Germany: ich liebe es!

Last month I went to Germany and Austria. My friend Candace's aunt and uncle live in Frankfurt and were nice enough to host us. And when have I ever turned down a trip? So Kira, Candace and I flew over for spring break.

Bad Homberg

We found tiny doors all over

We drove along the Rhine river where there are castles at every turn

Like Burg Rhinestein

Burg Rhinestein

Later we went into Frankfurt

Heidelburg

Schloss Heidelburg

Entrance into Dachau concentration camp

Dachau. It was interesting, but very sad.

Our first glimpse of Neuschwanstein

Hohenschwangau Castle. King Ludwig's childhood home. My camera fell on the ground shortly after this picture was taken so I don't remember much from the tour. Except that the castle had secret passages between the king and queens bedroom.

View of Hohenschwangau from Neuschwanstein Castle

I was so excited when I saw the back side of the Neuschwanstein covered with scaffolding!
I mean really, couldn't they have just done part of it at a time and not the entire back side?

It is still beautiful, though

We then went to the top of Mt. Zugspitze, the tallest peak in Germany. As you may have guessed from the picture, it was freezing cold and windy on top.

I ate a brat. It was delicious. It might have been better if I hadn't scarfed it down in 3 minutes so I could board the bus.

In Austria, Aldi's is Hofer. (this is for my mom, who loves Aldi's)

Salzburg, Austria.
Mozart's birthplace and the city where the Sound of Music was filmed. We played silly American tourists and went on the grand tour of the film sites. It was fun thanks to our guide who mocked us and the movie most of the tour. Here are the highlights for anyone who has seen the movie more than 5 times (not me, I've only seen it 3 times):

The Von Trapp House

Where the backyard scenes were filmed (in the house across the lake)

The infamous gazebo. It was locked. According to our guide, some 80 year old lady was trying to jump to the different benches like in the movie, fell, broke her hip, and they had to lock it up.

Yes, those Von Trapp kids ran around this fountain.

Candace lost her right leg moments before while running through this pathway.

Do Re Mi steps

Entrance to Mirabell gardens (and also featured in the movie)

Rothenburg

Up inside the walkway around the wall. More cities need walls surrounding them.

Our last picture. Sad.

You better Belize it!

Last month I went to down to Belize and Guatemala. It was amazing. The 7 of us met up in the Dallas airport and started the introduction process (I only knew Kristin and Becca). After some delays we arrived in sunny, warm Belize. We got scammed by a porter (we thought he was our driver as he had our name on a piece of paper), met Manny our real guide and started the ride to San Ignacio, a town about 15 min from the Belize-Guatemala border.
Tourism is a huge part of Belize's economy. Americans make up 85% of tourism. Hence, many Belizeans speak English to help cater to us.

The adventure continues:

5 of the 7 of us were all redheads. Amazing.

We woke up and went to great outdoor market. Lots of fresh vegetables and fruit (including the oranges I got sick on). We met our guide and drove into Guatemala and up to Tikal.

Temple I

The courtyard around Temples I & II

A view of the tops of some of the other Temples

I also tried termites. They taste like carrots. Seriously.
Here is my shocked expression after realizing they do taste like carrots.

Zip line in Guatemala.
It wasn't as high up as Costa Rica, but it was still a lot of fun.

Watching TV in our hotel room and eating Mennonite ice cream instead of experiencing the San Ignacio night life. (In my defense, I was still feeling sick from the oranges)

Church in San Ignacio

The Blue Hole on the way to Placencia. They say that this connects underground all the way to Belize City and somehow "connects" with other underwater caverns out to the real Blue Hole in the ocean.

Dinner at Yoli's, a local restaurant on a pier

Ranguana Caye, the island we snorkeled around. It wasn't a national park so we were free to take anything we found. Like conch shells.

Snorkeling

We went fishing at the caye and I caught a bonefish.

The real highlight of the trip: Tutti Frutti's. The most amazing gelato I've ever had. Better than Italy. We frequented this place so much that the owner, Lorenzo, started taking requests.

Relaxing on the veranda

Placencia

The Bachelor Season 14 or Human Trafficking

ABC announces it's 14th season of the hit show, The Bachelor. This season the show takes place in Guatemala and Belize. Here is a sneak peek:

The Bachelor: Ed
Ed works for the oil industry in Edmonton, Alberta.
Very successful.

Some of the activities you'll see:

Zip lining

Piling into the car for a fun filled night! What will be the mystery activity?

Group dinner on the beach

Snorkeling

Gelato group dates

Private walks alone on the beach

Who will the Bachelor choose? Stay tuned to ABC for more about the exciting season!

OR

We met Ed in Guatemala. We gave him a lift down to Placencia and had an 8th member of our group. Human trafficking of the innocent variety. We got lots of comments from the locals, such as, "That's a cute family. Oh wait, that's not a family." and "Now tell me the truth. What is the deal with you girls and that guy."

Sprechen Sie Englisch?

I should probably get used to saying this phrase a lot as I leave for Germany in 14 days. And I should probably start planning instead of blogging...

Doctor-patient communication at its finest

I took care of Nervous Nellie this past week. Everything was drama with her. I told her she needed to wear her sling after her procedure to prevent bleeding. She thought it was the end of the world; she acted like I had cut off her arm altogether and said she wouldn't survive with only one arm (she'd only have to wear the sling for 2 days). She also freaked out because she thought she'd have to get a new pacemaker because there was a spot of blood on the dressing. Next she was upset that she wouldn't be at home to pay her bills and her power would be turned off the next day (she'd only been in the hospital 3 days). I told her doctor about her rants when he came in. He walked into her room and she started complaining, "My heart keeps beating fast and won't stop. And I'm all wrapped up like a mummy." To which he replied:

"You're just in a sling. What are you bitchin' about?"

I had to walk away so they wouldn't hear me laughing. His comment kept her quiet for about 6 hours. I'd like to say he was a bit harsh, but I think he was right.

I saw the sign, and it opened up my eyes

I love taking pictures of weird signs (and sometimes people) on vacation. Here are a few I enjoyed in Belize & Guatemala:

Is the box on the right saying to not sit on wells or to not go to the bathroom?

Do you think a little girl would be traumatized after bashing her favorite Disney princess?

A little restrictive, but probably fun

I'm weird and like disease prevention signs:

Kissing bug

Good advice

He can cure diseases and he has noni juice.

This was outside a grocery store. I don't know what it was advertising.
Energetic food? Delicious workers?


We followed the sign

I don't know if I'd shop at a pharmacy that has a skull and crossbones on its sign

We never figured out if there was actually a terminal 2 or if was just the longer way to get to terminal 1

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

In less than a month I can escape this:

Columbus, OH
-10°F
Feels Like -22°F

For this:

Belize City, Belize
70°F
Feels like 70°F

Thank you body, or I've made a huge mistake

I haven't been running in at least 5 months. I won't run consistently unless I have some type of motivation, usually a race. So I signed up for another half marathon in April. I've been procrastinating the start of my training. Today was my first day. I figured if I could make it to 3 miles I'd be very happy. Well, I felt really good and made it to 5 miles! I couldn't believe my body let me run that far. The last 0.5 miles were hard, so I may regret my decision to run the extra 2 miles tomorrow. Oh well. I feel great and can't believe that I actually missed running.