Hello Cincinnati!!

Like the picture shows, we finally made it back home (I did not take this picture but thought it was appropriate!) Even when we were finally on the final plane heading to CVG, I think I was still doubtful that we would actually land in Cincinnati. But here we are. Home sweet home for real this time!

After trying to sleep for a couple hours, I got up and moving around 4:30 or so. I found out that Chick-Fil-A opened at 5:00 so I headed that way to get some sandwiches to get us started. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:25 so we wanted to make sure we got to our gate in plenty of time. We had to make our way to the train in the airport to get from Concourse A to Concourse D. We got there with plenty of time to spare and were issued our new boarding passes to begin making our way to Cincinnati. The flight to Charlotte took off, short flight from Atlanta and before we knew it, we were hustling through Charlotte's airport looking for our final gate! All seemed like it was going like clockwork. Gina and I took a walk to find a snack and when we came back, the board showed that our flight was now DELAYED by an hour!!! OMG!!! REALLY? Apparently a maintenance issue so I guess we can't complain that we were delayed. After about 15 minutes, they announced that our gate had been switched. Now, when we arrived in Charlotte at our gate in the "A's", it was pretty clear we had a haul to get to our next gate which was in the "E's" and was literally at the very end of the "E" concourse - E32. So they switched us to "E19"! Needless to say, we've been doing plenty of walking!

It all was worth it, we found our new gate, boarded the plane on time although we were delayed a bit taking off just because of all the traffic. We finally touched down at about 12:45 or so. We finally made it!

A quick funny for the day - while waiting in the plane in Charlotte, we received a text from Justin, one of Cameron's friends saying to call him ASAP. He and his family had finally gotten to CVG from Jacksonville (another group that was stuck) and he wanted to know where we were because of luggage was sitting at the airport! We were wondering when we would see all of our bags but they actually got home before us!

Well, it was an incredible trip and I am so happy that I went and that Gina was able to go with us. We all had a great time and saw so many incredible sites. I'm not sure any of us will be ready to jump back on a plane or bus any time soon but it was all worthwhile!

I hope the rest of our travelling buddies finally made it home by last night - we know of a few that were still trying yesterday evening. One had made it from New York to Chicago but maintenance issues had her stuck there. Another family were just leaving Atlanta at around 6:00 p.m. to fly to Detroit and then hopefully home.

Thanks for following along and for having to deal with the typos, etc. since I was updating mostly from my phone.

So long for now . . . until Italy 2013!!!!!!!

Home. Sweet Home. . .Not Quite!

So we left Germany and arrived in Miami as scheduled. We were scheduled to have four hour lay over in Miami flying to Atlanta then Cincinnati. Well that's when things went downhill. Another uneventful flight across the pond. Three movies, 10 hours 15 minutes later, we did arrive in Miami. After going through passport checks, customs, baggage claim then check our bags back in with Delta, we sat and ate lunch before making our way to our gate. We had about an hour or so before needing to board. Departure time kept getting closer but no plane at our gate. It was raining in Miami but nothing unusual in the afternoon in Florida. Part of our group left at 415 from Miami (it was more like 445 when they taxied out). This group was going to Atlanta also but then back to Columbus where they would ride a bus back to Cincinnati. They flew out of Columbus also. Back to us . . We found out our plane was circling the airport waiting to land. Apparently bad weather was holding them all up. By 630 we were boarding and it appeared that we would still make our connection in Atlanta. Literally no sooner than we all were seated, the pilot announced that all flights in and out of Atlanta had been stopped! Thank goodness they did give is the option to get off and wait at the gate so we chose chose option. By this time we were not too hopeful of even getting out of Miami. Even after the weather broke, there was a question about a particular passenger and they ended up removing the carry on luggage for a certain part of the plane and running them through security! We were not aware of most of this at the time. We did in fact leave Miami at 930 but we had already missed our connection to Cincinnati. Let's just say Atlanta was the mess you would expect! Literally hundreds of people trying to rebook their flights. Thank goodness Gina noticed that people were using the hotline phones on the wall and that we didn't have to wait in line where their were two delta agents! It was ridiculous! But after waiting as patiently as possible, by about 1:15am we were booked on U S Airways for 7:25 am Saturday. So here we are waiting to board now, flying to Charlotte then to Cincinnati. We have now been going since Thursday night at 9:30 pm Cincinnati time. Www pulled some chairs together overnight so we could at least lay down and rest . . . The picture shows how we spent that time!

Not exactly how we wanted to finish our trip but if it makes it any better, only one group actually made it home yesterday. Everyone was stranded either in Atlanta, Jacksonville or New York.

Hopefully home by lunchtime!

Goodbye Berlin!

It's hard to believe but it's time to come home. Our day started with a 2:30 am alarm. We were in the lobby by 3:30 having "coffee to go" (this is not normal over here!) The hotel had "bag" breakfasts for us since we would not get our buffet like the late departures.

Check in was a nightmare . . . About 80 of us plus a lot of others with 3 ticket windows. The last of our group finished check in right when they started boarding. A lot of may not even be sitting together on the long flight! Oh well. At this point we're just hoping we all have seats to get from Dusseldorf to Miami. On the plane now in Berlin waiting to depart. We have about an hour flight to Dusseldorf then the big flight to Miami . . . 10 hours 15 minutes!

So by the time we get home tonight at 10:24, it will feel like 4 am to us which means we will have been going strong for over 24 hours! Going to be a long few days ahead but worth it just to get home!

Huge thank you to Deron! I love you! He has had a full schedule to say the least since we left! I had no desire to go on this trip but he stood strong and meant it when he said it was my turn. I'm so glad I went. What an awesome experience to have with my boys. Having Gina with me . . . Well lets just say we laughed a whole lot!

We are on our plane ready to head for Miami!

More when we are back in the states!

Sunrise in Berlin

The sun comes up VERY early in Germany! This is at 4:30 am at the airport. Will update soon!

Last day in Berlin!

It's Thursday . . . Our last day in Germany! Wow did the time fly!

Today started with a somber visit to Sachenhausen Concentration Camp. Quite an emotional visit. 200,000 prisoners went through this camp. A lot of the buildings are now gone but several still standing to visit. Definitely made for a quieter bus ride after.

We arrived back at the hotel a little before 2 and had until 3:30 when we were leaving for mass. The four of us were on a mission to get to Check Point Charlie for a quick and some last minute souvenir shopping. It was about a 15 minute walk one way but we power walked and even had time to grab a brat to eat while we walked back! We even had 20 minutes to spare!

Mass at St. Clement church in Potsdam. The priest spoke very broken english and was so excited to see our group. He actually studied in the USA.

The boys sang at the end of mass and once again were awesome.

We had dinner then our final program. Each bus had their own entertainment for the crowd and there was no doubt that the GREEN bus ruled! Our bus driver Christoff and guide Marilyn were the best! They are both from Austria.

Well the trip back home starts at 3:00 am tomorrow morning. Not much sleep to be had tonight!

Good night from Berlin!

Picture from Wednesday

A couple pictures from yesterday.

Berlin Day 2 . . . The Subway!

We had a great morning. A group of eleven of us decided we wanted to venture downtown to the Hard Rock Cafe and to do some shopping. We did have a "veteran" with us who had made the trip the night before and had already made the wrong turns etc. So off we went. Holden gsd not been on a subway before so he thought it was pretty cool! We had to master three trains but we made it with only one small hiccup! At the first train, for some reason we were a little slow in deciding if we should shove our way on or wait for next one. Well we decided to get on but unfortunately for 5 of the group including Gina, the doors did not wait for them! So two adults and three students were left with us waving as the train pulled away! Luckily we had been discussing which stop to get off next and within about ten minutes we were all back together!

We made reservationa for 11 which left is about an hour to souvenir shop. Some lunch, more shopping then back to the train. We had to be back and ready to board the bus at 1:45 to head to Potsdam.

We visited Sans Souci Palace home of Frederick the Great. Gorgeous grounds and the rooms we were taken through were beautiful. Back to the bus for a late dinner.

We decided to use last night to pack all our bags so we could enjoy this evening.

Tomorrow we are going to Sachenhausen concentration camp. Not exactly something you can say you. Look forward to seeing but definitely something we should see if we are here.

One more day in Berlin! Hard. To believe! What a great trip.

Berlin!

We made it to Berlin and wow is it a huge change from the other small towns we have visited. I am told it's like being in New York City. It's overwhelm ing. 3.4 million people. Only 32% of the people have cars.

When we arrived in Berlin in the afternoon and picked up a city guide for a bus tour of the major points of the city. Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and of course, the Berlin Wall. There were many other attractions. Seeing the Wall was incredible.

We checked in at our final hotel the Wall Street Plaza. Very nice digs! Late dinner then a quiet evening at the hotel.

Hard to believe the trip is wrapping up. We have the morning free tomorrow so a group of us are heading downtown to the Hard Rock Cafe.

More on Wednesday!

One more past entry!

Here's another entry from a couple days ago. After this one, I'll be caught up and ready to post our Berlin update. Getting very late so that one will have to wait until morning.

6/20/11
Losing track . . .

Okay, so it's Monday. I am really having a hard time keeping track of time. We are now in Leipzig. We checked out of our hotel in Jena and were on our way yesterday morning at 8:00. We actually had a very early wakeup call – 5:45 so we could all put our luggage outside our doors for the boys to load onto the elevators and send to the lobby. Needless to say – REALLY long day for everyone. First stop was back in Erfurt for our 2 hour walking tour. This was the same place we were in yesterday with the festival. Since we were there early in the morning, the festival had not started. We did learn a lot about the town and we saw it in a completely different way than the day before. Mass was at 11:00 at St. Cruciuskirche. The church was not big but absolutely incredible. Cameron served the mass with Father Seher and Father Umberg. After the mass was over, the boys sang Ave Maria. I'm not sure how my video turned out but I will definitely get a copy from someone. I'm running out of words to describe things! Suffice it to say, they sounded wonderful. After that we were free for about an hour or so to get lunch and visit some shops. Most hung around the main square listening to music and eating. We even had a dance session to some American music! It rained for about 5 minutes then the sun came out to end our stay in Erfurt. We were about to protest getting on the bus and leaving the festival but figured we would lose the fight! From there we had about a two hour drive to Halle on the way to Leipzig. The weather was not great – windy, cool, a little rain. We were only in Halle for about an hour and a half for a quick walking tour of the city and to learn more about the history of this town. It was very quiet – most shops and stores closed on Sunday. Georg Friedrich Haendel was from Halle (one of his famous pieces is Haendel's Messiah). We visited the Mendelssohn House which is now a museum with a lot of original instruments along with quite a few original pianos. The highlight of this tour was when a large group of adults and parents happened to be in the room with one of the harpsachords (sp?) and Dave Allen sat down at the keyboard and started playing! It looks like a piano but is smaller. I'm sure the museum workers were about to have a heart attack! He had enough boys in the room for them to sing the Alleluia chorus from Haendel's Messiah. Anyone who has ever seen one of the Glee Club concerts knows how impressive they sound when they sing this song. Definitely a once in a lifetime moment! I'll post a picture of this "kodak" moment from my phone.

We then boarded the bus again for the drive to Leipzig for a late dinner in a restaurant. Beautiful old restaurant. We were served a more typical German meal – beef stuffed with vegetables, potato dumplings and red cabbage. I think we were all a little spoiled with the hotel buffets from the last couple days. This one won't go down as our favorite meal but hey, on an 11 day trip, that's bound to happen. As a plus for dinner tonight, Gina and I actually got to sit with Cameron and Holden for dinner! That was a nice change.

We finally got checked in around 10:00 last night. Our hotel is on the outskirts of the main city so no walking around seeing the sites on this stop.

Monday morning, it's very cool (low 50's maybe?) has rained recently and is pretty dreary. The weather says it is going to clear up and be in the upper 60's later. Here's hoping! We will be leaving the hotel at 9:00 for a 4 hour walking tour before lunch. Then we have the afternoon on our own. Mass then a late dinner follows that. So, another full day.

I'll update again either later tonight or tomorrow morning. We do get internet here but only in the hotel lobby. I'll be ready to get back to normal internet services, that's for sure!!

More Back Blog from 6/19

I'm posting a couple old posts from the weekend when we were without internet. Enjoy!

Heading to Potsdam for a tour. Will update later about everything we've done so far in Berlin.

June 19
Busy day in Erfurt and Goodbye to Jena!

Hard to believe it's already Sunday! First of all – HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DERON! Cameron, Holden and I wish we could be there with you to celebrate your day. I'm sure Duncan, Paxton and Griffin will take care of you all day, right?? Have a great day!!

Saturday started at 9:00 with a bus ride from Jena to Weimer. The "coach" (bus) dropped us in a main parking lot next to a mall. While we were waiting to start our tour with the city guides, we were able to take pictures in front of two panels of the Berlin Wall! That's the picture of us attached. Weimer is the home of both Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friederich Schiller. We were told that Schiller is to the Germans what Shakespeare is to the English. We were broken up into several groups and had city guides show us the major points. The guides are all wonderful but there was just so much information! I'll have to read more about these towns once we are back home. Another beautiful town – the buildings are incredible over here! The weather was a bit cooler than it had been and we did get rained on a little but we all survived. Another wonderful town square with shops everywhere. We had time for lunch on our own – Gina and I had vegetarian pizza and sat outside with some others on the tour. The boys went with the Bratwurst again. We've eaten with someone different just about every meal – fun to get to know everyone.

We left Weimar and headed to Erfurt where they are having a city festival. . Imagine Maifest in Mainstrasse but not just on one large street – city blocks! Erfurt is an old medieval town dating back to the 1600's. None of the streets run parallel. It's a web of streets that run into a town square. There's a river that runs through the center of town. Part of the festival takes place in front of the shops that line the stone bridge. There were so many people there, stands everywhere with crafts, jewelry, etc. Lots of good food, drinks, stages with bands playing, etc. We even heard a band playing some CCR and another couple girls singing It's Raining Men! We were loving it! Not only are the streets lined with stands, you also have all the restaurants with outdoor seating. Everyone just walks down the middle of the streets UNTIL the streetcars come through! They don't even close streets! It's amazing! Once we all got to our center point, we were on our own for about an hour and a half until time for the boys to perform. They put on a great show and the crowds loved them! Again, watching your kids perform and reminding yourself that they are in a foreign country is priceless.

We got back to the hotel by about 7:00 and had enough time to change and walk around the mall attached to our hotel before dinner at 8:00. Another great meal. They are definitely feeding us well. The hotel buffets have been incredible.

I have to pat Cameron and Holden on the back – our bus was chosen to be the volunteers for departure this morning. Because we only had one working elevator and 150 people with luggage, they decided to have 10 boys volunteer get everyone's luggage to the lobby. Everyone had to have their large piece of luggage sitting outside their room at 6:00. Each boy was given a floor and a group of room numbers they were responsible for and put the luggage on the "Lift" and sent it down to the boys waiting in the lobby to unload and separate into each bus. Cameron and Holden volunteered even though they did not know they would be using the elevator since the boys had been carrying luggage up the stairs when we checked in. Actually, Cameron was volunteered because he was sleeping but we know he would have anyway! They were told after they volunteered that they would be compensated. Makes a mom proud! They have gotten up every day on their own. That's impressive! They have been at breakfast before Gina and I everyday!

We are now on the bus heading back to Erfurt for a two hour walking tour with city guides before we have mass at 11:00 where the boys will also sing. We will also be stopping in Halle before heading on to Leipzig this evening. We will be going straight to dinner then to our hotel to check in. I think we're in Leipzig tonight and tomorrow before moving on to our final destination – Berlin.

The time is flying by but we are having a blast! I hope all is well in Cincinnati!

More later . . .

Another try. . . Brandenburg Gate

Brandenburg Gate

Made it to Berlin! Quick picture of Cameron and Holden at the Brandenburg Gate.

Town Square in Wittenberg

The town squares are one of my favorite things so far!

Wittenberg

A "lovely" couple hours in Wittenberg. The picture is of the church where Martin Luther nailed his 96 page thesis to the door. The inside was incredible!

His tomb is also inside the church.

On to Berlin now. About a two hour bus ride.

I heard it is not a pool day in Cincy. Hoping pool weather returns when we get back!

More later from Berlin!

Concert

Group picture from concert last night.

Berlin . . . Here we come!

It's Tuesday and we are on our coach, leaving Leipzig and heading to Berlin. I'm a little behind still on the blog. The entries are typed but once again, internet issues kept me from posting. I'm hoping that once we are in Berlin, I will be able to get up to date.

We spent all day yesterday in Leipzig with a tour on our bus of some of the major points including the war memorial for the War at Leipzig. We had the afternoon to tour the city on our own. Much bigger city than the previous towns. The weather started our a but dreary but by lunch the sun came out and was perfect for touring. We checked out shops, found a couple bakeries (oh my!) And just did some window shopping. Quite a few malls but a little pricey!

Before we broke for lunch, we met at St Thomas church where we saw Bach's tomb AND our boys were able to sing a couple songs. What an experience for not only the boys but also for the parents. Again they sounded wonderful.

After arriving back at the hotel, we had a couple hours until we left for mass and concert. The mass was at a smaller German church on the outskirts of Leipzig, in more of the blue collar area. Mass was done mostly in english by Father Umberg and also in German by the local priest. By the time mass was over, the church church filled up for the concert. The parishioners loved every minute of it! I'm pretty sure there was not a dry eye in the place (at least for us adults) when they sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic. To look around and are every german parishioner singing the chorus . . . It was very emotional!

Another late dinner at the hotel then way too much time spent trying to get on the internet!

We are stopping in Wittenberg on the way to Berlin. This is where Martin Luther posted his thesis on the door of a church. He was a part of the reformation of Europe. He actually translated the bible into several languages so everyone could read it. He also introduced music into the masses. So much history! I still have lots to learn.

I understand it's been a bit rainy the last few days there. Hoping it dries out so the boys can get their baseball games in this week.

More from Berlin later!

Happy Monday!

Hello Cincinnati! Just a quick note thst I will be updating the blog hopefully later today. Hotels are funny about their internet service. Thirty free minutes and at this hotel only in the lobby. I have the updates typed and ready to go.

We are now in Leipzig Germany and getting ready for our city tour. Hometown of Bach. The weather is very cool today. Yesterday too. Only 15 degrees celcius. Windy and cloudy too. Hoping for some sun after another cool and drizzly day yesterday.

A few more little tidbits about Germany

1. Men west capri pants
2. Public toilets are NOT free! And the attendants take their job very serious. Two giggling women are not near as funny to them as we think we are!
Men bathroom attendants walk into the womens room without a thought.
3. Unlike what I was told by many, there are NOT a lot of english speaking citizens in this part of germany.
4. Everyone wears scarves . . . Even the men and boys!
5. Pedestrians apparently do not have the right of way.
6. When crossing a street you have to watch for cars, bikes, buses, and street cars or trains.

On a bus tour now. Learning a lot again! Hoping to retain some of it!

Will be back later . . .

More pictures from yesterday

Sorry. Hit send before attaching pictures! Here they are!

German bratwurst
45000 euro teapot!

More from Weimar and Erfurt later.

More pictures from yesterday

Another "Lovely" Day in Germany

Back on the bus and headed for Jena (pronounced "Yena"). On the way to Jena, we stop in the town of Meissen. Wow – what a great town! Of course, cobblestone roads, lined with shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. All the buildings so far in the towns we have visited have been very colorful. After arriving in Meissen, we started at the Meissen Porcelain Manufacturer. It is the oldest Porcelain manufacturer in Europe dating back 300 years. Everything is still made by hand – not in a factory, which explains the prices! We saw demonstrations of the process of how pieces are made. I have to tell you – walking into a building with about 75 boys with tables and cases of porcelain everywhere is a little stressful! The pieces of art were amazing. Everything imaginable – from cups and saucers to vases and statues, there was a little bit of everything. We saw cups that were over $300 Euro and a Tea set that would set you back a mere $17000 Euro. But the topper was the teapot with flower petals all over the outside (each petal is hand shaped and attached to the pieces before they are put through the firing process). It would only cost you about $45000 Euro!! I'll add a picture of the teapot - it's on my phone. But we were able to make it out of the building through all the cases without a piece being broken! Impressive when you're travelling with about 150 people!

We then headed into the middle of the town of Meissen where we were free to get lunch and tour the village. There was a clock tower with porcelain Glockenspiel bells – they were playing when we walked into the square. They sounded wonderful! The weather was perfect for strolling through the streets checking out the shops, eating lunch at tables lining the streets and just relaxing. Gina and I had fish and mashed potatoes for lunch. The boys went with the Bratwurst served on a crusty roll. I tried Cameron's and oh boy was it good! I know what I'll be having for lunch tomorrow. The funny part is that the Bratwurst are probably about double the length of the buns (picture to come later). A lot of the group has already had "Soft Eis" (soft serve ice cream) although Gina and I have not. Apparently, it is quite delicious – we hear it's because it's full of fat.

We left Meissen around 2:00 today then made a quick stop at the Baroque palace of Moritzburg. We found out on the way there that a concert had been arranged for the boys. They were able to sing about four songs and once again sounded great. The Germans seemed to approve! The picture of all four of us shows the palace in the background. The palace was actually a hunting lodge for the Witten (pronounced "Vitten" royal family). We left the palace then had a couple hour bus ride to Jena, arriving here at around 5:45. It's great how organized they have been at both hotels so far for check in. Today's hotel, The Steigenberger, is impressive! Seven floors, a beautiful atrium. The only problem so far has been that one of their two elevators (the Lift) was not working so we had 150 people with all their luggage waiting for one elevator. Boys started carrying their stuff up the stairs and then started helping the adults carry bags up two. Unfortunately for Cameron, we are on the 7th floor but he carried my big bag all the way up – Thanks Dude! Gina and I used the elevator for the first time this evening after taking a walk – we have walked the seven floors up and down several times!

Dinner was at the hotel tonight and wow did they do a great job. Buffet style with several different salads, onion soup with cheesey croutons, Penne pasta with a creamy tomato sauce, spatzel, pork with mushroom sauce and a white fish with a white wine sauce with bell peppers and onions. Oh and let's not forget dessert – Bavarian cream with fruit sauces to choose from! We have definitely eaten well!

We checked out the town after dinner before heading back to relax.

It's hard to believe it's already Friday night (Saturday morning by the time you read this). It's been a great time but the time does go by fast except of course when you are sitting on a bus and can't hold your eyes open!

I do have a correction to make – Cameron and Holden pointed out that I said they sang in THE Catholic Church in Dresden. They did not – they actually sang in the Lutheran (Protestant) church called the Frauenkirche. Sorry guys but thanks for helping!

It's late again and I had said I was going to bed early tonight. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Sounds like the boys back home are having a great time – miss you guys a bunch! Good luck at baseball tomorrow!

We are heading to Erfurt tomorrow for a Festival – we found out at dinner that it has been arranged for the boys to perform! Should be a great day. It's raining now but we're hoping it gets out by morning.

More to come tomorrow!

Goodbye to Dresden

Well we're off to a new city. Tomorrow morning we leave Dresden. We will stop in Meissen where we will visit a porcelain factory - I was wrong earlier today thinking we would see a porcelain factory. We did visit the Fortress and the view was absolutely amazing. We spent a couple hours there and had time to hang out on our own. We were told there was "lovely cake" and after asking several people where to find the bakery we found our "lovely cake"! It was actually streudel but oh my goodness was it delightful! Gina and I both chose cheese, the boys apple. That was our lunch for today!

After a bus ride back, we packed up our stuff and headed out to dinner at a working brewery. It's pretty impressive how a restaurant can serve 150 or so people in such a timely manner AND serve everyone's food steaming hot! We had chicken breasts, french fries and peas with streudal for dessert.

We were supposed to go on a walking tour of Old Dresden tonight with a nightwatchman but when we got there it started pouring so we chose to stay on the bus and head back to the hotel. We've spent the rest of the evening getting our stuff ready to go and relaxing at at the hotel.

On the bus at 9:00 tomorrow morning. Weather is supposed to be nice - a little cooler than the last few but we'll take it!

More tomorow!

Some back-blog!

Hello everyone. I'm posting the blog that I typed last night but was unable to post because of internet issues. We're hoping we have better luck at our next hotel.

June 15th entry:

Finally, internet, well kinda . . .

So we finally figured out that we can't get internet in our room although people right down the hall get it just fine. We sat in the lobby of the hotel tonight and we were finally able to get logged on. I'll try to update as much as possible before we move on to our next tour tomorrow.

Today was great – we took a walking tour (about a 2-2 ½ hour tour) of Old Dresden. Old Dresden was destroyed during World War II but has since been rebuilt. The buildings are absolutely incredible. We saw the Opera House, Zwinger Palace and two churches - THE Catholic Church and the other Protestant Church (Lutheran). We also heard the Glockenspiel bells chime at Zwinger Palace. The boys were able to sing one song in the Catholic Church before it closed at noon for prayer. They did a great job. It's an incredible experience to walk into a church in Germany and hear our boys singing! After they sang, we took a break before the first official concert at 1:00 in the Open Air Square. This Square is amazing! One huge circular open space, all cobblestone with buildings surrounding. The square is in the middle of Old Dresden and New Dresden. New Dresden has streets lined with restaurants (all with outside seating) and vendors. They sang for at least a half hour, maybe 45 minutes. The crowd loved them!

After the concert, we had the afternoon to check out the city on our own. It was time for lunch so Cameron and Holden with a group of boys went where else? McDonalds! We all had to check out the mall too. Four floors that seemed to go on forever with every kind of store imaginable – even an Apple store! After dinner we took another walk before heading to the hotel bar to listen to the boys sing. They even threw in an Irish song tonight!

We've learned quite a bit about German "culture" since arriving. Here is a rundown of some of the things that come to mind – ice is NOT something that you get unless you request it and then it may not be much. Dogs are allowed everywhere you go – even the mall! There was a store that actually had a dog dish with water and food at the entrance to the store. We lost count of how many dogs we passed while we were at the mall. A lot of people ride bikes here and they expect you to get out of their way! Not once has a cashier handed our change back to us in our hand – they put it on the counter or on a small dish on the counter. There are no wash cloths in your hotel room and the hotel workers will look at you like your are crazy if you ask if they have one – I know this first hand. At breakfast, there is always lunchmeat and cheese. Also, by 6:00 in the evening, most everything is closed. The streets are very quiet. Tonight was an exception – it was "late shopping night" so the stores were open until 9:00. It gets light VERY early. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and was seriously afraid I had overslept and missed our tour. We found out that almost everyone did the same thing. I'm sure I've missed something. I'll be sure to pass any others on as they come to me.

Tomorrow after breakfast, we get back on our bus and head to Saxony for the day. The weather is supposed to be great so we should have another great day. Tomorrow night we will be taking another walking tour of Dresden but with a night watchman to get a completely different perspective of the city.

I think I've covered everything so far – sorry if there is anything duplicated. After going almost 36 hours without sleep and trying to update from my phone, there's no telling what I've already posted!

A big hello back home – it sounds like the Kelley boys had a great day at Great American Ballpark.

A visit to a

Just a picture of the four of us from our day at a fortress. Very cool day! Rain stopped and turned out to be beautiful.

Good luck Kelley boys at your baseball games tonight! Love you guys!

Forest, hiking, steps and rain!

Good morning from Swiss Saxony! We've already hiked through the forest that was the setting for a lot of Grimm's fairy tales. We saw a beautiful panoramic view at BasteI with huge sandstone formations. We are now on a winding road going up a mountain side on a road barely big enough for a car and we are on a huge tour bus! We're heading to a porcelain factory and hoping to have lunch outside if the rain cooperates. Dinner at a working brewery tonight then a night walking tour of Old Dresden.

I will be posting an entry from yesterday later today. I typed it on my computer but lost internet service before I could post.

Here is a picture of the view we had. More to come later.

Sorry for any typos . . . typing on my phone. If you could see what we are driving through right now!

Good Morning from Dresden!

Another short entry before breakfast. I'm updating from my phone until I get the wi-fi issue taken care of.

We had a wonderful buffet dinner last night. Salmon, veal, cooked vegetables (no raw vegetables over here for now since they have had the e coli issue), fresh fruit, bread. It was wonderful.

Great breakfast . . . Even some fried hot dogs on the buffet!

On a walking tour of Dresden now. Weather is great. Boys will have their first concert at 1 today. I will update this evening.

Hello to the Kelley boys at home! Have a great day with Dad today! Miss you all!

We made it!

We made it! By about 3:30 am Cincinnati time we finally landed in Berlin. It was a long day and night but the flights were good for the most part. They sure do cram you onto those long flights! But they do not give you a chance to get hungry or thirsty! Every time we turned around a cart was coming with food and drinks. We finally got to our hotel around 7:30 am your time. We had 2 hours to get settled and now we are out on a river boat cruise on the River Elbe. We have about an hour and a half boat ride then dinner at 7 our time. Ill have more tomorrow once I get my computer connected.

Having a great time but already missing everyone at home!

On the plane we go!

Well we're boarding now. Heading to miami. We will check in later this afternoon!

Bye Cincinnati!

So . . . We're Off!

I can't believe it! It seemed so far away when it was decided that Cameron, Holden and I would be travelling to Germany this summer. Then last summer, I asked Gina if she wanted to go and so now I have a trusty side-kick to go on this adventure! The bags are packed, there's five kelley boys waiting to leave for the airport, all we need now is an extra driver to help get us there - thank goodness for Beth!

What an adventure this will be! For those of you who know me well, you know I have never been on a trip this big, never left the USA and haven't flown for over 20 years and I haven't been away from home without everyone since Duncan was a baby. WOW! It's going to be a great trip and I'm so excited that I get to experience this with Cameron and Holden - I just wish Deron and the other boys could go with us. I'm going to miss you guys so much!

We'll post updates daily with hopefully some good pictures.

So until later . . .