More Pictures

For more pictures, see Cindy's Facebook or go to http://picasaweb.google.com/dcalexa73.

OCTOBERFEST

In October, Cindy's college roommate Carol and her sister Debbie came to visit and we all went to Octoberfest. Danny was driver and chaperone. He said it was like herding cats.

Bavarian Alps

Garmisch

Over Labor Day, went to the Bavarian Alps with our good friends the Johnsons and the Flores. Had a great time. Garmisch was beautiful. We (even Cindy) went walking along the gorge.

ITALY

A couple of weeks later we flew to Pisa, Italy on Ryanair Airlines which has bargain fares. Our roundtrip airfare was 11 euro each. We rented a car and drove the Italian coastal cities of Cinqueterra. As you can see it was beautiful.

Summer in Europe

Fall has arrived in Baumholder. We completed our first summer in Europe. We managed to visit 7 countries in 6 months. After Brian's visit in June, we went to France for the Tour de France. Even got a glimpse of Lance.

Ireland

Austria

Our children have decided to follow suit and have departed to their own adventures. Brian decided that he wanted to pursue his dream to live in Alaska so has taken a job as a psychiatric tech at a residential treatment center in Bethel, Alaska where a friend of Cindy lives. Before he left for Alaska, he came to Germany to see us. As this was his first time to see Alaska we gave him a whirtlwind tour of Europe doing 5 countries in 10 days.

Sorry We are Running Behind

Well I have to apoligize for the lateness of this post. We finally got moved into our new abode (Erzweilerstrasse #5, Baumholder, Germany) durning the first week in May. Our landlady is a wonderful person who with her husband owns and operates the Hotel Zum Stern in Baumholder. She has definetly been the best part of the housing experience. The house is two stories. Two bedrooms upstairs and the master and a smaller bedroom downstairs. We have turned the smaller bedroom into a study. We also have a den/family room and a dining room. The only downside is that there is only one full bath. If an individual is desperate, they can go to the basement half bath.

It is a different story having to deal with the phone/internet services. We settled on T-Mobile for our phone and internet service. However, since we do not speak the language, we are at a distinct disadavantage dealing with this multinational company. ALL correspondence T-Mobile sends us is in German. They do not have the ability to send us correspondence in English. They reminded me the other day when I finally got to someone who spoke English, that I was in Germany. Damn, I forgot. Well enough of the whinning. We had the same problems dealing with the phone companies in the Texas.

We have been trying to take trips to new places each weekend. Since our last post (Again, I apoligize), we have made a few getaways. Our first getaway was a Saturday morning trip to Trier, Germany. Trier is Germany's oldest city. The Romans established Trier in 16BC. The following pictures is of the old citys main entrance (Porta Nigra).

















The following weekend we made a trip to Baden-Baden, Germany and then over to Strasbourg, France. The original intent of the Baden-Baden trip was to get a glimpse of the Black Forrest. We ended up taking a detour (Umleitung) after Baden-Baden. We decided to roll over to France to see Strasbourg. We will get another trip to the Black Forrest before we leave.








This is a picture of Cindy and Bailey in front of a German Spa in Baden-Baden.











This is a picture Cindy took in Strasbourg, France. This is their Notre Dame. Stasbourg is a beautiful city and we plan to return to spend some more time seeing the city. We got to Strasbourg late in the afternoon and did not have time to properly see all the sights







Over the Memorial Day 3 day weekend, we went to Brennen, Switzerland. The trip took us through Basel, Switzerland. We did not stop in Basel except to pay the $55 EURO highway tax. Brennen is a town that sits on the shores of lake Lucern. I packed heavy jacket for our trip to Switzerland as I tought it would be cold in the Swiss Alps (something like Rockey Mountain National Park in the summer). It was 85 degrees. I had also packed some shorts along with some t-shirts. A much better decision than the cold weather clothes. We had a great time. On our return trip we stopped in Zurich, Switzerland. Thanks goodness we purchased a GPS for our car (BTW, it is an absolute must for driving in Europe). We never would have gotten out of Zurich. You definetly need to park and walk or take a tour bus.









This is a picture from our hotel's boat dock.






Bailey on her way to Interlaken.














This past weekend I took Cindy to Hiedelberg , Germany for a two week Army Training Course. We will post some pics once Brian (our youngest) and I pick Cindy on the June 12, 2009. We are hoping to go to Munchen (Munich) to check out the Biergartens prior to Octoberfest. The following weekend we are flying to Kerry, Ireland to check out Ireland's coastland.

KOBLENZ

FIRST OUTING

I am falling behind on my posts. Last Sunday, Easter, we drove to the Rhine river valley and wine country. We stopped at Bacharach to eat. This was Bailey's first and probably last dining adventure. She barked at the other dogs. German dogs have better matters and do not bark back so the patrons seemed annoyed. The line for the river cruise was too long and we were afraid that Bailey might get thrown overboard so we drove to Koblenz.

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Lagerhof Inn

Kusel

Baumholder

We have arrived!!

Landed in Germany at 9:30 a.m. which was really 2:30 a.m. to us. We were tired but it was a good flight. Luistansa is definitely the way to go. No extra fees and great customer service. Luckily the plane was only half full so we were able to stretch out and get a little sleep. Another employee picked us up and took us to the post to be processed and then to the office to meet everyone. Everyone is very nice and welcoming. I work at the health clinic which is located on the post. Looks like an old school on the outside but very nice on the inside. It looks like it will be interesting work. The average age of these soldiers and spouses is probably about 21. Our hotel room is nice and has a great view. Baumholder is in a rural area with lots of trees and hills and very picturesque. Will send pictures later.

Two Days and Counting

Well it is Saturday evening, just a couple more days before we jet off to our new temporary home in Baumholder Germany. It is both scary and exciting. We have not started our final pack yet. We will start that Sunday. I am certain that Cindy will start instructing me on the basics of packing as we get closer. I have also been told that I will be including Bailey's toys in my luggage. You by now have noticed who got first billing on the Blog. I would like to thank my daughter for setting up this Blog. It will a great way to communicate with those left in the New World.

We have said our goodbyes to family and friends. We have extended invitations to each of you to come see us while we are on the continent. We are looking forward to seeing each of you. If you have not had the opportunity to travel to Europe, this will give you a great reason for that trip.

We will miss each of you. We will be on this assignment for two (2) years. I suspect this time will fly.

TEXAS is our HOME

Countdown to Takeoff...

11 days until we head for Deutschland...