Travels with Mom

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2007-07-30T06:32:00.001-07:00

Hello, just wanted to wrap up the blog for everyone. Mom and I returned home last week and have been recovering. We had a wonderful time with Angelo near Weisbaden. I will post a few pictures of the end of the trip.

Lenggries

The view from the somewhat terrifying gondola ride

Jess learns to cope with her fear of heights

Nothing like a little fresh air as we hike to our Apline lodge for lunch - not so freightening when we have our feet on the ground.

On to Angelo's

Mom tries her hand at the grinder at the museum of mechanical musical instruments.

Angelo and Mom evaluate European farm equipment

Angleo and Karin admire the view of the Rhine from above the village of Bacharach.

The view from Angelo and Karin's house is equally beautiful.

Mom waves goodbye at O'Hare - on her way back to Louisville after our flight from Frankfurt.

Greetings from Lenggries!

2007-07-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

Guten tag!

We arrived in Lenggries, Germany (south of Munich) yesterday for some Alpine air. Today we took a gondola to a mountain peak, went for a hike and ate at a mountain restaurant - very charming, if a little freightening - pictures coming in a future post - hotel computer is quite slow. It was incredibly beautiful and mom enjoyed seeing daisies and drinking a Weißbier.

Jess and Zach are well as well. They are relaxing in the comfort of non-hostel living and are recovering from our very long and hot trainride from Prague yesterday.

Thanks for the posts everyone!

Prague Pics

2007-07-19T00:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Pragousblogous and Travelswithmom visited several sites around Prague. The highlight - or perhaps lowlight - was the IBJP (see pragousblogous.blogspot.com). For pretty much my whole life, I have come into contact with images of the Infant Baby Jesus of Prague (I know infant and baby are redundant, but I like it that way). Yesterday, we went in search of the IBJP. I am rarely disappointed in historic things I try to see, but this was not only a bit of a let down, but kind of creepy too. The IBJP, if you do not know, is a statue of, well, the infant Baby Jesus, but people show devotion and faith by making the IBJP outfits.

The church holds a small museum where the fancier outfits are on display and there is a video of "the dressing of the IBJP" set to very dramatic music. Jess, Zach, and even Mom and I were all a little creeped out by the dressing of the doll. Although the making of the IBJP outfit is an act of devotion, it seemed a little too Vegas to us. The outfits were, well, to be frank, a bit like looking into Liberace's wardrobe.

Last night, we went for beer at Prague's oldest brew pub - U Flecků. It is a "tourist trap", but we found ourselves the only American tourists in the place last night. The beer was hearty and tasty and we enjoyed listening, although happy not to be in the same room, to the polka band.

Today we are off to do a close study of the Charles Bridge and to arrange our train tickets to Lenggreis, where we will be doing some rock climbing.

Locals try to cool down in Old Town

Jess cools down in front of her much used fan

Zach admires the local handicrafts at Manfaktura

Mom and Jodi enjoy Pivo at U Flecků

Prague Post!

2007-07-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Prague.

We arrived day before yesterday and have been enjoying the cities beautiful architecture and parks. Jess and Zach live very near Letna park which overlooks the city and connects with Prague Castle grounds - a rather imposing castle that sits above the city. Mom is getting used to the metro and tram system and today when went up the funicular to yet another hilltop park.

It has been hot here in Prague, very hot. And, our rooms have no hot water. These are small bumps in the road.

Before coming to Prague we were in Austria and visited Salzburg and Melk. These are both lovely places to visit. I took Mom on a Sound of Music Tour which was very informative. I think I was the only one on the bus who has never seen the movie all of the way through -- didn't stop me from enjoying the tour, though.

Melk was impressive again. The views of teh Danube and the baroque church are quite impressive.

Mom enjoys a little local flavor a the pretzel stand

Sound of Music Tour

Churck at Melk

Gnome display outside the train station at Melk.

Grüß Gott

2007-07-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings blogites,

Mom and I have had a very adventurous 48 hours. We took the train from Rome to Assisi and enjoyed a brief, but jam packed day of st. francis and st. clare. My personal favorite was Claire´s tomb. Our guest house was lovely, Casa Papa Giovanni. Much to mom´s delight, we were the only non-ordainded people in the place. We had dinner there and mom befriended a sister from New Jersey who took her out to a concert afterward.

View from our room at Casa Papa Giovanni

Basillica of St. Clare, Jodi´s favorite

Today we had a marathon train day, probably one of two for the trip. We started in Assisi, transfered at Bologna, and then again at Innsbruck to arrive at Salzburg. All the trains were relatively on time. Bologna to Innsbruck was incredibly packed, but luckily I booked ahead (remembering my horrible night making the exact opposite trip 8 years ago - for those of you who have heard it, the night I was forced to rip the sleeves off my shirt, ala the Incredible Hulk, I was so warm).

Mom before train station coffee

Mom after train station coffee

Mom was very pleased to discuss and observe Italian, Austrian and German farming techniques. She was impressed with the tomato and sunflower fields in Italy and noted many similarities with her own family´s farm in Missouri, the man weeding in his speedo, however, was not something she had seen before- sorry no pictures. I worked with mom on taking pictures and she is catching on quick. Here are a couple of her works

Olive groves from the train

Jodi in Assisi, not bad considering how much I had walked and how little I had slept at this point!

Tomorrow we see Salzburg and then the day after it is on to Prague - watch out Pragousblogous!

Random Picture of the Day : Cute cloud-island couple from plane

2007-07-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

We found a few minutes to upload a few pictures.

Here are some of mom's favorite things in Rome today:

View from the Vatican

strawberry+ chocolate gelato

marble floors at st. peter's (Home improvement project, Dad?)

Things I loved today in Rome:

older men on scooters

Roman Shoes

being with mom

No time to download pictures today

2007-07-12T01:45:00.000-07:00

we are about to head to St. Peters today.
Yesterday we took in ancient Rome, today
it is religious Rome. We managed to stay awake until 9pm last night, but this did not prevent me from waking up at 4am this morning. WHO KNEW THAT THERE WOULD EVER, EVER BE A DAY WHERE I SLEPT THREE HOURS LESS THAN JANE! (For those of you who dont know my Mom, she is an early riser.) We are coming up on Jane and Is record time alone together...all is well so far!

Nuovo post

2007-07-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

We have arrived. After a 4 hour delay, we had an uneventful and unslumbered (I just made that word up) trip. We arrived in Rome around 10:30am Roman time and took a train and bus to arrive miraculously directly infront of Villa Rosa the convent we are staying at. It is lovely and really perfectly located. We have wandered a couple of blocks out of the sleepy neighborhood Villa Rosa is in to find the Circus Maximus and the Bocca della Verita at Santa Maria in Cosmedin practically right outside our door. Mom had her first Italian Gelato - strawberry, of course.

We are going to try to get something to eat and take a bus tour - anything to keep us from falling asleep and to get the lay of the land.

If only we had actually left at 5:52!

This was supposed to help us sleep - and keep us healthy - we are surprisingly healthy and have had no sleep!

Mom arrives in Rome, thank you American airlines. I was confronted by security for taking this picture. It was worth it. ( :

view from our room at Villa Rosa (tilt your head left)

This is taking forever, so more pictures later. j&j

We're Off...

2007-07-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Even though my best friend in all the world has no faith that I will post again (see Letterknit's comments), here I am! Mom and I leave tomorrow from our origin destinations - Milwaukee and Louisville - we'll meet in Chicago and fly directly to Rome. In what might be a sign of the coming Apocalypse, I think Mom will actually end up having far less luggage than I. I better go through my bag again...

See you in Italy.

Mom and Jodi

2007-07-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

I thought everyone might enjoy a picture of Mom and I a few years back.

I believe from how old I look that this must be Jane's 31st birthday - so, about my age now.

That wallpaper was amazing.

Travels with Mom

2007-07-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Finally, Mom and I will be taking a trip to Europe together, something we have been talking about for almost a decade. We will be zipping around Central Europe for two weeks visiting Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany. I have been thinking about the fact that I do not remember ever spending more than 48 hours straight alone with mom. This should be exciting! Our travel plan is:

Rome
Assisi
Salzburg
Melk
Prague
Cologne
Bacharach
Weisbaden/Schlangenbad

But things may change! Too much planning leaves little time for adventures off the beaten path.