Our first stop was a picturesque town called Bad Wildungen. The great part about this tour was to be reminded how gracious the Americans were in the wake of WWII. Instead of "to the victor go the spoils", we showed the world we were not there for glory, but to share blessings of our country with the people in this part of the world.
The bombs of WWII did not make this building look this way, its been like that since 1654. It's amazing that they are still standing. And we thought everything had to be built on the square.
Here is Larry in front of one of the homes he lived in during his tour in Germany. The baker would walk by and deliver fresh bread every morning. While the home, street and town have changed dramatically since the 50's, it was fun imagining how it must have been for a 20 something from small town Utah.
This hill on the edge of town is where the radio towers were located that Larry and his comrades used to listen to the Russians and other communists on the other side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. In addition to being able to pick up WKRP in Cincinatti, they could work out the coordinates to enemy tanks roaming the other side of the border.
This old hotel was the landmark from where we got our bearings. "The house was just down the street from the Hotel." When we saw it we knew we were close.
This town is rich in history, but post WWII left it a rural farm town. Now it boasts itself as a medicinal hotspot where people come to heal.
The moment was not lost on Charlene. For twenty plus years now she has heard the stories of where Larry served. It was a treat to see her husband walk the streets, see the sights and share the experience of walking down memory lane.
We enjoyed some summertime outdoor dining. Brats, schnitzel and traditional German food were on the menu tonite. Happy Birthday Char! Pretty fun to celebrate a birthday on a European vacation.
As is tradition, an after dinner walk revealed a magical night. The moon and twilight were beautiful.
The Edersee was the home to a Dam that supplied power to a munitions factory for Nazi Germany. The allies were quick to destroy and turn upside down what now is a tranquil, peaceful setting. It was remarkable to see how mankind could turn such a beautiful place into a war machine. Larry would come up here in the heat of summer to cool down. The Dam was still blown apart during Larry's tour. It was remarkable to see the progress that has been made over the decades.
This is Fritzlar, one of the three towns we visited on this tour. The half timbered homes are traditional Germany. The old parts of town haven't changed a bit in fifty years.
If you get out enough, you're bound to run into a local festival. These elderly gentlemen were entertaining the town with their singing and dancing. It's so fun to stumble upon these treats.
Larry and Char in beautiful Fritzlar.
This is Larry in the middle of the airfield the Nazi Luftwaffe used during WWII. You would never know that this airfield even existed at its height. The field is surrounded by trees where the hangers and buildings were hid. A wire mesh was laid down and sod grown in the mesh. Flying over head you would see a field, when in reality it was an enemy airfield.
Close to the airfield in Rothwesten was the base where Larry served. The base was given back to the Germans in the late 70's and run by the Germany military until a month ago -then it closed its gates/doors and was put up for sale. All of Larry's good living caught up as we just happened to run into the one man who would have a key to the base and the museum. We came around the corner and it was if he had been there waiting for us to show up. He let us in to tour and see the moth balled places that were once full of life and vitality as Americans protected the West from the Eastern threat.
Home sweet home. Young PFC Wilson at the barracks where he once lived. You can see that this base will very soon no longer be accessible. Its inhabitants have moved out and its future is uncertain. It was great to catch it while we still could.
This post has always been shrowded in secrecy. In fact shortly after WWII this was the place where the decision to create the Deutsch Mark transpired. The currency was created in NYC and DC and smuggled into the country in boxes labeled door knobs. From here it was funneled out and integrated as the national currency.
This is the theater / communications bunker where Larry worked. Down in the basement under the theater Larry would spy on the Russians and provide intelligence to American forces in Europe.
Hard to believe he walked through that door as a young GI to go to work helping provide intelligence to protect us during the Korean War.
This is a must see. Only in Europe is it OK to haul your glider with the equivilent of a GEO Metro. You see this all of the time cruising up and down the autobahns - we just shake our heads and laugh everytime. We had to take a picture for proof.
Alsfeld, Germany. This was one of the day trip towns Larry could take with his buddies back in the day. Towns like these epitomize the traditional old Germany. There is no mistaking that you are not in the States anymore.
The boys were cute playing hide and seek in and around the old town hall and church. These boys are learning how to take a proper picture, legs folded like little gentlemen.
Beautiful historic part of the city Alsfeld.
Just another reminder how fortunate we feel to be able to make these memories in this wonderful part of the world.
If there's a toy, then we're going to need to try it out. This one was pretty randomly placed in the middle of a square.
This was like walking into a calendar photo. You had to pinch yourself that you were seeing it in person.
We rounded off our trip with a Rhein River Valley tour on the way home. This is Loraley point. This stretch of the river is amazing because there is a fantastic castle every two miles it seems. Each is different than the last and each reminds you how strategic this portion of the river once was. A lot of power struggles took place to control the commerce that moved up and down this river.
Steve and his "monkey" boys enjoying the panorama.
Is that a nice brotherly hug or the makings of a head lock. Believe it or not, they actually get along really well.
It was a great walk down memory lane. We all felt priviledged to share the experience. We learned a ton about the history during his time in Germany and saw some pretty fantastic places. Thank you Larry for sharing that portion of your life with us.
~We arrived in Barcelona and we were excited to get started with our adventures. The skies were blue and the sun was shining.. this was exactly what we were hoping for..... so we checked into our apartment and then headed out to discover this incredible city of Barcelona. This monument is placed at the site where Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493 after his discovery of America the year before. Just like good ol' Columbus... these 4 Americans were ecstatic to be stepping foot onto Barcelona soil many years later~
~The narrow cobblestone streets were similar to the other fabulous European locations that we have previously traveled to.... although the big difference was all of the palm trees in the pots on the porches... that is how you know you are in a tropical paradise~
~We decided that we should just join him.... it was a great way to start the trip. Much more relaxed, and ready to just chill! Don't worry family... we didn't corrupt Mom & Larry, I didn't pick up any bad habits... besides.. I only smoke when I drink - and it was too early in the morning for a cocktail!~
~One of my favorite things about being in Barcelona (other than being here with my parents and without my two little ones) was being on the water. It was beauty all around us - it was fun walking around the boat harbors~
~Barcelona Harbor with the beautiful palm trees lining the streets ~ We walked along the water the first night because it had a great breeze which was nice on a hot day~
~I love to see the sun reflecting on the water - it was a great first day and we had a fabulous purple & pink sunset this evening~
~We got a new camera, which makes it possible to take pictures of ourselves... with the help of Steve's long arms. This is a walk along the boardwalk - do we look like a couple of relaxed bear cubs ready for some Spanish fun?~
~Barcelona is a beautiful city with many things to see. I just loved the fact that it was something different and new to explore. I loved the architecture and the city vibe. We slept in until 10 a.m. everyday and we were up until 1-2 a.m. This city doesn't sleep!~
~It was so fun to be able to be here with my mom. We were so spoiled having them here in Europe with us. We got to see Italy, lots of Germany, parts of Switzerland, and now Spain - we were in hog heaven~
~We decided to be true tourists on this trip. There was way too much to see in Barcelona by foot - so we decided to buy a two day pass for a hop on / hop off tourist bus - it took us to all of the top things to see. It was a smart decision~
~ Ride em' cowboy! I always like to capture it when Steve climbs up something... this time it was a giant Lion Statue - like I keep saying.. he is such a billy goat~
~You cannot come to Barcelona and not walk down the very busy pedestrian street La Rambla. It is filled with vendors lining the walkway. This is a huge market off of the street that was filled with any and everything!~
~You know you are not in America when...... there are giant slabs of meat hanging out in the hot sun for you to buy! Thanks but no thanks... I think I am now a vegetarian~
~I will never erase these memories of these views from my head - Spain is a beautiful place with its' pink buildings, palm trees and the beautiful, blue Mediterranean~
~Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi - From the outside the façade of Casa Batlló looks like it has been made from skulls and bones. The "Skulls" are in fact balconies and the "bones" are supporting pillars. Gaudi's work is admired by architects around the World as being one of the most unique and distinctive architectural styles~
~Casa Mila by Antonio Gaudi - This building used to be called Casa Mila but nowadays it's more commonly known as La Pedrera which means "quarry" . Gaudi was instrumental in completing this building and his characteristic wavy brick work and colorful tiles are also evident on this masterpiece~
~Gaudi's work was greatly influenced by forms of nature and this is reflected by the use of curved construction stones, twisted iron sculptures, and organic-like forms which are traits of Gaudi's Barcelona architecture~
~La Sagrada Familia - A Giant Temple designed by the master architect Antonio Gaudi. This building has been under construction since 1882 and they've still got another 30 to 80 years to go before it will be finished~
~We were having a fun time seeing all of the sights. It was so nice to be able to hold Steve's hand instead of Cole & Kades for a couple of days ~
~When I say that we spent a lot of time on these buses... I mean it! It was a big part of our trip. We sat on the top level of the double decker bus and rolled our sleeves up so we could go sightseeing and get a tan!~
~The Palau Nacional which houses the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya~
~This is a tower that was built for the 1992 Summer Olympics that were held in Barcelona~
~We decided that we couldn't come to Barcelona and not spend at least a half a day on the beach. We just arrived and we were putting our towels on our chairs when we were approached and asked if we wanted a massage. You will never hear Steve pass up on the opportunity to get a massage (especially one for $5). It was funny... but he was a good sport. And the extra bonus was that he started out with a pound of baby oil on his back - let the frying begin~ This was fun the first time... but we got asked if we wanted a massage by hundreds of these "professionals" that would walk up and down the beach all day long~
~We definitely got a cultural Spain experience when we arrived on the beach. The best people watching I have had in a VERY long time. If you look closely you will notice that most of the women on the beach are topless. Who wants tan lines? ... those are so overrated~
~This is a beautiful picture of beautiful Spanish people... I mean the beautiful Meditteranean. It was so much fun swimming in the warm water, instead of freezing to death like we are so accustomed to from the Oregon Coast. We did get some good tans ~
~Is it just me or does Larry have a really guilty look on his face? Everytime I looked at him he had his face in his book.... sorry for doing this to you Mom & Larry - but you cannot come to Barcelona and not spend time on the beach... and you cannot spend time on the beach in Spain and not see beautiful, topless women - they go hand in hand~
~ After a few hours on the beach we decided that we wanted to make a quick stop at the Park Guell - A magical park with amazing buildings, sculptures, and tile work designed by Gaudi~
~We had a great time exploring together~
~Between these pillars they had musicians playing their instruments. It was beautiful because the tiles made the music amplify out into the park~
~Our apartment loft was absolutely amazing and probably was my most favorite part of our trip. We are standing in front of one of two front doors that are 22' in height. We opened them up to glimpse an incredible view of the 2000 year old Roman wall (the original city boundary)... and it was only seven feet away!
~Every morning when we would wake up, and every night when we would return back to our apartment we would open up the huge front doors - it was the only way to get a good breeze going through. The funny thing is that since there was nothing like this place around... people thought that it was a coffee shop and would walk right into our apartment. They started looking around like they were shopping... we would have to say... "excuse me..this is our home." They would be so embarrassed and we just would laugh. People would climb up on bricks outside just to look in the windows at us - I am telling you.. it was amazing! We talked to lots of people and gave out lots of information for people who wanted to rent here when they would come back: http://www.vrbo.com/19523~
~To the left was a true European bathroom; it is located on an exterior terrace. When it rained.. we would get wet going out to use the bathroom. The shower is in an enclosed room, as is the toilet on this terrace. It was interesting going to the bathroom outside. My mom struggled with this a little bit and said that she felt like she was at girl's camp - I don't think that meant she liked it.... I love unique, and I definitely got that here! To the top right is a loft that we had to climb a ladder up to for our bedroom - I felt like I was living a Spanish version of Swiss Family Robinson! This place was my favorite place I have stayed so far~
~On our last night we decided that we wanted to spend some time on the water. We took a jazz cruise on a large Catamaran. It was beautiful... but the weather started turning ugly on us really fast. We had to huddle together to not get wet.. but we had some good views and definitely made some good memories~
~This was a great way to end our trip. We got to sail, we ate a fabulous dinner, and then went back to play cards in our amazing apartment. We had a wonderful trip to Barcelona~ 
