European Family Vacation

No, not Chevy Chase-style either -- although we did go through a roundabout a couple times just for good measure! Mom and Dad flew in last week to visit and travel through Europe for a couple weeks. We had a very busy two weeks, but had a great time every day. It was their first time to Europe, so we wanted to get to as many places as we could. I'm sure they were hating me more than a few times from making them walk for miles upon miles, wake up early, catch trains, subways, and planes all while trying to relax and enjoy their time off -- and not to mention trying to figure out what to order for dinner with me trying to translate using my broken German and none of us being able to speak any French!



We went to Vienna, Berchtesgaden (Hitler's Eagle's Nest), Bastogne Belgium for a Battle of the Bulge tour, Paris, Berlin, and of course Munich.



VIENNA, AUSTRIA



Here we are at the Hofburg Redoutensaal sitting in the 2nd row of a classical music concert of Strauss and Mozart music. Strauss, Mozart, and Beethoven all performed here. The concert was excellent!

The conductor is also world famous and conducts the New Year's Eve concert at the Hofburg as well.

The Hofburg Imperial Palace.

Republicans in Vienna.

BERCHTESGADEN, GERMANY
After 2 days in Vienna we went to Berchtesgaden (just outside of Salzburg, Austria), which is where Hitler had a house (Hofberg) and also where the Eagle's Nest is. The Hofberg was destroyed, but the Eagle's Nest and the tunnels under the complex still remain.

View from the road from the old Hofberg (Hitler's house) to the Eagle's Nest (Hitler's mountain retreat). Unfortunately it was cloudy at the top.

Tunnel entrance to Eagle's Nest.

Inside Eagle's Nest. This is the room shown in the movie Valkyrie. The fireplace is behind me.

Mom and Dad outside Eagle's Nest.

Patio/breezeway of Eagle's Nest. This is featured in one of the last episodes of Band of Brothers where the Americans arrive.

BATTLE OF THE BULGE TOUR (Bastogne, Belgium)

This is the American Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg.

I took a Battle of the Bulge tour from a tourguide in April and loved it, so convinced Mom and Dad to take one from him again too. The tourguide again was excellent and shared many stories from the veterans he knows (some are from the Band of Brothers, like Bill Garnier and Babe Heffron).

This is a farmhouse where you can still see bullet holes.

Foxholes from the "Jack's Woods" between Bastogne and Foy. This is where some of the Band of Brothers episodes were based.

Mom and Dad and our tourguide Reg. We found some shrapnel right near this foxhole. This is also about where Bill Garnier and Joe Toye lost their legs.

PARIS, FRANCE

Arc de Triomphe

This is the tunnel/underpass where Princess Diana was killed.

Napolean's Tomb is inside this building.

The French "White House". We were walking back to our hotel near here and saw a motorcade with a black "Presidential" car in the middle. There was a man and woman in the car, and we assume it was Sarkozy and his wife, but they went by so quickly we aren't positive.

St. Eustachy church

St. Chapelle church

Notre Dame cathedral

Luxembourg Gardens in Paris

BERLIN, GERMANY

Checkpoint Charlie

Brandenburg Gate

The German "White House". We saw a helicopter land there so maybe we saw Angela Merkel arrive too, who knows.

Reichstag

Inside the dome of the Reichstag

This is the courtyard where the conspirators in one of the plots to assassinate Hitler (Valkyrie) were executed. The scene in Valkyrie was actually shot here too.

Many buildings in Berlin still haven't been completely restored since the war.

Charlottenberg Palace in Berlin

In the gardens behind the palace.

Before eating the Obama Burger, we had to split it in 3 equal sections. Then, the one of us who has the highest salary had to divide our portion between the other 2. Then, when the bill came, the highest paid had to pay for the whole burger. OK, maybe we didn't really eat here, but I'm sure that's how it would work, right.

MUNICH, GERMANY

Inside the Hofbrauhaus. What trip to Munich is complete without a trip here!

Castles in southern Germany. This is Neuschwanstein (the one the Disneyland castle was modeled after).

We decided to have a relaxing day the last day of the trip, so we went to a beer garden in the English Garden near my apartment. There were a few bands there and of course good food and beer, so what could be a better way to end a great trip? Thanks Mom and Dad for a great 2 weeks!