Germany

I've been away.  A long way away.  Germany to be exact.

Among other places, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

First of all, I want to say that I just spent 2 AMAZING weeks with my mom.  Two weeks is a long time to spend with anyone, but we had a ball.  What a blessing to have such a precious mom and enjoy such a unique relationship with her.  She has done a wonderful job of nurturing me without being pushy.  And that, my friends, has resulted in being able to spend two weeks together without one single spat.  

Okay.  Now for pictures.  Well, first let me say, that I feel kinda funny posting pictures of my vacation.  Seriously.  All of those quips about watching other people's vacation slides is haunting me.  However, I have had several friends ask me to post pictures.  

So go put on a tacky Hawaiian shirt and we will be tourists together.  

Our first stop in Germany was to visit this little cabin-in-the-woods.

This is the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, built by the eccentric King Ludwig of Bavaria.  It is my understanding that Cinderella's castle at Disneyland was designed to look like this place.

I'm all about some history, so here's a little tidbit:  

The crazy king spent all of the government's money creating this little getaway place for himself.  

Lesson:  Selfishness never pays off.  He only lived in the castle for 6 weeks before his untimely death and only 1/3 of the castle was ever completed.

Bear with me.  That's all of the history lesson for today.  I promise.

No, this is not crazy King Ludwig.  This, is the reason for going to Germany in the first place.  To visit my adorable little brother.  He is checking out the view from the castle's courtyard.

Isn't that door so neat-o?
The town of Fussen is just a few minutes away from the castle.  If you ever go to Germany, I highly recommend this quaint little town.  Just look at that street.  Look and my cute mom, too.  She looks kinda cold.  Hmm... maybe because it was 12 degrees.  Good thing I love cold weather!

Here is a pic of the two world travelers.  If you look closely, right above my head, you will see that little cabin I was talking about.
Hotel Muller is the place to stay if you are ever there.  I mean, who gets to eat breakfast and gaze at the mothership castle?  

That's my cute mom and handsome brother again.  For those of you who know us, I knew you would appreciate some pics of him.  Thanks for all of your prayers while he serves our country.  

Next post we will visit Austria.  If you are snoring right now, I understand.  However, if you happen to be a fan of The Sound of Music, then I have a treat for you!

Danke!