Germany, France... and home tomorrow

Loved getting to watch Miles play soccer in Germany - the German teams were amazingly talented so it was tough competition but Miles held his own in net.

Enjoyed our two nights in Ottersberg, Germany other than the bell at 6:30am that rings 65 times!

Back at our home exchange for final night. This afternoon we kayaked on the Moselle river past Sexey au Forges.

Visiting Germany

Drove to Kaiserslautern and had a brief visit with Miles. Checked out the city centre then on to Otterberg for a fun dinner and night.

Daytrip to Strasbourg

Drove into Strasbourg for the day - had hoped to watch Miles play but his game was moved elsewhere - they won this one. We really enjoyed the city. Checked out the Notre Dame cathedral and impressive mechanical clock with moving figures and went on a river boat tour of the city. Impressed that the printing press was invented there and that Strasbourg houses the EU headquarters (in last pic).

Fish in water ...and fish out of water

Yesterday we went into Nancy and checked out the aquarium and museum.

Kari made her special stir fry for dinner. We heard from Miles that he played his first game last night - 2:1 for German team.

Just back from swimming this morning at local pool - not impressed that caps are mandatory for all! Boys' not supposed to swim in non-Speedos either but they snuck in with swimsuits rolled up.

Miles off to Germany

Sad to send Miles off today - he and Colin drove to Kaiserslauten where they met up with his team that had just arrived from Vancouver. They will be playing in several cities in Germany, practicing with some German coaches and watching a few pro games. Their hotel in Kaiserslauten is a converted prison and Miles had a "cell" to himself!

The three of us stayed back in Sexey-au-Forges and went for a walk and a run ... sadly I dropped my phone and smashed the screen. Enjoyed rollerblading after dinner down by the river.

Lac de Madine

Fun to see a travelling boulangerie truck outside our window this morning.

Went to a local lake today and enjoyed a swim, pedal boat and voiturette.

Leaving Thun ....back to France

We were sad to leave Thun, Switzerland and the Iseli family - also enjoyed visiting with their neighbours, Chris and Anna.

Drove back to our home exchange to feed their cat, do lots of laundry and get Miles packed for his soccer tour in Germany.

Grindelwald, Switzerland

We went back to one of our favourite Swiss locations from our last visit - Grindelwald. Enjoyed the scenic drive from Thun through Interlaken and up to Grindelwald.

The hike is a tough hour but so worth it as we got to ride down on trottibikes!

We couldn't resist ending the day with one of our favourite ways to cool down - bridge jumping into the Thun river!

Budapest to Switzerland

We left Budapest and took a few metros to the airport.

Three years ago we did a home exchange with the Iseli's in Thun, Switzerland - they were kind enough to invite us back as guests this time and it was such a treat to go back!

Bratislava and back to Budapest

We went for a walking tour of Bratislava and learned the complex history of Slovakia - twice partnered with Czech and twice independent.

Bad luck was being pulled over by the Slovakian police for a questionable driving error - no room for negotiation but fortunately only 20 Euros. Now back in Budapest loving it - fun and cheap!

Prague to Bratislava Slovakia

Spent the morning at the zoo in Prague - great enclosures for the animals. Odd to have lots of dogs and cigarette smoking there.

Drove onto Slovakia - yet another non-esistent border crossing into a new country.

Initially Bratislava seemed gritty, but while we were out on our runs, Colin and Miles found a nice neighbourhood so we went back there for dinner on the Danube. Colin had the traditional Slovakian dish of potato pasta with sheep cheese and bacon.

The elevator in our hotel is the craziest, tiniest one we've ever seen!

Prague, Czech Republic

Left Vienna and drove 2.5 hours to Prague. Another beautiful city with amazing architecture and history .... and very budget friendly. Took a trolley (streetcar) up to Prague Castle - initially founded in the 9th century and rebuilt in the 16th century, this is where the current President resides. The first picture is the view from the castle and the second is what happens to kids if they tour too many old buildings.

To celebrate our anniversary, Colin and I went out for dinner - couldn't resist starting with beers at McDonalds! Delicious local fare including huge hanging scewered meat and veggies.

Vienna, Austria

We drove 2 hours into Austria and are staying in Vienna. Enjoyed checking out the architecture including the famous Hofburg Palace with the two statues of the Emperor Franz Josef of Austria who was heavily responsible for WWI - good to get some history lessons from Colin.

Big treat getting to go to a symphony with the Vienna Royal Orchestra in the city of Mozart and Strauss!

Budapest, Hungary

We are on a side trip through Eastern Europe. Up early to drive to Basel where we flew to Budapest. Fun to walk across "border" from France to Switzerland in the airport. Loving Budapest! Safe, clean, unique, scenic and inexpensive. First pic is the view from our hotel room.

We spent the afternoon caving under Budapest which was unbelievable. Our guide had us going through holes that looked far too small to consider and we spent the two hours crawling and wiggling our way through tunnels 55m below the city. Unreal!