Look Kids Big Ben; Parliment.....

As many of you know Mark and I went to Europe in September to visit Mark's best friend Jeremy and his wife Leslie. We had the best time! The plane ride there was not so much fun. It was long and stuffy on that plane and we were stuck there for 9 hours. But once we got off the plane,through customs, and baggage claim there were endless possibilities. The air was so crisp. Getting used to sitting on the drivers side was a little tricky. I think Mark may have gotten in the "driver's seat" a thousand times. It was so funny. The cars over there are smaller than here also. If you have seen the new Smart Cars that is what they all look like over in Europe. I was so glad to see a big mac truck on the interstate.


The scenery was the best part. I have never seen so much untouched land that was just there to admire. I loved driving from village to village and seeing all the different things each one had to offer. The houses were so different from here. In the United States the bigger the house the better. In Europe they had some big houses but mostly small cottage looking homes that looked like you could walk right in there and become part of the family. If you had a front "garden" then that was a big deal. Most of the homes only had a back "garden." Which is kinda different considering that most homes here have a front and back yard.

So on our first day of outings we went to Stonehenge. Which by the way is neat but I would not pay 6 pounds to see it. You can stand outside the fence and get just as close as the ones who paid to get in. But I still unsure how someone can't put this up so close the interstate without someone noticing

On the Friday after we got there we went down to Liverpool. It was beautiful. I had no idea it was the birthplace of The Beatles. Jeremy,Mark,Jack, and I walked all over that city. We went to The Beatles Story which is a museum that chronicles The Beatles from birth to present day. I knew that The Beatles were a big hit back in there time and that people still adore them but I have no idea that it was like that. I enjoyed learning something new about them. So after a whole day of walking around Liverpool we learned that after we had walked over two miles one way to find a certain place that everything we wanted to see was in a 2 block radius. Our feet were mad at us but we enjoyed our day.

We made the trek to London a few days later.That was the most amazing,terrifying,crazy experience all wrapped into one. London's verison of the subway is The Tube. I have never in my life seen so many people in one place. You have to know what station to get off at and what line you need get back on. It was like a mad house. But we finally made it to Harrod's!! (cue the Hallelujah Chorus) That was the best place. It was 5 stories of pure shopping joy. We walked into this place and they hand you a map of the store. That way you don't get lost. Which by the way is easy to do. You can buy anything in here from a trash bags to real estate. It was amazing. It had the best shoe department ever. So Mark was little worried since I have a major addiction to shoes. Leslie has told us about this restraunt on Harrods called The Rotisserie. It was amazing. Buckingham Palace was the beautiful. They have the palace open to the public for 2 months a year. Luckly we were there for part of that 2 months. So we got to go inside of the palace. That was amazing. Just to get to see where some of the most prestidge leaders of the world have been was amazing. After that we spent the whole day walking around and seeing the sights. It was an amazing day.

Another part of our trip was going to Germany. Ok so anyone who knows my husband knows he likes his beer. So how fitting that we were going to be in Germany at the same time that Oktoberfest was going on. So when Mark called Jeremy and told him about the timing they decided that we are going. I was excited for Mark because it was something he really wanted to see and to be able to brag to his friends here that he had been to the "real" Beerfest. The beer in Europe are alot stronger than they are here in the states. The beer at beerfest were 2 liters. It was HUGE! Mark loved it so I was happy. The best part of the day was when Jeremy,Leslie, and I convinced Mark to get on this ride that was there. It consisted of a conveyor belt and a slide. The result was the highlight of our day, it consisted of Mark busting his behind on the conveyor belt in front of a huge crowd. I am posting the video so you all can see why we laughed until we cried.
The hotel we stayed in was a military only hotel that was located at the foot of the Balverian Alps. It was breath taking. Every morning we woke to snow covered mountains. I could have stayed there forever. We also visited The Neuschwanstein Castle. Rumors have it that this castle is what Walt Disney based Cinderella Castle on in Disney World. I think we may have climbed a million stairs to get to it but it was well worth the climb.

We had an amazing time in Europe. I wish we could have stayed longer, and if we had had Emma with us we may have never came home. By the way Emma stayed here with her grandparents while we were gone, so we came home to an extra spoiled little girl that had grown 2 inches since we had left. Enjoy the pictures because I asure you we had a blast.