Skiing in the Austrian Alps

January 2016-

After NYE on the Eastern side of Austria we returned back to Germany since Jeremy had to work Monday and I headed back down to the south western side of Austria to ski with our friends, Chris and Liz. They graciously let me ride down with them, we packed up our skis and headed south, only a 4 hour drive to Innsbruck. An adorable, picturesque town, surrounded by the Alps on all sides! As we drove in the city I was anxiously excited about skiing the next day. It has been awhile since I have been on the slopes, have not been out at all this winter and last winter we were in Maryland and did get out on the Maryland slopes once. I was slightly intimidated by the grandiose of the mountains here. The next morning we awoke early to get a full day on the mountain, in fact a glacier! We arrived at Stubaier Glacier! It was perfect. Chris and I skied while Christine and Tami snowboarded, so we paired up and stayed together. It was a gorgeous day with blue skies, great snow, and gorgeous mountains. Visibility was a little low around lunch time so we took a break to enjoy food and beer. After a long day of skiing we met up with the rest of the group that spent the day exploring Innsbruck, a really cute little ski town close to many resorts. We had dinner and drinks before calling it an early night. I definitely be back to check out the city of Innsbruck with Jeremy.

Ringing in the New Year in Vienna, Austria!

January 1, 2016-

First New Years in Europe! We decided to travel to Vienna (Wien), only a 4 hour drive but we planned ahead way before we even had our German and International drivers' license. So we booked a flight out of Munich. In the end we probably did not save any time with the train and flight versus flying but the cost was equal.

We first arrived to the city we were amazed by the small but large scale of the city. Everything that weekend revolved around New Years' Eve Celebration- Silvester in Europe. The prices of the hotels, flights, and tourists activities were all increased but it was still worth a visit. We did end up staying outside of the city center but we were able to walk everywhere. The train system is also cheap and easy to use. Great getaway and we had a full 4 days of tourists sites. Despite the cold and snow we bundled up and walked around the city exploring. So much to offer, way larger than we thought. Vienna, the capital of Austria, east border on the Danube River. Its' artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by famous residents including- Mozart, Beethoven, and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for the Imperial Palaces; including Shonbrunn and the Habsburgs' summer residence. In the Museums Quartier district, historical and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, and other well known artists.

New Years' Eve was a giant block party with the Christmas market and gluwine still in season there were multiple band stands set up and we hopped from party to party. At midnight they did have fireworks over the river. Amazing! A night to remember! We danced and drank gluwine to warm up!

Our highlights include historic Roman architecture, artwork, touring Beethoven's house, Saint Stephen's Cathedral, and the Rathaus (city hall building) was gorgeous with a red, white, and blue Christmas tree glowing at night. Multiple Christmas markets were still in full swing through New Years! Schonbrunn Palace and Schloss Belvedere were stunning but we would love to come back in the Spring to see the massive gardens in bloom! We did go in the Spanish Riding school but they only had special events instead of the daily performances as usual, so we would love to also see the performance next time we return.

We did find the Oldest Irish pub in Vienna- Bockshorn Irish Pub. It was decorated with so many crazy things that you could spend all night looking around. We played eye spy while having a drink. Great fun! Address- Naglergasse 7, 1010 Wien, Austria. We also had excellent food and drink at 1516 brewing company near the city center. http://www.1516brewingcompany.com/ We loved the live music scene in Vienna. We stumbled into a few bars to have a drink because we heard music while walking down the street. Hit or miss if there will be a cover or not. We usually moved along if there was a cover since so many others did not charge a cover.

Another great place that we stopped in before our flight back- Mel's Craft Beers and Diner. We had an excellent burger, pulled pork sandwich, and had a great variety of quality beers on tap. We each sampled a few and then decided on a pint. The staff and chef were very friendly. Not many people in when we were there. Great atmosphere. A little pricey but they do have craft brews imported from the USA- Flying Dog, Anchor steam to name a few.

Not your typical Thanksgiving in Italy

November 25-29, 2015-

Jeremy and I planned our first adventure through Explore Europe over our first four day vacation in Germany. The night before Thanksgiving we took a very long overnight bus ride to three amazing cities. We boarded the bus leaving behind the snow and icicles, driving south to the sunshine! 

First stop- PISA. On 26 November 2015, not your typical Thanksgiving day or Thanksgiving meal, instead we ate pizza in Pisa! The leaning tower of Pisa was the highlight and the buildings history surrounding the square was all the town had to offer. The town thrived on the this iconic tourist attractions with booths lined up on the path to and from the buses, public transportation with souvenirs, food, and goods. We still loved this tourist attraction and glad we can check it off our long list of places to go and things to do. 

Second stop- ROME. Amazing city, full of architecture, history, and culture. We had a guided tour of the city in the morning and then free time in the afternoon/ evening. We were able to see much of the city on the guided tour, including the Colosseum need I say more, breathtaking in person. Although, at the time we were there, there was scaffolding and a man claiming to jump taking his life.. only in Rome. The Pantheon with artists and sculptures dating back hundreds of years. The Trevi fountain where we held hands, turned our back on the fountain and threw in a penny over our heads making a wish, hoping it comes true! Our free time was spent exploring the Castel Saint Angelo with panoramic views of Rome and the Bridge of Angels. Definitely worth visiting, especially due to lack of time to stand in line to see the Basilica and Vatican city. Next time for sure. 

Third stop- FLORENCE. My personal favorite, smaller than Rome and more unique, friendly atmosphere. Still hundred year old buildings and history within the walls of the city. We had another guided walking tour in the morning through the city and then free time to explore on our own. We visited the unique bridge with shops over the river. Stumbled upon a wine tasting, costing us nothing but the wine purchased to sample many red and while wines from local vineyards in Italy. 

Searching for housing, landing us in Amberg, Germany

October/ November 2015-

Jeremy was in-processing and starting his daily routine with the unit, while I was forever looking for a place to call home. So far from home, we wanted a place as unique as the country we are now calling home.

We did get a letter of authorization for off- post housing, yay! This is exactly what we both wanted, to be immersed in the German culture daily. Making our experience the most memorable and true to the German culture. We looked near post in the town of Vilseck but did not find something that we both loved. Some very unique places we found ourselves in but either way to small, not enough storage, or parking issues. One place in Vilseck was literally right next door to the Burg Dagestein. Despite the size I wanted to live there, how often can you claim your neighbors to a castle! Built in 1190, so historic!

Anyways, we looked further than Vilseck and finally found our dream place. We both new it the minute we walked into the place. It had the unique feel that we were looking for, with the exposed wood beams above our heads and hard wood floors as we walked in. The open floor plane was not common in German housing but since this place is an attic it was different. Despite the word attic, it had very high ceilings and many windows, plus a loft. We loved it, we could picture ourselves here!

We moved in 15 November 15 and also had our household goods delivered that same day. We had not seen our belongings since the movers packed them up in July... Christmas came early this year! We quickly put our lives together. Making our first home together as a married couple. Just us!

Pottenstein, Germany

October 2015-

Explored our first small German town, Pottenstein, Germany! Pottenstein may be small in size but it's big on adventure! We passed a sommerrodelbahn, alpine roller coaster or toboggan run, and Devil's cave (Teufelshohle) on the way to the alstadt, city center. We did not have time for both so we will plan another day trip back to this adorable city. We had a short hike up to panoramic views of the city to the 11th century castle perched high above this picturesque town. It was a great day spent in the outdoors with lots of great fall colors surrounding us everywhere we looked. We enjoy a beer and lunch at a cute little cafe in the center of town after our hike.

Welcome to Germany!

October 2015-

Jeremy and I made the big move to Germany!! We felt prepared for this big day and have know this day was coming for the past year. Luckily, he received orders 1 year in advance when he re-enlisted for location, Germany! We were both thrilled for this move, but nervous too at the same time. We boarded the plane saying goodbye to our friends, family, and the USA. We landed in Nuremberg, Germany greeted by his first line supervisor, Kory Werts at the airport. We had no idea who we were looking for, just knew that he was coming to pick us up. We walked out of customs with our lives in suitcases and scanned the crowd. A guy in a Nebraska sweatshirt greeted us, he found us reluctantly and he was from Nebraska! I already felt at home here. How easy was that. We headed for his car and the 1 hour drive to Rose Barracks post, Vilseck. The fall colors were gorgeous even though they were flying by us, while we drove on the Autobahn. No speed limit here. Although, there is no speed limit.. I have never felt safer. People drove correctly and with courtesy, everyone obeyed the rules of the autobahn. 

We made it to Rose Barracks and checked in at the Kristall Inn hotel, which would be our home for the next month or so. We would live out of our suitcases and eagerly await Jeremy's scheduled housing appointment time. We stayed up all day to try and overcome the jet lag. We did have the rest of the weekend to explore post, no vehicle yet. Luckily,Kory Werts and his family, plus Brian and Jessie plus there 2 boys invited us to join them for dinner off post, which was nice to get off post to another cute small town. They were all so welcoming and we were both excited to be here! 

Jeremy started in-processing the post- Grafenwohr and Vilseck, which are essentially one post just split in two with a tank trail connecting them. His unit is on Rose Barracks, which is Fires Platoon, Field Artillery, 2nd Calvary Regiment, Vilseck.