with Guadi's design called Casa Batllo.

We saluted Christopher Columbus for his discoveries!

We walked around the site of the 1992 Olympics on Mount Montjuic.

Tropical beauty on the Mediterranean

We ended our trip on the last night with a trip to the magical fountain.
It was very nice and reminded us of Grand Haven's musical fountain.

Our trip didn't end there!  It was a beautiful view of the Alps on the way home!

January Blessings

Blessing #1

Snow!  Just as Vivian and Jack headed back to school, the snow arrived.  Last year we didn't get more than a dusting all season.  We really missed having snow last year since we are from Michigan.  And, if it is going to be cold, you might as well have snow! We have been able to cross country ski right out the door, ice skate on the pond behind our house, and simply play in the snow.   The only problem with the snow is that it makes Mark's commute longer than it already is.  It took Mark 2 hours to get to work the other day instead of the normal 45 minutes!  Many Germans I talk to say they don't like the snow because they don't like to drive in it.  I haven't seen to many plows on the roads, only a few on the autobahn once in a while.

Blessing #2

Jack turned 10 years old.  We had fun celebrating his birthday and going ice skating outside behind our house.  Jack also gets to go on a school ski trip this week and enjoy more some more winter sports!  It is weird that he is growing up so fast and going on a trip without us!

Blessing #3

A good health report from my doctor.  Besides the many trips that I have posted on our blog, one trip I haven't mentioned was my trip to the hospital last October.  Many of you know that I spent a week in the hospital with an intestinal infection.  As suggested by the hospital, I had some follow tests done just last week to find out if I had a chronic or more serious condition due to the severity of my infection.  The test results showed no sign of a chronic condition.  Praise the Lord!  What a relief.  I don't think I will ever forget that trip.  It was hard being in a foreign hospital so far from home.  But, with technology these days, I was able to keep in touch with family and friends.  My parents even visited me in the hospital, via skype!  THANK YOU to everyone who prayed for me and my family through that difficult time!

Of course, there are many more blessings we count everyday, but I wanted to share these special ones with you.

Happy New Year!

Christmas time was alive and beautiful in Germany with all the beautiful Christmas markets.  Despite the shorter days and dull weather, it is a great place to visit in December because the towns are lit up with markets and festivities. 

Although it was hard being away from family and friends over the Christmas vacation, we enjoyed staying in Germany and traveling around the country.  Since Vivian and Jack had over three weeks off we decided to see a little of northern and southern Germany.  The first week they had off we headed south to the mountains to enjoy winter sports and beat the Christmas rush.  We stayed in the town of Garmisch which has the highest mountain peak in Germany.

The top of Germany

Skiing at Garmisch Classic.  Here is where Jack realized that God's handiwork is way more impressive than man's handiwork.  While on top of the mountain, he says, "Wow, this is way better than the Eiffel Tower!"  And he loved the Eiffel Tower.

Authentic German restaurant with music, yodelers, and dancers! 

We took a drive to the famous Neuschwanstein Castle

Then, just after the new year, we headed north to Hamburg and surrounding areas.

We stopped in Hameln on our way to Hamburg to see the legendary sites of the Pied Piper.  There were rats all through the town in the walkways to guide you on a path to see the sights.  Vivian and Jack thought it was fun locating the rats since they seems scattered everywhere along the path.

Glockenspiel on the wedding house (civic hall) which was decorated for advent.
When it chimes, mechanical figures come out and re-enact the Pied Piper tale.

Hildesheim - another beautiful town on our way.  The Architecture was amazing.

We visited Bremen while staying in Hamburg.  The Bremen Rathaus (Town Hall) lit up at night.  
The days were short!

Bremen Ratskeller.  We ate here in the wine cellar underneath the town hall.

"The Bremer Stadtmusikanten"  This famous sculpture is located at the west end of the Rathaus.  It depicts the fairy tale of the four animals who wanted to become Bremen City Musicians.

 
Schwerin Castle - the largest castle in the North

Finally - Hamburg!


Hamburg is one of the three largest ports in Europe.  
We had fun taking the ferry from our hotel to the main port of Hamburg.  
There were many huge ships along the way.

St. Michealis Church

As you can see, there aren't many pictures, if any, with sunshine.  In the news today, they said we have had 2.8 hours of sun since the first of the year!  Usually there is an average of 44 hours by now.  And, the next prediction of sun isn't until next Monday.  We had fun on our travels, but what a gloomy start to the new year!  All the Christmas decorations are put away except our stars that we bought at the Christmas markets (pictured below).  They are beautiful and bright and light up the room!

  I am ready for Spring!  It will be here before we know it and then we will be getting ready to travel home.  As we continue into 2013, we look forward to finishing up our two years in Germany and moving back home.  This has been such a neat experience for all of us!