Our much anticipated vacation

Before reading any more of this post, I have to warn you...its long. I'll try not to babble on to make it much longer, but I have downloaded allot of pictures. Mostly this is for my mom who really enjoys the pictures and wants to see as much of Germany as possible. I also hope Deborah Pulley enjoys them-(she also enjoys the pictures from our travels), but this time it may be a little excessive. If you are in a rush you probably should come back later, otherwise frustration will soon come as this posting seems never ending!

Paul and I have been looking forward to this vacation for some time but it was definitely worth the wait. We started our Bavarian vacation by seeing some castles. As we drove south the scenery was breathtaking. The Alps were mirrored with pristine lakes and quaint little towns. Almost all of the houses were beautifully decorated with flowers and murals. In my opinion, Germany has never looked more charming.

The famous Neuschwanstein Castle (the one Disney based his most famous castle after-I don't remember if it was the sleeping beauty or Cinderella Castle).

Hohenschwangau Castle

Looking at Hohenschwangau from Neuschwanstein.

We stayed at a great resort in Garmisch that served as our hub for all of our travels. While staying there Tristan did what he loves to do most-look out the windows. Funny as it seems, he always seems to gravitate toward natural light.

This is a beautiful Kloister(or monastery) located in Ettal-a quaint little town just at the feet of the Alps. Paul and I spent the nicest afternoon here as we did a little shopping, and best of all stopped at a cheese shop where all of the products were made in house. We enjoyed some freshly made yogurt and a cheesecake that was made with milk from the nearby cows (as they grazed you could hear their bells ringing).

These gardens were from the Linderhof Palace.

Linderhof really was amazing. The gardens were some of the most beautiful we've ever seen and it was such a nice place to have an outdoor lunch-which we did!

This picture was taken by Paul (I usually monopolize the camera) of the area outside of the Linderhof Palace.

These pictures were taken in Oberamergau. We spent an evening just walking around town and enjoying the scenery-as well as some fabulous gelato. We generally have little to no self restraint when it comes to gelato-it's become a must when traveling. In the above picture you'll have to take note of Paul entertaining Tristan as I continued to take pictures of the town (it's known for its buildings adorned with numerous murals and paintings). You might have to blow the picture up to see the expression on Tristans face.

One of the best parts of this trip was the beautiful flowers! I have never seen more flowers in my life. The Germans had flower boxes everywhere, and the flowers seemed to just spill out of them-they really were gorgeous.

I have no idea what this says, but had to take a picture. If you know what it says please let me know!

For Paul's birthday (which was right in the middle of our trip) we decided to go to the top of Zugspitz-Germany's tallest mountain. It really was an adventure as first we went by train and when we couldn't go any further we went up by a gondola. Once we got to the top we were on top of the clouds and could see over the German alps as well as over into Austria and Italy. It was truly remarkable to be that high. We ended out time up there by having some Brots and sauerkraut-my favorite!

Here's the gondola we took down the mountain.

This is Eibsee, the lake that could be seen from atop the mountain. After our decent, we checked it out and fed the ducks.

After the lake we went to the nearby town of Mittenwald.

Shame on us...I know you're not supposed to feed babies table food until 9 months but I couldn't resist giving him the tiniest taste of gelato. So he's 2 months off (don't worry this is our first and only offense), but I couldn't resist. After giving him a taste, I realized that its wrong to feed him ice cream not only for dietary reasons, but also because he would scream for it (like it was crack-cocaine) soon after. He acted like a little addict after having it-my mistake!

After coming back from Mittenwald we explord some caves that run alongside a spectacular gorge in Garmisch. The hike was so nice and reminded me very much of Watkins Glen in NY.

Check out Tristans Face in this picture.

The next day we spent in Salzburg, Austria. Here are the Mirabel gardens, which were really so beautiful. These were the same gardens filmed in the Sound of Music (call me a nerd but it made me excited to see things that I recognized from the movie-I was from a family that watched the Sound of Music at least once a year).

Who remembers these guys from the movie?

This street (above and below) was the coolest little avenue with metal shop signs above every business (they originate to a time when the public weren't literate). You'll have to blow up the picture below to see just what I mean.

Here's the birthplace of Motzart.

This cemetary reminded me of ...what else but The Sound of Music (when they hid at the end).

This view of the Salzburg castle was what you saw looking out of the front of the palacial home used for the Von Trapp house. Since the home is privately owned I couldn't get in, but Paul was nice enough to drive me around (and around) to get to the front gate.

Here's the front gate of their home.

The next day we went to the Dachau Concentration Camp-or what used to be. The only picture I posted was this one. This was the gate that the prisoners entered by, with the mocking frase that says something like "work will set you free". The experience was enlightening and very sobering. Unfortunately we planned this on our fifth and last day of our vacation-a big mistake. For future travelers I recommend ending on a happier note.

Because I REFUSED to end on a sad note (Paul didn't think Dachau was as sad as I did-because in the end we came in and liberated them, but I definately was in need of a pick-me-up afterward) we traveled home on the "Romantic Road" and stopped to see Dinkelsbuhl on the way home (both on the must see list according to Rick Steves).

This scene was great! I'm sure this man was just coming from the local schwimmbad (swimming pool), but I couldn't help but smirk. Once again he demonstrates the difference between the german and american male bathing suit!


Check out this "little house" (that's exactly what it says). Keep in mind how short Paul is and then look at the doorway, as well as the width of the house.


Those last pictures of Dinklesbuhl were mediocre at best, but believe me when I say that it's definately worth the stop if you're in this neck of the woods. But...Rick Steves reputation did go down the toilet because of the "Romantic Road" recommendation (and believe me, after a depressing afternoon at Dachau and then a very unimpressive trip down the Rom. Road I was not happy about that!). So if you are contemplating driving the romantic road (at least between Dachau and Dinklesbuhl) don't bother-just go on the autobahn. One last remark on that vein...well it won't even be a remark, it'll be a "Paul-ism" that took place on that not so romantic road. "What's worse than driving behind a semi on a one lane road? Driving behind a semi, that's driving behind a tractor!"

I hope you enjoyed the pictures, until next time Auf wiedersehen!

More Vacation Pics

This is the last posting of the pictures from our trip to the states. Tomorrow we head out for a much anticipated trip to Bavaria and Austria, and so I'm forced to make this short(or I'll get no sleep and that makes for a very grouchy travel companion!). So, here's some of my favorite pictures. I have to say thank you to Ben (my brother) for making me a cd before I left (all of the pictures of my side of the family are from him)-so danke Ben!

Tristans first official day in the states. I think he looks a little shell shocked and confused as to where he is.

Big and little Tristan.

Aren't those the cutest penguins you ever did see?!

Watkins Glen, one of my family's favorites!

My parents and a few siblings(plus Aidan, Tristans one cousin on my side of the family) at the glen.

Mom, Emily and I.

Aidan is just the cutest, and boy was he a trooper!

He amazed us all as he climbed up and up what seemed to be hundreds of stairs!

A sweet one from Emily.

These are a few from SeaBreeze-a small amusement park in Rochester. Here are Samantha and Dallen (these cousins are like two peas in a pod) who are just a joy to watch. This day we just enjoyed watching the little ones splash around.

Here's Sydney-looking soo cute in that hat!

More of Dallen and Samantha.

My sister-in-laws Tracy and Kelly with little Tyler and Sydney.

Tristan in a crazy blue hat that came from who know's where.

Burg Trifels

Here's just a few pictures from a little day trip we took to Burg Trifels (a castle not far from here, just a little bit to the south).

Daddy and the little guy.

Burg Trifels is one of a trio of castles that are in a geographic triangle all on top of hill tops. The area is beautiful and reminds me very much of the Adirondacks in NY. How beautiful this area is!

The nearby town nestled in between the hilltops. This area really is picturesque and definitely worth the drive!

This Ones For Robyn

If you know me well you know I'm one thing, and that's picky(I prefer to say I'm particular but most other people say picky). About a year ago when I was receiving all sorts of wonderful baby presents (thank you again to everyone), my sister-in-law Robyn gave me an exer-saucer. Before I could even comment on it, she said something like "I know you don't like bright things, and its not something you would pick out, but...take it. Your baby will like it". It was a good thing she was so adamant, because she was right-I don't like bright things and I never would have bought it. But, one day a couple of months ago I took it out of storage and tried it out(or rather Tristan tried it out), and he loves it! So, thanks a lot Robyn. Here's some pictures of the little man and his saucer.

Lots Of Catching Up!

After almost a week of trying to get a fight home, I finally bit the bullet and bought a commercial flight. So now I'm home and its so nice to not live out of a suitcase anymore, and to just sleep in my own bed. I think Tristan feels the same way as he has taken to sleeping in his crib like never before-its wonderful! I've been putting off blogging for the last week because I know that there is so much to catch up on, and I think the only way I'm going to be able to cover it all is to publish several postings. So...I'll start where we last left off. Just before Tristan and I headed for the states we spent a week in Paris. We were lucky enough to have friends let us stay with them, as we spent lazy days strolling the streets and eating delicious food!

Summer in Paris, ah how nice!

The gardens outside Notre Dame were just beautiful at this time of year.

More of Notre Dame.

The above picture is the Luxembourg Gardens which were especially nice to see, since the last time Paul and I were there they weren't open(this was right after Christmas).

A really lovely fountain at the Luxembourg Garden.

The Louvre.
Me and the little man!

Here I am again with Tristan. I wish he was looking at the camera, but he was distracted by the hip hop music and all of the kids break dancing(there was a crowd of kids having some sort of informal dance-off....think Zoolander but not as good looking), maybe if I get the time I'll download a video.

One of my favorite neighborhoods in Paris, its named for Michel(or Michael) the warrior saint. This fountain is really pretty cool.

This was a cathedral in an area I was newly acquainted with. Its full of cute little shops, bistros and my favorite restaurant supply stores. I found a fantastic store that sells Williams-Sonoma-like things at a fraction of the price!

My wonderful little travel companion (and his favorite little elephant).

Oops sorry my pictures are out of order! Here's the front of that cathedral(2 pictures up).

And lastly another picture of the louvre. Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Stay posted for the next installment of our summer vacation!

Our Busy Month

For the last month Tristan and I have been out and about traveling, and this is why I have neglected to post anything. The first week of our crazy month started as Tristan and I took the train to Paris. Our friends the James' rented an apt. in Paris and were kind enough to let us stay and enjoy their company and hospitality. We had such a nice time as we ate good food(my favorite part of the day was practicing my french at the patisserie in the morning), strolled through the city(literally, I took the stroller and we went everywhere), and did some fun shopping(I was introduced to the greatest kitchen store and one of the most beautiful children's clothing stores). We really did have such a wonderful time, and cant wait to go back with Paul.

After going to Paris, Tristan and I started (the very next morning) trying to get a plane to the states to visit our family. Since Paul was gone on training, we thought this would be a perfect time to visit our loved ones. After four very long days in the Ramstein terminal (we were waiting to get on a military plane with space available for passengers) we finally got on a plane headed home. The plane ride was such an interesting and sobering experience, you see the plane that I ended up coming home on was delivering caskets of soldiers that had been killed in the middle east.

The last three weeks has flown by at lightning speed as I have spent time with my family and friends. I apologize to any of you who I didn't get to see but wanted to. As I said the time just flew by and there just wasn't enough time to see everyone. I'm so grateful for the family that made both time and room for little Tristan and myself. We had so much fun going to the beach, the zoo, Watkins Glen, Seabreeze, and just hanging around and catching up. We really enjoyed ourselves immensely and I'm so grateful that Tristan could meet so many of his family members.

Presently the little guy and I are visiting a good friend in the D.C. area and tonight will be attempting to get on a flight back to Duetchland. As we embark once again on this crazy journey that is flying space available, I ask all of you out there to cross your fingers and say a little prayer that we get on a plane soon. Hopefully it wont take us four days to get back home, and the Polly Domm Family will be together again(since going to the states Paul has finished his work in the States and has arrived back in Germany).

Here's hoping that we get back soon. I'll send some pictures of the past month as soon as I get back.

The Good Life

Recently I have been overwhelmed by gratitude for family, friends and the life I'm able to enjoy everyday. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful husband and such a beautiful little boy. As I drive through the rolling hills and lush green forests that surround our little town, I can't help but be grateful for the beautiful earth that has been provided me. I'm sure that some of this jubilation is due to summer arriving in all of its glory(who doesn't get excited when that happens), but overall I feel that I can't complain. Now don't get me wrong life isn't all roses(I miss my husband, Tristan is teething, and I presently have a sun-burned back), but for the most part I truly feel like life really is good.

Recently I have neglected to write because of being preoccupied with a few other things. Besides taking care of my very active little guy(who is soo close to crawling), my free time has been consumed with furnishing our little patio with furniture(this involved 2 trips to IKEA and then assembling all of it), providing the food for a good friends baby shower, and then immersing myself in a newly discovered trio of books(I'm sure so many of you can guess which series this is. I'm eagerly reading them so that I'm ready when the fourth is released soon.) To say the least I have been busy but enjoying life.

Here's a few pictures that a friend took recently at the baby shower. The shower was for my good friend Alissa, who I couldn't be happier for and know that she'll make a great mom.

Here's Alissa with Tristan as he finally gave into the exhaustion.

As I looked over the pictures , I couldn't help but laugh at all of Tristan's faces she had captured. So, I will entitle this next little portion...

The Many Faces of Tristan

I had to stick this picture in because you must know that Tristan has a funny way of wanting to be apart of the conversation(at the most inopportune times). I will be nursing and he can't focus because someone will be talking to me, and he wants to talk as well. He gets a big smile on his face and cant remember what he was previously doing.

This last picture is of Tristan at the zoo last week. We took a trip with a group of moms from church and unfortunately the animals didn't quite keep the little guys attention. I would urge him to look at the elephants or various other animals and he'd be more interested in the grass. In the end he didn't see many animals but got a pretty good nap in.

I hope all of you are doing well and hope to see you soon(I'm counting down the days til we start our little trip)!