Germany-Take 2, Part 2

I am sitting here in our hotel room at Ramstein reflecting over a wonderful 3 day vacation.  Ryan and I both agreed that while 3 days seems short, it was actually the perfect amount of time to be gone.  Any longer, and our toddler might have crumbled-any shorter, and it's not quite worth the effort.  Here's a brief synopsis of our adventure-

Day 1-Rhine River Tour
We took a trip with the base tour group to see the famous Rhine River for Mother's Day.  We had luxurious (by our Turkish standards) double-decker buses that made the 1.5 hour ride quite comfortable.  Our itinerary included a tour of a medieval castle, stops in 2 villages, a lunch cruise down the Rhine, and a cable car ride.  It was a hectic day, but so wonderful.  The villages and towns that dot the Rhine's banks (and for that matter-the side of the autobahn!) are so picturesque and charming that it is hard to believe they are not fake.  It is like some Hollywood movie set that someone forgot to take down.  I kept looking for one that was at least moderately charming, and failed.  Everything is like a storybook here.  Perfection.  We ended the day back at Ramstein with Subway sandwiches-and oh, how we've missed them!!

Day 2-The Prisk Family
We drove north of Ramstein this day to visit with some friends stationed near Darmstadt, Germany.  Ryan and Luke have worked together several times and we have gotten to know their family quite well.  They live in the cutest German house filled with antiques they have collected during their time here.  We enjoyed lunch and fellowship, and W LOVED playing with their children.  It was so great to reconnect.  The drive to and from the Prisks was made more enjoyable by our great rental car.  Ryan has thoroughly enjoyed driving the autobahn how it was meant to be driven-in a BMW.  This car had more gadgets and technology than I could believe-but Ryan was in heaven with all of it.  I think at our fastest, we were going 170 km/hour (105 mph)-but in a BMW, you don't even feel it.  When we got back to base this day, we enjoyed Chili's for dinner (fajitas-YUM!) and a shopping trip at the B/X.

Day 3-Viva La France!
Since my high school days, I have always wanted to see France.  We decided this day to take the short 2 hour drive to Strasbourg, France and take in the sights.  Again, the drive was fun and easy.  We parked and walked around an area of town called La Petite France.  We read that it might be the most charming neighborhood in the whole country.  I can't disagree.  The smells alone made this place unforgettable-fresh breads baking and savory sauces filling the air.  There were cafes and restaurants everywhere you looked.  Most were outdoor with huge shade trees and flowering vines decorating the area.  There was a canal that wove through the neighborhood and charming buildings.  We finally settled on where to eat after a long search, and made the perfect choice.  Ryan and I both agreed that it was some of the best food we have ever eaten.  I was able to communicate with the locals in their language-which was fun and empowering for me.  We had a great day-France didn't disappoint.

It has been a wonderful few days for our family.  We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to see all of these places and have these adventures.  Pictures to come soon!

PS-THIS IS MY 100th POST!!!!  Wow!!