tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1389746975483863992024-03-05T04:08:32.560-08:00Take A Trip With MeDarleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-18499376221133897832012-02-26T02:45:00.000-08:002012-02-26T02:45:43.309-08:00Germany<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Germany was the trip I was most looking forward to. I wanted to go to Rothenburg ob de Tauber, the city I remember visiting my grandfather in, and Berlin my mom's hometown. Well, then Samuel threw in his desire to see his favorite soccer team Bayern Munchen play in their home stadium in Munich. So basically I was looking at 3 cities far from each other. After countless hours on the computer and trying to figure out things logistically, I decided that Berlin would have to be a separate trip. I'm glad I did because after a week of snow and temperatures around 18 Fahrenheit, we were ready to go back to sunny Italy which was hovering in the high 40's. I took a million pictures because everything and every place looked so beautiful with the snow :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdpk7wiI2rm6cCxtQEdL0f_JCVOlCbxVfAcK_T-pmiQWxLxlexquevVVNFNhBgo1afLRTufgx2hRnR5tdwe-XSwifv5IpuMXdLNs4edeclfAPWNyKsT3QEcGG8d-51F2O5QkX9Xxo1v1q/s1600/IMG_3406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdpk7wiI2rm6cCxtQEdL0f_JCVOlCbxVfAcK_T-pmiQWxLxlexquevVVNFNhBgo1afLRTufgx2hRnR5tdwe-XSwifv5IpuMXdLNs4edeclfAPWNyKsT3QEcGG8d-51F2O5QkX9Xxo1v1q/s320/IMG_3406.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> To keep warm I wore tights, two pairs of socks, undershirt, long sleeve shirt, sweater, jacket, knitted scarf, ear muffs,gloves, and of course shoes and pants. Layering is the way to go!.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDdg60pH77Zoefgs-cxrlURh9e2_tznEDOltpbaCYWUYK145sAIp2sliHzbk64Uphch0uOmUhIbwj9tOzFcpc0lR_78sKgOwvTcRRuZU-b_sbGFIYrq0UbBtu4eZxeTugPwbp2ixCePam/s1600/IMG_3408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDdg60pH77Zoefgs-cxrlURh9e2_tznEDOltpbaCYWUYK145sAIp2sliHzbk64Uphch0uOmUhIbwj9tOzFcpc0lR_78sKgOwvTcRRuZU-b_sbGFIYrq0UbBtu4eZxeTugPwbp2ixCePam/s320/IMG_3408.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> In Marienplatz in Munich, Germany. Notice the frozen water in the fountain.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvuFtqUP36sDVgAWz3hCSCXjkh3HHyfXiQhKajRdMdSKZn8ie-kubt1l8zLyO_wGhLu3xSjktiHQ-wNDfB-uMdaRWKufGbjgho-PWljIaRoJp3rKIuUunhDqrtpvS9Tzd3y4tEBpGjcW8/s1600/P1010355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvuFtqUP36sDVgAWz3hCSCXjkh3HHyfXiQhKajRdMdSKZn8ie-kubt1l8zLyO_wGhLu3xSjktiHQ-wNDfB-uMdaRWKufGbjgho-PWljIaRoJp3rKIuUunhDqrtpvS9Tzd3y4tEBpGjcW8/s320/P1010355.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Had to take a picture of the Apple store for Joshua.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjEzfI4nWDr9TviBJXjKmoCBPNLEJpDpW9FvQrDizliUxsp3C7WpI1q6xWXiFiOLHLDs3cdw4CS1dHmBpMxvfPUxK2pIFDr7u058MGZlyWZ95tf_8tYBPI2KY9O04WQngnNuy_-INWONc/s1600/IMG_3399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjEzfI4nWDr9TviBJXjKmoCBPNLEJpDpW9FvQrDizliUxsp3C7WpI1q6xWXiFiOLHLDs3cdw4CS1dHmBpMxvfPUxK2pIFDr7u058MGZlyWZ95tf_8tYBPI2KY9O04WQngnNuy_-INWONc/s320/IMG_3399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Ok, I'll take a picture now that I have my Starbuck's hot chocolate.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtGvfjmeVGgrMO8ItbTbwLC0en3xCwZxXrRm2ItxcMVMOrivTeKCLGnvUxl5Wwuyp-jDwIXYflUn6ei2tD4g2xOZ7hgnLkBi-0JXG5kb_BQLs3ovuZnPElDh_gvzB23h8Z0BxjxodQD6Q/s1600/P1010357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJtGvfjmeVGgrMO8ItbTbwLC0en3xCwZxXrRm2ItxcMVMOrivTeKCLGnvUxl5Wwuyp-jDwIXYflUn6ei2tD4g2xOZ7hgnLkBi-0JXG5kb_BQLs3ovuZnPElDh_gvzB23h8Z0BxjxodQD6Q/s320/P1010357.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> Marienplatz in Munich<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqU-3u1vAlUFs7YneG4oEP_wfl8JPHtkFouKnWRR95mMCJGGaANuf-t9BHPeqgXMImF-kUpbgHk1mvFcnyqse_mc8I4mWvnMscCq7Qid2mNNVVtyTNSPkrNoHVrbHGQL8zN7oSdxmzd07/s1600/P1010359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqU-3u1vAlUFs7YneG4oEP_wfl8JPHtkFouKnWRR95mMCJGGaANuf-t9BHPeqgXMImF-kUpbgHk1mvFcnyqse_mc8I4mWvnMscCq7Qid2mNNVVtyTNSPkrNoHVrbHGQL8zN7oSdxmzd07/s320/P1010359.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I think the cold is getting to them!!!! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysAlSxz4SDcP_xfQe4vRMgZ8U-GsZVWpM3Gf_r1mzeAH9HKCuZEyzADOBG4OA1amXCVbNNW41rW9DyKVipo0PPs2mpXA5nHQedN3ie-s2YwfkUHyL9dWwEwkJeOWtxke3a3cGh4Imz35S/s1600/P1010362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgysAlSxz4SDcP_xfQe4vRMgZ8U-GsZVWpM3Gf_r1mzeAH9HKCuZEyzADOBG4OA1amXCVbNNW41rW9DyKVipo0PPs2mpXA5nHQedN3ie-s2YwfkUHyL9dWwEwkJeOWtxke3a3cGh4Imz35S/s320/P1010362.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> The entrance to Dachau concentration camp. It was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, on March 22,1933 to it's liberation by the U.S. Army on April 29,1945. It was located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hsoRWLWUn_WwFqrjQN1WGzZPUn06vSiD04JwfOuUtzCeJ1TKMaltGipivRhW35N4kpDf3QzoaoYLMhsUnddDDlrR4QZa0slZ0-AtOgYtR54l_hMarQYV0tDcXHwSGya1N4SWF386SlhG/s1600/P1010370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5hsoRWLWUn_WwFqrjQN1WGzZPUn06vSiD04JwfOuUtzCeJ1TKMaltGipivRhW35N4kpDf3QzoaoYLMhsUnddDDlrR4QZa0slZ0-AtOgYtR54l_hMarQYV0tDcXHwSGya1N4SWF386SlhG/s320/P1010370.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> One of many memorials- Never Again written in many languages<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KKBXpjoFMmAJ9aWAF771aw4kKHDFimrpdnmZ-ciBl9ej6KBxoq_szWUEqBH6zo7WxV9FWxTB6dV28DpLAc9CprW26q8FKePZEJTkD283RgnHzgyU7KOOvnRUJFG7zkCMsM4G5iAQdk7t/s1600/P1010372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KKBXpjoFMmAJ9aWAF771aw4kKHDFimrpdnmZ-ciBl9ej6KBxoq_szWUEqBH6zo7WxV9FWxTB6dV28DpLAc9CprW26q8FKePZEJTkD283RgnHzgyU7KOOvnRUJFG7zkCMsM4G5iAQdk7t/s320/P1010372.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Walking through the center yard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw5FHdakI7PtdjDdXnjviXDxmB-nC6CgJU4ndReVA7flIcNA3jqtn-QP4GWzEnz5Qbm46NYJ2y-I3_hGSWbjnFogeIirKxqQQp-aJqK3F0fzHLW4LyqXDixbx2faVQfLERWGNm_6iDA8A/s1600/P1010374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnw5FHdakI7PtdjDdXnjviXDxmB-nC6CgJU4ndReVA7flIcNA3jqtn-QP4GWzEnz5Qbm46NYJ2y-I3_hGSWbjnFogeIirKxqQQp-aJqK3F0fzHLW4LyqXDixbx2faVQfLERWGNm_6iDA8A/s320/P1010374.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where now you can only see the foundation there once stood 68 barracks for prisoners.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxGqVj7uNf9weQMJDC5XeWMLhyphenhyphenRxokIXTlp5F318u8UfKDpPfPjoOWdD_H9KjzMG4Ti5CeQ3oks_sC5ay2Bc2sWUD1pRo73X4nknminXsQGcKqB0GeQ-LN9Jag1lBV2U8fchvljCUVAvL/s1600/P1010378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxGqVj7uNf9weQMJDC5XeWMLhyphenhyphenRxokIXTlp5F318u8UfKDpPfPjoOWdD_H9KjzMG4Ti5CeQ3oks_sC5ay2Bc2sWUD1pRo73X4nknminXsQGcKqB0GeQ-LN9Jag1lBV2U8fchvljCUVAvL/s320/P1010378.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> The concentration camp was surrounded by an electrified barbed-wire gate, a ditch, and a wall with seven guard towers.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOXQrvdr1Zq6caT0hpnua94t7a5cxdvMQTQAhU51hwrShheOjAbUFoNYbDV-bNGibNiCW3_hVIiLpkyVVdb5zUBS6jM-bnpR7T_ksiiIHjpjpUxNPznZ1XbzTcVoWnsjgRPGU-MK7_qDz/s1600/P1010379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNOXQrvdr1Zq6caT0hpnua94t7a5cxdvMQTQAhU51hwrShheOjAbUFoNYbDV-bNGibNiCW3_hVIiLpkyVVdb5zUBS6jM-bnpR7T_ksiiIHjpjpUxNPznZ1XbzTcVoWnsjgRPGU-MK7_qDz/s320/P1010379.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Hitlers motto Arbeit Macht Frei translates Work Makes Free or Work Liberates. It was a somber day, but one I'm glad the kids got to experience. The horror of the Holocaust must never be forgotten, and now they will pass on what they learned.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowJ1lqwFaD2VEztrwIemme97T4R2AKaHF3xhJBuUOG0MwZ24GaIeU0oCzDgL27kir9vb3nCKZr_6FmO9W1fBWZhyphenhyphenBlqN0fA_4hgrwXqhz1cA_Ifm7lTZFT-uHjrkmtmKCXli5WvotKQfX/s1600/P1010399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgowJ1lqwFaD2VEztrwIemme97T4R2AKaHF3xhJBuUOG0MwZ24GaIeU0oCzDgL27kir9vb3nCKZr_6FmO9W1fBWZhyphenhyphenBlqN0fA_4hgrwXqhz1cA_Ifm7lTZFT-uHjrkmtmKCXli5WvotKQfX/s320/P1010399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Opening ceremony before the soccer game between Bayern Munchen and FC KaiserSlautern. Samuel didn't get to see this because he was getting hot chocolate for all of us :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQFQibAoXAEHf4AdvnijsD72Y_xSu0inTNaew6wfvGxel-GREfNd89iM_z5cF25eO2mmma0UBqKMGdHkwCbwu1VoIdwX-KBMX2Ak5rAajT2zI1Hj5jKbC9xndwW5xcyn6HO-tlJxiphCO/s1600/P1010415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQFQibAoXAEHf4AdvnijsD72Y_xSu0inTNaew6wfvGxel-GREfNd89iM_z5cF25eO2mmma0UBqKMGdHkwCbwu1VoIdwX-KBMX2Ak5rAajT2zI1Hj5jKbC9xndwW5xcyn6HO-tlJxiphCO/s320/P1010415.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> Leaving the stadium with all his soccer memorabilia, he was one happy boy.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qjAZcS9jSOdcvbaNX2RMLZUOejvkqebo545lZOBB-lPGlKxAfChoPiZC088CWrVPtogb_y8MUQ2FkDrAqBzasdwPaFihAUDJbY9H1sj9zdkF6CWh1IkFS-a3NFHq6YM2ahM1nKpO8WbD/s1600/IMG_3410.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qjAZcS9jSOdcvbaNX2RMLZUOejvkqebo545lZOBB-lPGlKxAfChoPiZC088CWrVPtogb_y8MUQ2FkDrAqBzasdwPaFihAUDJbY9H1sj9zdkF6CWh1IkFS-a3NFHq6YM2ahM1nKpO8WbD/s320/IMG_3410.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The town of Rothenburg ob de Tauber. Rothenburg is the country's best-preserved medieval walled town.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZbkTcQYNeQV-JZouyM0GDvM8xoRgYPtfcjycYW_09UeMiCZL42NqHZ-8iRW1pSVhUtlPRuSBjTw0sij26I-5i2QfhJXLznwwnZgzJjnA2TLoSz9DMizwgPqd4PHrdYKydpC3FdYZgMYh/s1600/IMG_3412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTZbkTcQYNeQV-JZouyM0GDvM8xoRgYPtfcjycYW_09UeMiCZL42NqHZ-8iRW1pSVhUtlPRuSBjTw0sij26I-5i2QfhJXLznwwnZgzJjnA2TLoSz9DMizwgPqd4PHrdYKydpC3FdYZgMYh/s320/IMG_3412.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Looking into the valley below. One of my favorite pictures, probably had to do with the snow :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqkjesC03ZWG9qrVaWFwBfVM3DNy9jTKxec2Ve9zyG4x0xX0Udor79hnbVvkFlLvSoFbPgfmlbRN8Y0uCnYwb9enjjOJC60CAYHXF0Y4uFmJEQlUkHVcGP0dkgURep44dGlwTnZwSovd2/s1600/IMG_3418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqkjesC03ZWG9qrVaWFwBfVM3DNy9jTKxec2Ve9zyG4x0xX0Udor79hnbVvkFlLvSoFbPgfmlbRN8Y0uCnYwb9enjjOJC60CAYHXF0Y4uFmJEQlUkHVcGP0dkgURep44dGlwTnZwSovd2/s320/IMG_3418.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Sarah standing in front of a Sneeball (snowball) store. Sneeballs are a specialty of Rothenburg and are pastries that look like snowballs. You can get them with a variety of toppings.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCsc298fdCBsPLjLZ_8SyitHJ5p_-07pbMTZOPwK2XAlYHix72wOteFGU15Ie1ejoclNt8m7aWSu_nZnxhKI4fUUI2tv89A_IDUDH4yztCgXkoquFztugEuEiiJzISX6jAWOPzcrbsVBv/s1600/IMG_3448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinCsc298fdCBsPLjLZ_8SyitHJ5p_-07pbMTZOPwK2XAlYHix72wOteFGU15Ie1ejoclNt8m7aWSu_nZnxhKI4fUUI2tv89A_IDUDH4yztCgXkoquFztugEuEiiJzISX6jAWOPzcrbsVBv/s320/IMG_3448.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51B-oAJvDx3iJBLHBUE1i3FIhT_u4pJoGQBqCck8MsaJal1ydbCNw4a84IeRPFFL8rvht_4DLhxQ97k-JqAoQ__JopZbIBCwcbJfjZvWnYSuRv_UrqHQAGmyOJGwJojbJz4CgxnavJRtA/s1600/IMG_3450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51B-oAJvDx3iJBLHBUE1i3FIhT_u4pJoGQBqCck8MsaJal1ydbCNw4a84IeRPFFL8rvht_4DLhxQ97k-JqAoQ__JopZbIBCwcbJfjZvWnYSuRv_UrqHQAGmyOJGwJojbJz4CgxnavJRtA/s320/IMG_3450.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Loved all the detailing on the houses. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxdOMoe9NmXDLICq-mH7oMyGWE_pc36TiwiF02x1L7HN8U74ElY3HAJ_bDhoHiRXvF0s_515KjKmt5QWQ2MUpF-1IdOg10ys8L5lO9ykVGPp2vkbQqH0U9ME1_kLARkZHB_DcukaKRBfW/s1600/IMG_3455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxdOMoe9NmXDLICq-mH7oMyGWE_pc36TiwiF02x1L7HN8U74ElY3HAJ_bDhoHiRXvF0s_515KjKmt5QWQ2MUpF-1IdOg10ys8L5lO9ykVGPp2vkbQqH0U9ME1_kLARkZHB_DcukaKRBfW/s320/IMG_3455.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Jakob's Church, built in the 14th century</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoEMylVDheFYesyyDmJmZyWxZVFRk4d0AvvNyjIM6ifFR0WugCBot-j3eDGElRDnaHGOjhjiLRMOpHWISb1QMv_c7Y78ZMn9C7AR9r4oFtldxPRmZbbKWxpDBikAfcxTlNVTTt41KuHao/s1600/IMG_3457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWAFpkXPKwEby6kh2oOGm2aPLhpls_n5RCsXnb3uhjzBSa_CtjLen-_pn2SQTb8ZvWdxaQIurT46nXGINX7o-byQWUInMtoIaOsl_xYID0pFZLm62WyP0jsR-XikmIdmEYM_wcqN4CG6d1/s320/IMG_3457.jpg" width="213" /> </a></div> Sarah couldn't resist making a snow angel in the fresh snow. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IZFZ_9iP7Ko38CNYOwLZcGp-w98IO7sjRuQbdQnBOOUNEsVbXOQS_TXVcCdPSpV1-HD9jIknmAf3mGSXatJNTImRl3o7JuqAdY0OyYwWaNS0kKmUrnmyoyzON4zJtt06FUiG1RyTQYuV/s1600/IMG_3467.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IZFZ_9iP7Ko38CNYOwLZcGp-w98IO7sjRuQbdQnBOOUNEsVbXOQS_TXVcCdPSpV1-HD9jIknmAf3mGSXatJNTImRl3o7JuqAdY0OyYwWaNS0kKmUrnmyoyzON4zJtt06FUiG1RyTQYuV/s320/IMG_3467.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>One of the six entrances to the town. In Medieval times the entrances would be blocked during times of war or invasions.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjSHBEf8vxzpifEsrfYDJoujI_4XmjYOwB59utaKw0p9iw-rGtbFvpCoaR1QllCOVcdYp9qFBbXgAqf-RWEhFOfPvocjlYZS7vJJ5HZLiViY7GQaDF-OfFRk9q4vQBSrhgn6rNn5Hdzuh/s1600/IMG_3470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwjSHBEf8vxzpifEsrfYDJoujI_4XmjYOwB59utaKw0p9iw-rGtbFvpCoaR1QllCOVcdYp9qFBbXgAqf-RWEhFOfPvocjlYZS7vJJ5HZLiViY7GQaDF-OfFRk9q4vQBSrhgn6rNn5Hdzuh/s320/IMG_3470.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The last time I came to Rothenburg was around 18 years ago for my grandfathers funeral. It was also winter so they didn't have a headstone for him. The kids and I came to the cemetery to try to find it now and of course it was futile.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQwkLHeRwWZoLNetJdUVVcgEeR0_pLUt2P1upnIis2Q9ujEnI8nyUx3PnqqANANTdk-gI5QThFpbOf0x8vvarWhJpHh6INqDsVWLwNvj7MQsr_QYOEh_k6RsnW5O8ZlWRn2aZOkWzegpM/s1600/IMG_3471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUQwkLHeRwWZoLNetJdUVVcgEeR0_pLUt2P1upnIis2Q9ujEnI8nyUx3PnqqANANTdk-gI5QThFpbOf0x8vvarWhJpHh6INqDsVWLwNvj7MQsr_QYOEh_k6RsnW5O8ZlWRn2aZOkWzegpM/s320/IMG_3471.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGhlwRHZoQ1yXoQSnLskHRPzBa4wI0yDJ7ZXMn2zidVoUP3u3SH2liqtnfyi6gabSKeB33sEMghpLv3Vswl9COF5R5eRcw1iCEnpzghJVFszj1HRoos57su9KCZADvImhUL5pwdC09hOK/s1600/IMG_3481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGhlwRHZoQ1yXoQSnLskHRPzBa4wI0yDJ7ZXMn2zidVoUP3u3SH2liqtnfyi6gabSKeB33sEMghpLv3Vswl9COF5R5eRcw1iCEnpzghJVFszj1HRoos57su9KCZADvImhUL5pwdC09hOK/s320/IMG_3481.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> The next three pictures were taken in the Burggarten or Castle Garden. I have been in the gardens many times during the summer, but for the first time got to see the beauty in the winter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigU1Qo-csw8balld2DCopsF5K_A2kfoaQdovTLy_nnlIdrzsEWtz90lsG3vmljD7Ifi_gDaOUjcSLwns42Yt3Q6X3d1GsUBZC52F1cjXu1eNHV3rLjcvjjHeAhZHFdxkm1LjaOqLeXhTBg/s1600/IMG_3497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigU1Qo-csw8balld2DCopsF5K_A2kfoaQdovTLy_nnlIdrzsEWtz90lsG3vmljD7Ifi_gDaOUjcSLwns42Yt3Q6X3d1GsUBZC52F1cjXu1eNHV3rLjcvjjHeAhZHFdxkm1LjaOqLeXhTBg/s320/IMG_3497.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1z7Gkf4azlmg_z7CdzwN0Ng0oS9fYlNsCBUvD2DQmpqOmUVchtdJEZ7alTsLUGBpjR_ucsoshtwQ_UKzGbX_Csc4UKoQu1brFxZUUhypNIRQ4lO8jTZKQcKuRD1RO7HDGK9uHcjZksdy/s1600/IMG_3499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1z7Gkf4azlmg_z7CdzwN0Ng0oS9fYlNsCBUvD2DQmpqOmUVchtdJEZ7alTsLUGBpjR_ucsoshtwQ_UKzGbX_Csc4UKoQu1brFxZUUhypNIRQ4lO8jTZKQcKuRD1RO7HDGK9uHcjZksdy/s320/IMG_3499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BBenNMDFKj1FXXeaoFbOcXRWt0xuEJPM8MMhyphenhyphen_7Jv9z5aDbTas3iXwJtL92F3xr9JrTZsJHvFj8BRwmlEPy0uin0POil-Zd3OcXmvCTF58T4GMPliqqd1RuygM_smer-_DaGeY7veTay/s1600/IMG_3506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BBenNMDFKj1FXXeaoFbOcXRWt0xuEJPM8MMhyphenhyphen_7Jv9z5aDbTas3iXwJtL92F3xr9JrTZsJHvFj8BRwmlEPy0uin0POil-Zd3OcXmvCTF58T4GMPliqqd1RuygM_smer-_DaGeY7veTay/s320/IMG_3506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> In front of one of the many restaurants.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Xa1YQxCkdIRnPFIE48X8aTjJDKPrEanOxRVel4QjN_O-iTagAenMPjLsOWJLNXVrkAyiwAY1gxkDTVRAbtalNlkyXGhDhkr-3dcoKX9bpFGeKXIdh6hklD4y923pRoe9b3cuzxfQ6_LP/s1600/IMG_3515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Xa1YQxCkdIRnPFIE48X8aTjJDKPrEanOxRVel4QjN_O-iTagAenMPjLsOWJLNXVrkAyiwAY1gxkDTVRAbtalNlkyXGhDhkr-3dcoKX9bpFGeKXIdh6hklD4y923pRoe9b3cuzxfQ6_LP/s320/IMG_3515.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>Thus ended our trip through Munich and Rothenburg. If I could have comprehended how cold it would be, or that we would have snow the whole time, I might have delayed it. Lucky for me I didn't delay the trip because the snow made everything so beautiful.<br />
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</div>Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-89025078998723889082012-01-31T13:27:00.000-08:002012-01-31T13:27:45.677-08:00Art Masters payed off-thank you Amy: Barcelona,Spain<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAndJuuksruYQxtggK9Ii1txOtvZQntobbw_Fl5GpaykouEB5EmPwXYt51wmvfSncgHephPC9PQqSVRyz1rNEXNKJE8r-Q4cH6qrhHNn5ekfn_f4LPxgcxkJLDsEpv2z77pJymsmI4SMi/s1600/IMG_2901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAndJuuksruYQxtggK9Ii1txOtvZQntobbw_Fl5GpaykouEB5EmPwXYt51wmvfSncgHephPC9PQqSVRyz1rNEXNKJE8r-Q4cH6qrhHNn5ekfn_f4LPxgcxkJLDsEpv2z77pJymsmI4SMi/s320/IMG_2901.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
</tbody></table> Waiting in the rain outside the Pablo Picasso Museum,notice JT in the gray jacket :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnRGqkYtcQkRFtYPsKABu7jJpMOb6CVWm-knCdSQHTjQmHzXz87n8pp1pYJIU2LsBy8J-iiFsaziyVRq6rYXXfeBaazoHU7J0IQESLzf-ivy4om6bK5fLYdVrVj8ZbZhnBxblXO4lqt5b/s1600/IMG_2902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnRGqkYtcQkRFtYPsKABu7jJpMOb6CVWm-knCdSQHTjQmHzXz87n8pp1pYJIU2LsBy8J-iiFsaziyVRq6rYXXfeBaazoHU7J0IQESLzf-ivy4om6bK5fLYdVrVj8ZbZhnBxblXO4lqt5b/s320/IMG_2902.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> Johanna, Joshua, JT between their heads, and creepy looking Samuel in the background. The kids were always trying to be funny(ruin) my posed pictures. Now its kind of funny,at the time not so funny.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDhsjuI2wVGWuDnymGZH15aJicthqWUURD9F_jB9HKF1x_8QqiERzLaqz8RTUxY5xAHnm7wCftZYaP819Mn2cea5Mkdum-5ZNdcnAOMW0P9EXEGIpCnPQsQCfYJIWTlydLMjYTRAaZZ0q/s1600/IMG_2907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwDhsjuI2wVGWuDnymGZH15aJicthqWUURD9F_jB9HKF1x_8QqiERzLaqz8RTUxY5xAHnm7wCftZYaP819Mn2cea5Mkdum-5ZNdcnAOMW0P9EXEGIpCnPQsQCfYJIWTlydLMjYTRAaZZ0q/s320/IMG_2907.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> In front of the museum. We wondered why the line was sooo long, we had to wait for about an hour to get in. When we got to the cashier and tried to pay she told us that on the day and time we were there the museum is FREE!!! We saved 50 Euros so about $70 bucks. This museum has the best collection in the country of the work of Picasso, especially his early works since he spent his formative years, ages 14-21 in Barcelona.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVOKpJVYKeTwsYSF76QEfgLxba_RHYjlsKbeJsveocxCu5kes9Hf5HxuhZ4XifAeNordDxJBDppDU7PZg_BxT-rAI9HMa6wfhFaIWNPx6TFBm4ctG6NDQEB42pYCg_ARpxiVmMbV-9PV4/s1600/IMG_2909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVOKpJVYKeTwsYSF76QEfgLxba_RHYjlsKbeJsveocxCu5kes9Hf5HxuhZ4XifAeNordDxJBDppDU7PZg_BxT-rAI9HMa6wfhFaIWNPx6TFBm4ctG6NDQEB42pYCg_ARpxiVmMbV-9PV4/s320/IMG_2909.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> Christopher Columbus Monument, 200 feet tall built in 1888 for an exposition. It is at the point where Ferdinand and Isabel welcomed Columbus home after his first trip to America.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YKbe6kWme7KL7ZKPhfGLmu3Xywoo75BJpsZWlOUXmab2Hs65F1JP-YUbD74l6nEtPJ3IyDHH8n1rKaEB9_fH9l1tXtRlBZXSQKIahmUpq65EpawGzMB_7gh0O5S1iK7wMMJA_od6YkRn/s1600/IMG_2914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YKbe6kWme7KL7ZKPhfGLmu3Xywoo75BJpsZWlOUXmab2Hs65F1JP-YUbD74l6nEtPJ3IyDHH8n1rKaEB9_fH9l1tXtRlBZXSQKIahmUpq65EpawGzMB_7gh0O5S1iK7wMMJA_od6YkRn/s320/IMG_2914.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Most of the countries we went to have an area where they allow graffiti<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjul1QNbpPcyOww1CpXVHqsZCuMhIQLP1RUYs4usdH2Dhf9hMmGI3krbuBS7KhPMjLf8zAiOcawNEWfIHtWEMSW72NHql-Jq05F175FvvCm7C-kVXLQviSwOpgawKh0Yw1W33iYFMtbSm4R/s1600/IMG_2927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjul1QNbpPcyOww1CpXVHqsZCuMhIQLP1RUYs4usdH2Dhf9hMmGI3krbuBS7KhPMjLf8zAiOcawNEWfIHtWEMSW72NHql-Jq05F175FvvCm7C-kVXLQviSwOpgawKh0Yw1W33iYFMtbSm4R/s320/IMG_2927.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Sarah and JT went up in an aerial gondola and took this city view. I missed out because of my fear of heights :(<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RhQ6eGtGJbTn8bgIut7kYbQP-ICITKY591r3SwqvMFRGEUsWPoWKGZAfuqpJHtF8VoF4FIjcEJCTvsIarx_d4E88Ze2XEpD6oRy9w3wdyMnU5ldNM4xh_kRKsvl7Gwg2xxGL3YR63HDp/s1600/IMG_2938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RhQ6eGtGJbTn8bgIut7kYbQP-ICITKY591r3SwqvMFRGEUsWPoWKGZAfuqpJHtF8VoF4FIjcEJCTvsIarx_d4E88Ze2XEpD6oRy9w3wdyMnU5ldNM4xh_kRKsvl7Gwg2xxGL3YR63HDp/s320/IMG_2938.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aUBlsTehjJ3k0IUerIm2CLyXb7iYEk_GCK_cIcFfB_L3Crt5ngG4D6Fg2-JKkZPSr-R6McKZEeZ7vfAn8KU_YrXdH4iaJUuL7DYEDYPQfKaKP-hqnQOWXPYu0pGDKNROtKk5eQWvs9h2/s1600/IMG_2857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aUBlsTehjJ3k0IUerIm2CLyXb7iYEk_GCK_cIcFfB_L3Crt5ngG4D6Fg2-JKkZPSr-R6McKZEeZ7vfAn8KU_YrXdH4iaJUuL7DYEDYPQfKaKP-hqnQOWXPYu0pGDKNROtKk5eQWvs9h2/s320/IMG_2857.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> Many visitors come to Barcelona for its Modernista architecture. The most influential name is Antoni Gaudi(1852-1926) Gaudi's most famous and unfinished landmark church is the Sagrada Familia or Holy Family Church. He worked on the Sagrada Familia from 1883 until his death. Since then construction has moved forward in spurts since the church is funded exclusively by private donations and entry fees. It is not expected to be completed for another 25 years. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC54yYtwzop5E6JBZzHEWb-JRBQT6HbkzTmGZRMi9lx_7Iuo5OGVHbQRFOe8f5Gd0jEOCy4eAXPKkqwVPnjulL906M__dUzmP0E9whyphenhyphenYD4gy84_tmPzqJo2y35Y0AtomSSCxn3OuOo_DlK/s1600/IMG_2860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC54yYtwzop5E6JBZzHEWb-JRBQT6HbkzTmGZRMi9lx_7Iuo5OGVHbQRFOe8f5Gd0jEOCy4eAXPKkqwVPnjulL906M__dUzmP0E9whyphenhyphenYD4gy84_tmPzqJo2y35Y0AtomSSCxn3OuOo_DlK/s320/IMG_2860.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The rest of the church has been inspired by Gaudi's vision but designed and executed by others. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt_psrhgHmSR_IgAk0_VKWVS9N8HQnN79GZjBGOXXInb-LX8S1MLMG0yDuRpTsKZpPa4cPKSOCD1WiICnXR_ywMPf5PHnCK1tz8mvcKmRNzrJYk0wzfnkhx5VPlqCB5hvfoH74DzSVzNh/s1600/IMG_2869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEt_psrhgHmSR_IgAk0_VKWVS9N8HQnN79GZjBGOXXInb-LX8S1MLMG0yDuRpTsKZpPa4cPKSOCD1WiICnXR_ywMPf5PHnCK1tz8mvcKmRNzrJYk0wzfnkhx5VPlqCB5hvfoH74DzSVzNh/s320/IMG_2869.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> It is amazing to see all the different artists interpretations in this one church. Everywhere you look its amazing, you notice different details. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW4o1fc8y1OnnAnCDfP-fPZc5X2gTp7WfxsUt4Nc7GRa7jnC17StjBOZgOTuN6Z6ujIvx-pDsHIvarwWP5ukersEEUV2YvnhBITzK8NAxF381mlyW6XhD2UwXK_AXmtopSxDYNm-flUJ7/s1600/IMG_2873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW4o1fc8y1OnnAnCDfP-fPZc5X2gTp7WfxsUt4Nc7GRa7jnC17StjBOZgOTuN6Z6ujIvx-pDsHIvarwWP5ukersEEUV2YvnhBITzK8NAxF381mlyW6XhD2UwXK_AXmtopSxDYNm-flUJ7/s320/IMG_2873.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> Not your tradition Catholic church, but a very modern version.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo40tGOT4QMc4Uez6eVBJOF2-HmMaz_imPiPmvn0dkmXujeOHmXdBtzvw-Nqce5wCZdm7i82-aKnwujNWPEAtuzdEh7-iNe7kaoJMm89VR0FzBjDgWG-ISgRxifOwtoA7KOUKT_VUfKvZX/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo40tGOT4QMc4Uez6eVBJOF2-HmMaz_imPiPmvn0dkmXujeOHmXdBtzvw-Nqce5wCZdm7i82-aKnwujNWPEAtuzdEh7-iNe7kaoJMm89VR0FzBjDgWG-ISgRxifOwtoA7KOUKT_VUfKvZX/s320/IMG_2878.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>In mid September we headed off for Barcelona,Spain. Why Barcelona,well Joshua's friend JT had mentioned he would like to go there,and it was a cheap non-stop flight on Ryan Air. Bought our tickets, rented an apartment, and off we went. The flight was fine and we caught a bus to take us into the city. Then we needed to catch the Metro and upon exiting, walk a couple of blocks to our apartment where the landlord would be waiting. Well needless to say, do to ALL the involved parties, we got lost. Luckily this was in the afternoon and we didn't have much luggage, because the catch to flying Ryan Air is you are only allowed one piece of carry on luggage,basically the size of a man's basketball shoe box. Oh and if you have a purse, that needs to fit into the shoe box :) Ok back to the story. Well thanks to JT and his Iphone and whatever app you use to navigate,we found the place. When we were outside the apartment we called the landlord and let him know we were there. He proceeds to exit the bar next door and all the introductions were made. Lets just say he had been at the bar for a while and was really happy to see us, show us around the apartment and talk. The kids thought it was hysterical until he got too close to you. We finally got him to leave and were trying to leave ourselves when we decided to test the door locks. Basically, if we left the apartment we would be locked out because one of the tumblers on the lock was broken. We called the landlord immediately and lucky for us he was still close by, that's right, in the bar downstairs!! After him telling me how much it was going to cost him to have a locksmith come out,as if it was my fault, the lock was fixed and we were off. That was our first 3 hours in Barcelona...haha<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Back to the title of this post. Art Masters is an art program purchased by our school.The lovely, lively, and knowledgeable Mrs. Amy Donfrio comes into the school, gives a lecture with slide show to the students about a particular artist, and later in the week comes into our classrooms and does an appropriate art project related to that artist. All eleven years I've been at Los Altos, Amy has been our Art Masters instructor. When we got to Barcelona, there was art everywhere, in the buildings,on the walls,the architecture and of course in the Pablo Picasso museum. I have sat through numerous slide shows where we have been instructed to look at the art and "notice the lines, follow the curve of the brushstroke, take in the colors, take in the lack of color" I have been prompted to ask myself "why did the artist: use shading, lots of color, only black and white, focus on different objects, use hard edges, use exaggeration, do close-up, do distant " you get the idea. Well the instruction that was suppose to teach the students, was actually teaching their teacher :) As I was looking at the art of the city of Barcelona, I could hear Amy's voice prompting me to "SEE" all that was around me. Thanks Amy :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgLxDhXD-wa0T5Ec728PFZLzpLb3OeurPhy3HIrRTSkQXIfKYjzagq5wEonpZ4Xfc7D-u37dRONlK4sLnBuEX201hC4qteIxtWcxyBgzVQn1Il5ZbYnEkk4qvc3DVdlMhNkjqWQO0tGRD/s1600/IMG_2831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgLxDhXD-wa0T5Ec728PFZLzpLb3OeurPhy3HIrRTSkQXIfKYjzagq5wEonpZ4Xfc7D-u37dRONlK4sLnBuEX201hC4qteIxtWcxyBgzVQn1Il5ZbYnEkk4qvc3DVdlMhNkjqWQO0tGRD/s320/IMG_2831.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> The view from our front balcony.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5qCLqGgjvtFAAR9wDW47-RtqOK-c7jgkbgS9cSpYCPmoUC91dUNQ0EDziqefz-PLQkQDfE6Jn-G4cZDcJ-Qqvy7XZaCb-jjSTbQe0h_XfVPeJ7KroN25W2Lhi23hiDXfA4ZljtVzOUjp/s1600/IMG_2837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM5qCLqGgjvtFAAR9wDW47-RtqOK-c7jgkbgS9cSpYCPmoUC91dUNQ0EDziqefz-PLQkQDfE6Jn-G4cZDcJ-Qqvy7XZaCb-jjSTbQe0h_XfVPeJ7KroN25W2Lhi23hiDXfA4ZljtVzOUjp/s320/IMG_2837.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: small;">A Tapas restaurant, that's ham hanging from the ceiling.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"></div><span id="goog_789677866"></span><span id="goog_789677867"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG04F3wY0Xuy-Yw3YfDwsVzplQNvesyeHtmjMydXPXwNU6ybAY8T-79lbhFPXDcAYI1t3HPkD_cBm1T_g2huCA6Vyn8ehe9cp64qzbWYYWg7MgGh9xb3n3VmyMkhiZ-ZIM2vsnBs3dBfg/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDG04F3wY0Xuy-Yw3YfDwsVzplQNvesyeHtmjMydXPXwNU6ybAY8T-79lbhFPXDcAYI1t3HPkD_cBm1T_g2huCA6Vyn8ehe9cp64qzbWYYWg7MgGh9xb3n3VmyMkhiZ-ZIM2vsnBs3dBfg/s320/IMG_2838.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Enjoying a good meal.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7vsPhyQaOF3GyrhVRQp2H-bQd31TcDoznC7GC2hoYuy9XVoh5HVJi0reSnT4mi3DoOjALBbyuuVguoxazepqvON19G4b-VPy9hxoZC-w-BuubeMDYTzfL4h3sEsHhQmxJGHMPG7O6gFK/s1600/IMG_2887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL7vsPhyQaOF3GyrhVRQp2H-bQd31TcDoznC7GC2hoYuy9XVoh5HVJi0reSnT4mi3DoOjALBbyuuVguoxazepqvON19G4b-VPy9hxoZC-w-BuubeMDYTzfL4h3sEsHhQmxJGHMPG7O6gFK/s320/IMG_2887.jpg" width="213" /></a></div> Stained glass windows of the Sagrada Familia<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4awszc_mEfDlA28eC0FIvuHci7vB2S2I4k4ft7HIkr6KOrEbXIlNnCtsbNw8C29e-MFcn9M3KKeT4hFO10g9FhBHcnxETHsBukyroT8_NVZz-j0q9p4rpKv9vnOVayVj3vebKEu3IEP48/s1600/IMG_2893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4awszc_mEfDlA28eC0FIvuHci7vB2S2I4k4ft7HIkr6KOrEbXIlNnCtsbNw8C29e-MFcn9M3KKeT4hFO10g9FhBHcnxETHsBukyroT8_NVZz-j0q9p4rpKv9vnOVayVj3vebKEu3IEP48/s320/IMG_2893.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsJvLol6TE6o-F7LztW8fLI0cqfK4QcguqnhUjCBpAcP7CdWmJ72PRPXMil9NeSWbpjVButShwrs-ENQH7qwMfb2H67fGcFy49MO-FQjHGier8AeEBJqmhx2lcHeccWwhoe9EXPZv-yMd/s1600/IMG_2896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsJvLol6TE6o-F7LztW8fLI0cqfK4QcguqnhUjCBpAcP7CdWmJ72PRPXMil9NeSWbpjVButShwrs-ENQH7qwMfb2H67fGcFy49MO-FQjHGier8AeEBJqmhx2lcHeccWwhoe9EXPZv-yMd/s320/IMG_2896.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9DB3cdT6JRaQCA5pduLfs3mXKIAeBeCZCw61qclvSzcraJYnw02NOvc4pK8QVwO49wkPh1hyK0oAzqnD-OFhBhcgVal1jZsLVqZyzHo2KbbOoJfOc4Qk1SpjLK2ttE-tIKf8vyaxkYs0/s1600/IMG_2842.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT9DB3cdT6JRaQCA5pduLfs3mXKIAeBeCZCw61qclvSzcraJYnw02NOvc4pK8QVwO49wkPh1hyK0oAzqnD-OFhBhcgVal1jZsLVqZyzHo2KbbOoJfOc4Qk1SpjLK2ttE-tIKf8vyaxkYs0/s320/IMG_2842.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We had a great time!!! Sorry the pictures are out of order, I didn't have Joshua to help me :)</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-59389125566905952062011-10-02T08:58:00.000-07:002011-10-02T08:58:45.731-07:00England<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTF0vRIZ-qYyGnREAkGbI5v36r2dNkG4GEO7Q9H4tZtmQPtr8_fMTdX87jIn3ti2INby4-3wUUn0H18U5vWUZaO5M2K-2LzAccO1rT8FvpK89w6oXjqhh6oJl96pnjgGoyN_vw2I2e01cB/s1600/IMG_2764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTF0vRIZ-qYyGnREAkGbI5v36r2dNkG4GEO7Q9H4tZtmQPtr8_fMTdX87jIn3ti2INby4-3wUUn0H18U5vWUZaO5M2K-2LzAccO1rT8FvpK89w6oXjqhh6oJl96pnjgGoyN_vw2I2e01cB/s320/IMG_2764.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johanna and Brittany Spears :) at Madame Tussard's</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMgMfj_q-ELKNw52OjGBcrjzsFbkGqR6H0yOttTQ0J-unSUOlLC0Rm9EG9p_8r5hsuZBnuG90WWrdTd_fgX-Kx3G3nia_Nznvo5wYzTj2h-bbpPBbvNG3grwIvLvFuegGOQ5wALJhuIRi/s1600/IMG_2511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMgMfj_q-ELKNw52OjGBcrjzsFbkGqR6H0yOttTQ0J-unSUOlLC0Rm9EG9p_8r5hsuZBnuG90WWrdTd_fgX-Kx3G3nia_Nznvo5wYzTj2h-bbpPBbvNG3grwIvLvFuegGOQ5wALJhuIRi/s320/IMG_2511.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first apartment on Henrietta Street in Covent Garden</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktIShFdpXNBPseE4typ5snt_IonkA3kPZVBTr3VhlPnZlE7bbW6OYd5IksnZy8-53UnHSPxnZHKpW4C1Yachac4xaSk6Oi7c_grFQMz6mL279EZxPbCpRq4iMPRpvnbil9nOQI45Enyy9/s1600/IMG_2512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktIShFdpXNBPseE4typ5snt_IonkA3kPZVBTr3VhlPnZlE7bbW6OYd5IksnZy8-53UnHSPxnZHKpW4C1Yachac4xaSk6Oi7c_grFQMz6mL279EZxPbCpRq4iMPRpvnbil9nOQI45Enyy9/s320/IMG_2512.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gxg1UiM7Oy3ll2-OaciFRj5dsmUV87rEkwS_SJKB1Ea9uJ6z6xbb6_QcFtcqBCMlledAEEMTeSjnBEiEJ4js8PrgfuqeYAzL9ct-U5EC1JUzdpVTxaAbETTKRYqQoPxYqHd7O4DjtV1b/s1600/IMG_2513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3gxg1UiM7Oy3ll2-OaciFRj5dsmUV87rEkwS_SJKB1Ea9uJ6z6xbb6_QcFtcqBCMlledAEEMTeSjnBEiEJ4js8PrgfuqeYAzL9ct-U5EC1JUzdpVTxaAbETTKRYqQoPxYqHd7O4DjtV1b/s320/IMG_2513.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First American food in a loooonnnnngggg time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRyqGTf1JfpJgEspNp_8wj6JMJEGDRiM9tJswF7YsYfBYTr0aWuoeqi06RTP9GLJugysUc6dT7P2Y4S_LRDyMvekMXTxL06Bd8njEfxEdMklv_z_hyphenhyphenq2yb8mEiRR5LjiEAnQe_K-otyyw/s1600/IMG_2514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNRyqGTf1JfpJgEspNp_8wj6JMJEGDRiM9tJswF7YsYfBYTr0aWuoeqi06RTP9GLJugysUc6dT7P2Y4S_LRDyMvekMXTxL06Bd8njEfxEdMklv_z_hyphenhyphenq2yb8mEiRR5LjiEAnQe_K-otyyw/s320/IMG_2514.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pan pizza yummy</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBHPHZcNAhAmXUhz2swOIX08BlyCM1RQZCiakuRo7fZ0bIjvwU4idqyynXwIYhXXpzEZ74v7OUEoTbQTNZmOLX6XnRijevFXZDfdIpXUf76YE0ZBHOdgZ-IUjuodvW83j_9mDkFk5-Xop/s1600/IMG_2519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBHPHZcNAhAmXUhz2swOIX08BlyCM1RQZCiakuRo7fZ0bIjvwU4idqyynXwIYhXXpzEZ74v7OUEoTbQTNZmOLX6XnRijevFXZDfdIpXUf76YE0ZBHOdgZ-IUjuodvW83j_9mDkFk5-Xop/s320/IMG_2519.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French bakery across the street</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XofA58yKgoL9r00ySXkmqxs3rE9AYzgW6UXrnwjzs_41fhM5IzuC2ylsXcz6plLDzrBB8r5YLVp66jy7XrxdTN0_5NUB5p5Xbftee5YvxblFAdem_fkt7kFpCf3ce9eh2wIY0p6o0An-/s1600/IMG_2520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4XofA58yKgoL9r00ySXkmqxs3rE9AYzgW6UXrnwjzs_41fhM5IzuC2ylsXcz6plLDzrBB8r5YLVp66jy7XrxdTN0_5NUB5p5Xbftee5YvxblFAdem_fkt7kFpCf3ce9eh2wIY0p6o0An-/s320/IMG_2520.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun on a cute London street</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-MHJTpsaWd5G_0uQ6BZRqovMX0HysFZTG_PPmKXJNMwsWTYoJSPTdcdJeUoEZP8D5xaTH5CfmILLQNAfS78dJc-NFxxhXen7788XQgGCO7Iil7oEW3YhTiiha4XFQseB0WRhoLNeXEof/s1600/IMG_2523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD-MHJTpsaWd5G_0uQ6BZRqovMX0HysFZTG_PPmKXJNMwsWTYoJSPTdcdJeUoEZP8D5xaTH5CfmILLQNAfS78dJc-NFxxhXen7788XQgGCO7Iil7oEW3YhTiiha4XFQseB0WRhoLNeXEof/s320/IMG_2523.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, the phone booth does work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3Npxos0P8W4pbo8rtY5xUBFUXQmZPbAmJkLA2pg-MM_Gw5cVTIqvi9hJHtGgz5MwzlUD4FYs7mVQQ_8XBRizYEyvsVJCWujM8-2v5zxCw3IYjzSBgF8gu1WBBdKoqFWtzplmYOUekI6J/s1600/IMG_2525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3Npxos0P8W4pbo8rtY5xUBFUXQmZPbAmJkLA2pg-MM_Gw5cVTIqvi9hJHtGgz5MwzlUD4FYs7mVQQ_8XBRizYEyvsVJCWujM8-2v5zxCw3IYjzSBgF8gu1WBBdKoqFWtzplmYOUekI6J/s320/IMG_2525.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua's 24th birthday and where did he want to go, Chipotle, the only one is Europe was in London :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrDUVip2jZnkxnTJlvN2cTji_GW0-UluBxEYQqaElUQ7WsaU5LarsGI2WqwxLFXGU3o56hIL3O97042AJ29j3stWBT9SfQBc1t8Sy2UCToyMEnSKcstFbVAzz4uG68aS5-bAK_n-K7WJJ/s1600/IMG_2526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrDUVip2jZnkxnTJlvN2cTji_GW0-UluBxEYQqaElUQ7WsaU5LarsGI2WqwxLFXGU3o56hIL3O97042AJ29j3stWBT9SfQBc1t8Sy2UCToyMEnSKcstFbVAzz4uG68aS5-bAK_n-K7WJJ/s320/IMG_2526.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua pointing to the wallpaper in Chipotle to the sentence that says "I am not addicted"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZV3rnvfjwNRiR2NcMM5QiQ3ZgpcXcuG8-k8fB-1Jf72y0S9-Ws_hr8rhaKoRYQ4A461FfpGL73GX3paNFQA5XgDyd5bszXiu30E4FUYa9IHTrTwz1ydjYaPaJKcZ8xOjkghyImBTVwJt/s1600/IMG_2551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZV3rnvfjwNRiR2NcMM5QiQ3ZgpcXcuG8-k8fB-1Jf72y0S9-Ws_hr8rhaKoRYQ4A461FfpGL73GX3paNFQA5XgDyd5bszXiu30E4FUYa9IHTrTwz1ydjYaPaJKcZ8xOjkghyImBTVwJt/s320/IMG_2551.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UUUmmm some fountain in London haha</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZQXJk559lLdKhUZePTvWuIADAJaFEChY6RECoXh0nrVqohYSoGWGdfHoWXm4IM7iQcdKAmgwfBZyaB0IJSEXL_Q5BKWMrPyHUl3d-vfl-NDuDnPZ2jQi9KMxIuHvaBfTgL-TtS0ZLx9S/s1600/IMG_2560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZQXJk559lLdKhUZePTvWuIADAJaFEChY6RECoXh0nrVqohYSoGWGdfHoWXm4IM7iQcdKAmgwfBZyaB0IJSEXL_Q5BKWMrPyHUl3d-vfl-NDuDnPZ2jQi9KMxIuHvaBfTgL-TtS0ZLx9S/s320/IMG_2560.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben from a very far distance.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5rR33XCY3HZlA2YUgptw-0xEBNB2FlVjueIwJehbv2kDe8o0pEu9tZdkezf3fXbHGA6XgvVu3EmofcgjrZFqyksihWXeIXvnP9LTQEp_6ardKGXrFDb8CRDhpPcvTPVlogjegmunca7Q/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5rR33XCY3HZlA2YUgptw-0xEBNB2FlVjueIwJehbv2kDe8o0pEu9tZdkezf3fXbHGA6XgvVu3EmofcgjrZFqyksihWXeIXvnP9LTQEp_6ardKGXrFDb8CRDhpPcvTPVlogjegmunca7Q/s320/IMG_2565.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where to go next????</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYQofiQpsqe_OkQ7QSgLiScbp7yk0wwwd9EQ7pUITlh52wAcMr4bnS0GdfnxV1vlvwZU0Iih6vT2NB20vS-VQSPa12RxmCSgDTEUILHtZb_6QEc9aTPPtnH4g0B9FZ0-8A0atRSL17qjr/s1600/IMG_2588.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYQofiQpsqe_OkQ7QSgLiScbp7yk0wwwd9EQ7pUITlh52wAcMr4bnS0GdfnxV1vlvwZU0Iih6vT2NB20vS-VQSPa12RxmCSgDTEUILHtZb_6QEc9aTPPtnH4g0B9FZ0-8A0atRSL17qjr/s320/IMG_2588.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben very close up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfgarl-sNIAFBcw2_4an6ePqNsBcDUfS8Rvth9q6XihFXlV9kxUy7K8oyKf13BQhyphenhyphen9awfVSG3gzLi_IYA0u4soXirvCVa7d4tVopDOA2-8qUVyC17vadlgswkWSY17qV_qZzp2Eo4grhz/s1600/IMG_2594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfgarl-sNIAFBcw2_4an6ePqNsBcDUfS8Rvth9q6XihFXlV9kxUy7K8oyKf13BQhyphenhyphen9awfVSG3gzLi_IYA0u4soXirvCVa7d4tVopDOA2-8qUVyC17vadlgswkWSY17qV_qZzp2Eo4grhz/s320/IMG_2594.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The London Eye, the WORLD'S highest observational wheel, each pod holds around 30 people.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtoZaOsg4mmK382ScooPtaQAQtrXyHVrRpY94WDzC2mU8oK-a9e3bgVOn_QJ8G4WlFV4OD90jcHJCFNbSFvRIaS92IU7iZ5Bd0xy5NPkur9UGBv_qL_AC0JN5LHKK5bvsHAUyYaGhjasz/s1600/IMG_2607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtoZaOsg4mmK382ScooPtaQAQtrXyHVrRpY94WDzC2mU8oK-a9e3bgVOn_QJ8G4WlFV4OD90jcHJCFNbSFvRIaS92IU7iZ5Bd0xy5NPkur9UGBv_qL_AC0JN5LHKK5bvsHAUyYaGhjasz/s320/IMG_2607.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah in front of the House of Parliament</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLBu6MIzofTvqH5ZBSkAiW-dG6KmUJAlXBeiDHZ_WP7OTtmc0CTsTyCyxQk3Crl0imUVicLV0VLS1LUQfRaf6caHstW_4lKDvLZRySuywsyakfZC3HTBhcsLzO3jKHm9AV369DwpCOYTS/s1600/IMG_2615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioLBu6MIzofTvqH5ZBSkAiW-dG6KmUJAlXBeiDHZ_WP7OTtmc0CTsTyCyxQk3Crl0imUVicLV0VLS1LUQfRaf6caHstW_4lKDvLZRySuywsyakfZC3HTBhcsLzO3jKHm9AV369DwpCOYTS/s320/IMG_2615.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua,me and Johanna</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILV0FuPaN6aERVHi3SkgO9TEc0KRpLQNG2RIuzNqgY5ityGiU1_MWKaVkbsj7Z6MuplH-0xzaviChtmFOHw9063stvSGOqW3FBOAmgf-FP3SFKxz8TVPehi0DIfE75azxj4SBV86emMlM/s1600/IMG_2633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILV0FuPaN6aERVHi3SkgO9TEc0KRpLQNG2RIuzNqgY5ityGiU1_MWKaVkbsj7Z6MuplH-0xzaviChtmFOHw9063stvSGOqW3FBOAmgf-FP3SFKxz8TVPehi0DIfE75azxj4SBV86emMlM/s320/IMG_2633.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On our way to Buckingham Palace</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8cGar8obnNQdjV3zOSkCwbiwXmcX-Tz7tUFvAnkmxFIYQmZRkXjXgRbcv5DM-06AKNsl2Q5bWx03o7nNGjQahzglW6MWXO4U21LNMS6mCdSl3VrrPoQrF16Enns1f7MSOJf4gYVYwM0o/s1600/IMG_2639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8cGar8obnNQdjV3zOSkCwbiwXmcX-Tz7tUFvAnkmxFIYQmZRkXjXgRbcv5DM-06AKNsl2Q5bWx03o7nNGjQahzglW6MWXO4U21LNMS6mCdSl3VrrPoQrF16Enns1f7MSOJf4gYVYwM0o/s320/IMG_2639.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buckingham Palace. We couldn't get in because they were sold out a month ahead :(</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2bHbG1A8agbEy7RubHwOjMoeGdZ1q3P9QH3N4ePQj0JhU_WWGcLv6R1ESwGwwIFspg9_afRPP8MpfAEWtAylcwdAZXT5z2COJwNHl5Zb2DN7YlZQoV0DwBgW-Ab4O3Xvmzft3Ad5L-wg/s1600/IMG_2654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2bHbG1A8agbEy7RubHwOjMoeGdZ1q3P9QH3N4ePQj0JhU_WWGcLv6R1ESwGwwIFspg9_afRPP8MpfAEWtAylcwdAZXT5z2COJwNHl5Zb2DN7YlZQoV0DwBgW-Ab4O3Xvmzft3Ad5L-wg/s320/IMG_2654.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarah and Johanna</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvh1SzXvpx91UrTOlh8ftfowrX7_2QoeS0wiXV1dd8gUuKj1cGwCEcKWGuyroO1geMs-VIBhH3VuRHaEmO0er-jUS47DoO6fLwSbnU8Vp1pw4a3AmP-LwJWVCchUX1nM4lLCEh8BFH-Y8/s1600/IMG_2658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvh1SzXvpx91UrTOlh8ftfowrX7_2QoeS0wiXV1dd8gUuKj1cGwCEcKWGuyroO1geMs-VIBhH3VuRHaEmO0er-jUS47DoO6fLwSbnU8Vp1pw4a3AmP-LwJWVCchUX1nM4lLCEh8BFH-Y8/s320/IMG_2658.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua and JT</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyh6h8pt1E_DKE_HuT2naj1iZ9JPqU-26dCDOZK855HECTJcVY0IryAVmGegaDS3z4Wah8B6J1jqWr_uSVovZo9JBFxyo1njwW4UZap9vkLktpId5dN6zu8Q3YqtSdXrD2lrXADkwRDJ7k/s1600/IMG_2663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyh6h8pt1E_DKE_HuT2naj1iZ9JPqU-26dCDOZK855HECTJcVY0IryAVmGegaDS3z4Wah8B6J1jqWr_uSVovZo9JBFxyo1njwW4UZap9vkLktpId5dN6zu8Q3YqtSdXrD2lrXADkwRDJ7k/s320/IMG_2663.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Imperian War Museum, the<b><u> best</u></b> historical museum I've ever been to. It covers the wars of the last century. The kids loved it and said it was one of their favorite places in London.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8c-wuONKlhtLUX59cRgw026HXhL54kSOwevW9dUVs1KlaxfC_6o5Z8OkAcAZVxMvKmoNSU-rdMPX80rlbQoVhSR3GFUD6-cXEm3PMD8DvWrBBzAEoszYtn34ug6U4QRdcs7dMjf03gTY/s1600/IMG_2682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8c-wuONKlhtLUX59cRgw026HXhL54kSOwevW9dUVs1KlaxfC_6o5Z8OkAcAZVxMvKmoNSU-rdMPX80rlbQoVhSR3GFUD6-cXEm3PMD8DvWrBBzAEoszYtn34ug6U4QRdcs7dMjf03gTY/s320/IMG_2682.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Us with a man who had lived some of his childhood years in England during the war. Of course I had to ask a million questions, which he was more than happy to answer. Great first hand account of information.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eXyufZN9MSgyMSpuXyDqH6sSZBxA0lIwaqyo2knjO_nT7bkb2fXO3FO0O1tO8WkoBY3nwQ986drCu_C2bE3tAcwvMHgxNj50B1tiQBG2g2ByJ_r2enIA6Oa8UIHy4mSYZfp5ASZizDKh/s1600/IMG_2692.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eXyufZN9MSgyMSpuXyDqH6sSZBxA0lIwaqyo2knjO_nT7bkb2fXO3FO0O1tO8WkoBY3nwQ986drCu_C2bE3tAcwvMHgxNj50B1tiQBG2g2ByJ_r2enIA6Oa8UIHy4mSYZfp5ASZizDKh/s320/IMG_2692.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Changing of the Guard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKlsevlta9k1TXuJ7tPfSmaaJCY7U6mBwtBawdzYRAve-pOET_E2hW9gO6lBYN1MX9VnDm-ilWe1Aba8mCoIBU0cE-aTaSXNae8Od7q7drbY4REr7oeW5jq8WUvJDzUZSKa9Ewv3VGmFJ/s1600/IMG_2756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiKlsevlta9k1TXuJ7tPfSmaaJCY7U6mBwtBawdzYRAve-pOET_E2hW9gO6lBYN1MX9VnDm-ilWe1Aba8mCoIBU0cE-aTaSXNae8Od7q7drbY4REr7oeW5jq8WUvJDzUZSKa9Ewv3VGmFJ/s320/IMG_2756.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At Madame Tussard's Wax Museum. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBouxeFDee68b1rMVYbN8sMYUMYRkTe0cwyAlTBQWK9zPcfCSRRcDM8FP4GgZikBhETUaZ10uG9q6bfsDb7oHSm4vfSIYYOSsMJSfAvPfOAf_2o9VMWqWz2nTx2tX5Kye2-28ub6vzFP0b/s1600/IMG_2758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBouxeFDee68b1rMVYbN8sMYUMYRkTe0cwyAlTBQWK9zPcfCSRRcDM8FP4GgZikBhETUaZ10uG9q6bfsDb7oHSm4vfSIYYOSsMJSfAvPfOAf_2o9VMWqWz2nTx2tX5Kye2-28ub6vzFP0b/s320/IMG_2758.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast at Tiffany's</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_S1L4wNohNyvB_ex8VA-WLFLQtIMKq2JW1u-IPLFvG7KvZYv5BnTSLNtVA8DRgMKkJcatLmyGbKgvsajMUOxsPMMZ-M2pCCp0DKrjkNMmCcJkPUn3FZ2xk6-nEBLgzaIm5JnxR16HiMlc/s1600/IMG_2759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_S1L4wNohNyvB_ex8VA-WLFLQtIMKq2JW1u-IPLFvG7KvZYv5BnTSLNtVA8DRgMKkJcatLmyGbKgvsajMUOxsPMMZ-M2pCCp0DKrjkNMmCcJkPUn3FZ2xk6-nEBLgzaIm5JnxR16HiMlc/s320/IMG_2759.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samuel with Pele</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlttAPokeLdxGQrvyJrwy_d4BuFUHQkpg-ntwEw6vzEKykXBvdkkYxyP3pS7kESd0i6V9Z5x0a546_ziCLB5ivSh9XPtQZRZJXVBuRNYQ040wqYNqL39FyLO-fGzeG2N-D2AePTYmNCUZO/s1600/IMG_2782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlttAPokeLdxGQrvyJrwy_d4BuFUHQkpg-ntwEw6vzEKykXBvdkkYxyP3pS7kESd0i6V9Z5x0a546_ziCLB5ivSh9XPtQZRZJXVBuRNYQ040wqYNqL39FyLO-fGzeG2N-D2AePTYmNCUZO/s320/IMG_2782.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johanna was so proud she took a picture of this bird mid-song :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWwbZ1oKP7M0DoNOrM17jecc53HBDHi3a8BZeuUsoyhLo-j-5kMj1UCtffY4RuXmOG_p3EOwTvCETvxcC1oG79P2gMYDM5B99V0HEUum2RaJbTVQ9ft-1kFwQAsV3doafwppE5QjVzisk/s1600/IMG_2791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWwbZ1oKP7M0DoNOrM17jecc53HBDHi3a8BZeuUsoyhLo-j-5kMj1UCtffY4RuXmOG_p3EOwTvCETvxcC1oG79P2gMYDM5B99V0HEUum2RaJbTVQ9ft-1kFwQAsV3doafwppE5QjVzisk/s320/IMG_2791.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Paul's Cathedral where Prince Charles and Princess Dianna got married</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In picking England, we were looking for a place that would get us out of the Italian heat. Well we went from the heat to rain! We had a temperature drop of about 25 degrees also. It was great to be in a country that was so green. England was also a chance for the kids to be able to communicate in English with people other than their family. They were getting homesick for American food so this trip was timed perfectly. I reserved two apartments through a company called Vacation Rentals by Owners, basically people renting out their vacation homes to tourists. I was a little leary because you really wouldn't know what you were getting until you got there in person. You could see pictures and read other peoples comments but not much other than that. The first apartment was in the upscale trendy neighborhood of Covent Gardens. I knew it was going to be okay when the kids said "Dang mom you did good on this one" :) It was literally a stones throw from eating,shopping and people watching. It was like living on Rodeo Drive. Since we were so close to everything, it was also noisy at night. The setup was shops,restaurants,and bars on the ground level and the apartments on the 2nd,3rd,and 4th floor. Well the bars pretty much stay open till 3 in the morning and then bottle pickup comes everyday at 6 in the morning. The location was worth the noise though. The second apartment was in SoHo, very artsy, lots of theatres large and small and lots of night clubs. Let me describe it and see if you can figure out our new location :) There was a shop across the street from us that would be about 10 steps racier than Fredericks of Hollywood, with mannequins,male and female, showcasing the products. One nightclub called GAY and another called The Rainbow Room. I'm sure you can use the context clues to determine the flavor of our new neighborhood. We had all said we wanted to experience different parts of London and we did. We did alot of walking and saw alot of sights. We had a great time being tourist in a country we could speak the language :)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-90165871315370291512011-08-12T23:48:00.000-07:002011-08-12T23:48:36.264-07:00Country music and soccer :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4mx5IYoajsw2Yzh9p4Qo9OoCq6KpPBHqwE8viyXH67Z4_0DOfTSujkDev8Xb3sKvTcEqDzKNudjyply8h7Teb3MNxw1VK_LsObX8zikoVvBTrmfemFl_kgNiGuNhy2eSlRlK38zDzIDX/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4mx5IYoajsw2Yzh9p4Qo9OoCq6KpPBHqwE8viyXH67Z4_0DOfTSujkDev8Xb3sKvTcEqDzKNudjyply8h7Teb3MNxw1VK_LsObX8zikoVvBTrmfemFl_kgNiGuNhy2eSlRlK38zDzIDX/s320/IMG_2437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMe6l88sOPBmjZRyT0OZTJUAqK4EMt0hIGj9BEBoL8oekhf-CdKNKD41OdTZ7YFqc639v5xBhylCdImCrzVaW4JvQtInvWgM1U4P3oaOu5IE3TTMJHg5tG7S-Fb_YexKJ9ojSpZy8GNsfY/s1600/IMG_2488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMe6l88sOPBmjZRyT0OZTJUAqK4EMt0hIGj9BEBoL8oekhf-CdKNKD41OdTZ7YFqc639v5xBhylCdImCrzVaW4JvQtInvWgM1U4P3oaOu5IE3TTMJHg5tG7S-Fb_YexKJ9ojSpZy8GNsfY/s320/IMG_2488.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYH8mFnPzOjF8loM75X0s3ryf7BXUzNWHzDD7fwf5S5PvRxl90lmAQOZsHZu46JgGcEIv50oK-rPL89ynGtsX317qGzsMWKZuSKtPV19kiua_1u1FIKjTPUe-YltcIMszEoHwZ38Ki9NHB/s1600/IMG_2493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYH8mFnPzOjF8loM75X0s3ryf7BXUzNWHzDD7fwf5S5PvRxl90lmAQOZsHZu46JgGcEIv50oK-rPL89ynGtsX317qGzsMWKZuSKtPV19kiua_1u1FIKjTPUe-YltcIMszEoHwZ38Ki9NHB/s320/IMG_2493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>On a Friday,cant remember the date, we went to a live Italian country western music concert. It was a band of 4 and they sang American songs. It was set out in the country on a beautiful piece of land. The grounds were landscaped and lush. Tables were set up on a big patio adjacent to the owners home. It looked like what I envisioned an Italian villa to be.Our cost included dinner, real bbq, the music and the wonderful atmosphere. The event was kept to around 40 people and no more. They easily could have set out more tables and made more money, but we watched as they turned people away. It was planned to be small/intimate and it stayed that way. It was a great time for all and one that we all agreed will be one of our highlights. And according to the girls it didn't hurt that the main singer/cowboy was good looking :) Nothing like hearing your favorite songs sung with an Italian accent. The next day,we were invited to Daniel's coworker Mike's house for swimming and BBQ. Keep in mind that bbq'ing is a treat, especially on a real propane bbq. This is the same Mike that lives out in the boonies that Daniel and the kids didn't find his house the first time and came home. But this time we were prepared, we had our GPS, put in longitude and latitude and off we went.We only got a little lost, but someone drove out and lead us to his house. We NEVER would have found it if they hadn't come and got us. We had a great time, the kids went swimming, very good food and great company. His house is in the Trulli style so it was really neat to climb up on the roof and take pictures. We also got to meet the Gionet family who actually have more kids than us, they have 5. With that many kids between us it was only natural that a soccer game would be scheduled for the next day :) We met at their hotel that had 2 large soccer fields. We showed up looking pretty good, all of us having authentic German jerseys. That's about all we had going for us lol. Joshua and Samuel were good, Johanna did more screaming and laughing than anything, and Sarah was our goalie without any defenders :( Daniel and I were pretty slow moving and tired easy. I do have to say that Daniel redeemed himself after I told him he was getting old, he made a goal. They did have two extra good players on their team, but the family themself was in good shape and very athletic. I think the final score was like 10 to 3, I stopped counting. After the kids and some of the adults took a dip in the hotel's pool, it was time to go out to eat in Messagne. It was a short trip to a great sidewalk restaurant . We were surprised at how easy it was to get great parking in the middle of the city. After dinner, we were walking back to our car and wondering why everyone was staring at us. Could it be our German soccer jerseys in Italy, our large families, all the children,us speaking English??? Or could it be they wanted to see our expression when we saw the parking ticket on our windshields hahaha lol :) Lesson learned, look far up and down the street for parking signs especially when no one else is parked in the area.<br />
Now just to answer some of you who wanted the good and bad so far;<br />
<u>What I like:</u><br />
*Gelato, any time, any where, any flavor<br />
*walking down a different road in town and finding a new store<br />
*cheap,cheap,flavorful fruits and vegetables<br />
*shopping at the mall during siesta time :) its deserted so we get great service and were less intimidated to speak<br />
*Husbands and wives going shopping together. Rarely do you see a woman without her husband,especially grocery shopping!!!! Its a family affair <br />
<u>What I don't like:</u><br />
*dog poop everywhere,no picking up after your dog here :(<br />
*Never knowing if a shop in town is going to be open or not,no set schedule<br />
*lack of friendliness, the men are friendlier than the women. At least in California you can squeeze a smile out of people,not so here. <br />
*sidewalks built for one. You should see the Tulcan family walking single file, we form a pretty good line.<br />
*trash day everyday!!! three separate trashes in the house, one for food scraps, one for paper wrapping of all sorts that came in contact with food, and finally one for "uncontaminated"paper and plastic. Each one is picked up separately on a different day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BTQAROgUhQUbLxvMGrC8Q25AO6uPtKv0wVCRRKf81wNRYaogbteEmjlwsTv1N-cYmB0N_3C_K1oTC1iyqeWTqMux6Bels_ti4K-x7yNIxKvfDj-uO5m3H7XI3hm8xjEZngybxhvHId8c/s1600/IMG_2432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BTQAROgUhQUbLxvMGrC8Q25AO6uPtKv0wVCRRKf81wNRYaogbteEmjlwsTv1N-cYmB0N_3C_K1oTC1iyqeWTqMux6Bels_ti4K-x7yNIxKvfDj-uO5m3H7XI3hm8xjEZngybxhvHId8c/s320/IMG_2432.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAijym0b8oVE_fsVt09dulmNx9BEGx7qz_C_j-bn6CFmG_EA4GSkNFmzmavHxAQGRmYkgdmByM-8GYY6j7VfSgPKYr4kpThrvhsVKBCtB5JsseV6Al4vFwE_gmgJkAFeywxHs-peLcEEV/s1600/IMG_2435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAijym0b8oVE_fsVt09dulmNx9BEGx7qz_C_j-bn6CFmG_EA4GSkNFmzmavHxAQGRmYkgdmByM-8GYY6j7VfSgPKYr4kpThrvhsVKBCtB5JsseV6Al4vFwE_gmgJkAFeywxHs-peLcEEV/s320/IMG_2435.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Your #1 question "Beside all the fun, how are you really doing on a daily basis?" Answer " We are all adjusting. We are learning what it means to "live" in a foreign country where you don't speak the language as compared to being a tourist. We have great days but every once in a while one of us will get homesick. Then we stop and realize again what an adventure we're on and all the great places were going to see. For some of the kids, they realize it is only a short period of time in their lives and things will go back to "normal" soon enough. So thanks for asking :) Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-8787266863061646312011-08-02T08:07:00.000-07:002011-08-02T08:07:27.549-07:00Trulli's, rainbows and my birthday :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TaYOuxknBIEYEY_sd5pb18MA5qdjWRhWRFeK-S18vHPalUawDz2KZDhKBJDMPKiYs_jlmnKjbJAzpzXTA_ALt5vjJowme4_Vf2lYrgds-xU5apYFR1xeWJR4OovrwUEB3dXoPTWTREd9/s1600/IMG_2362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TaYOuxknBIEYEY_sd5pb18MA5qdjWRhWRFeK-S18vHPalUawDz2KZDhKBJDMPKiYs_jlmnKjbJAzpzXTA_ALt5vjJowme4_Vf2lYrgds-xU5apYFR1xeWJR4OovrwUEB3dXoPTWTREd9/s320/IMG_2362.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinD6xIOdj0C4RXLVWouqhioebJFrLB8IZfqU5dDi_p9e_oNsF5vxYSWLiighbDa3TbbWJwuB8xo64JFSrWr_Gilm0_6aMQC3kWkiOYUm1m3JDOVdlRbg8djhgkintsKR5p4rHF7K_xWKi3/s1600/IMG_2355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinD6xIOdj0C4RXLVWouqhioebJFrLB8IZfqU5dDi_p9e_oNsF5vxYSWLiighbDa3TbbWJwuB8xo64JFSrWr_Gilm0_6aMQC3kWkiOYUm1m3JDOVdlRbg8djhgkintsKR5p4rHF7K_xWKi3/s320/IMG_2355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ATkja8BVibyI8SwOK1QLK2GwelnLuKoamjZ39zmrd_5WJ81khH1BvQVLvD1keCiWtPXOBu3YUg4PvOYK2HWfyLOgTmMA4CXGpFhtaz1r9muRz1kwcnka6ZbqyWMDrKfciNpQ9B9sYvn0/s1600/IMG_2419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ATkja8BVibyI8SwOK1QLK2GwelnLuKoamjZ39zmrd_5WJ81khH1BvQVLvD1keCiWtPXOBu3YUg4PvOYK2HWfyLOgTmMA4CXGpFhtaz1r9muRz1kwcnka6ZbqyWMDrKfciNpQ9B9sYvn0/s320/IMG_2419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Every Saturday we set out for a different town around an hour to an hour and a half away. We rely on Daniel's driving and his language skills to make it a more enjoyable trip. On Saturday the 23 of July we went to Alberobello to see the Trulli houses. In brief, they are made of flat stones layered on top of each other without the use of mortar or concrete. There are varying ideas as to their original intent. One idea is that at the time house taxes were so high that when they knew the tax collector was coming they could just take the house down/apart and not have to pay the house tax because there wasn't a house :) Eventually they were built as temporary shelters or storehouse for the crops that were grown in the country.The roofs are conical in shape and the house is cylindrical, and are not very big. They look like something out of Snow white and the seven dwarfs. We had a great time taking pictures, looking like giants in front of the trulli's. As is expected we had a good time shopping. Daniel didn't stand a chance with his wallet and 3 women :) Johanna and Sarah bought some bracelets from a leather smith shop. I bought a table runner(the only thing I could afford)from a craftsman who weaves his own linens. It is too good to be used on our regular table, so I will save it for when we get back home.Well the adventure ended up as most do, us getting lost on the way home lol. But in our wrong turns and back roads all in the rain, we witnessed for the second time in our lives, a double rainbow. We drove closer and closer and then finally close enough for me to get out in the rain and take some pictures. You would have thought that we found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow by how excited we were :) One of the pictures will be blown up and hung next to the other double rainbow shot that we took from our Turnbull Canyon home. The 26th was my birthday so time to celebrate!!!!! Started off with Jaime treating me to a cappuccino and pastry at the cafe. Then there were the usual stops: bakery,butcher,deli,and vegetable stand.Walked back home and pretty much relaxed till dinner time. From dinner we went to a local restaurant the Braseria Escosazio that was recommended in one of our guide books. You pick out your meat from the counter display and then they supposedly bbq it for you, but it was more like it was grilled for you. The meat was ok, but I longed for an Outback steakhouse experience. Oh well, the company was great and we ended the night with gelato. Sarah hand embroidered on a kitchen towel"home is wherever you are" and gave it as a gift to me :). Daniel,Joshua, and Samuel gave me a Swarovski necklace with a large butterfly charm. Johanna is waiting till we go shopping to have me pick out something that I want. I will never forget my first Italian birthday :)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-53894965764846273092011-07-23T14:06:00.000-07:002011-07-23T14:06:36.104-07:00Thursday market in Brindisi, Cappuccino,the caves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb-VxKxf0JSUSldAvPGQM67EFftBonGIx_bEEdqw-6XHE4TatRLay0lgG4V6cfKxNK8kxqpPbPsI-F6OoNYddoZOuh23gwWITZopJtdpsYSEU9Zv2TmxIDgkN03ySM7eE67QfMdd6P8xy/s1600/IMG_2322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjb-VxKxf0JSUSldAvPGQM67EFftBonGIx_bEEdqw-6XHE4TatRLay0lgG4V6cfKxNK8kxqpPbPsI-F6OoNYddoZOuh23gwWITZopJtdpsYSEU9Zv2TmxIDgkN03ySM7eE67QfMdd6P8xy/s320/IMG_2322.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTqVqju9GPGEiE34Nf27j-Aq9QaWZK3oPgDrMFc1A0sFRhYBExa5sg65WvcdgNVD6BuasXOPXZi-Q_FGH_WINSs_GxR9AW9u9ptsObO_UpAuXWGXyJUitjzTGThA7DuYZlzDkyGiRzZAj/s1600/IMG_2324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTqVqju9GPGEiE34Nf27j-Aq9QaWZK3oPgDrMFc1A0sFRhYBExa5sg65WvcdgNVD6BuasXOPXZi-Q_FGH_WINSs_GxR9AW9u9ptsObO_UpAuXWGXyJUitjzTGThA7DuYZlzDkyGiRzZAj/s320/IMG_2324.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2UGnWEycucS6QP_iAn-Ba_mGP97LmjqFtYl9hhyIZGUJZZojGAfauqbPIBrC3ByTrG_bz6wkBEeWobaikR4s68OOluBQVeSSNRpUv57mm2DlouBX0B51b3iKEotBm0aaZGTQ1fwRKRVA/s1600/IMG_2304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc2UGnWEycucS6QP_iAn-Ba_mGP97LmjqFtYl9hhyIZGUJZZojGAfauqbPIBrC3ByTrG_bz6wkBEeWobaikR4s68OOluBQVeSSNRpUv57mm2DlouBX0B51b3iKEotBm0aaZGTQ1fwRKRVA/s320/IMG_2304.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>While still in California,but following the Brindisi happenings on facebook, I heard alot about the weekly Thursday market.We(the girls and I) were super excited to go because we heard the shopping was awesome. Jamie came to our apartment because she was going to drive us in Daniel's rental car. Did I mention Daniel was in Israel for a week ? We got there around 9:30 and shopped till around 12:30ish. Shopping was great,think swap meet but cheaper prices. Italian sandles for as little as $7 a pair, real leather and very cute. A well meaning shoe vendor saw me and nicely directed me to the "grande" section. I guess 9 1/2 is grande in Italy :)lol I was overwhelmed by it all and came home with a cactus:) Sarah bought 3 pairs of shoes, bracelet, and necklace. Johanna didn't end up going because she had a stomach ache, but we brought home 3 dresses for her :) Note to self,check the weather forecast and don't go on a day its going to reach 99 degrees :0 The next day I had an appointment for a tour of the downtown area, that got rescheduled that morning, but why waste a morning where I'm already up and ready??? Cappuccino time!!! Met Jaime at the Cafe and got our 1 euro cappuccino :) Basically thats $1.30 a cup. Now the only thing I ever ordered from Starbucks was the Chai Tea Soy latte because their coffee is too bitter for me. Of course Johanna and Sarah drank everything Starbucks had to offer, and when they both agreed that that was the best cappuccino they have ever tasted, I took their word for it, and for only 1 euro!!!! There are a lot of these "coffee bars" around and they are busy. Basically, you order, get served, drink quickly while standing at the bar, pay, and off you go. Of course there is also expresso but I will have to work my way up to drinking that. At this particular cafe there are tables outside so you can enjoy a leisure cup if you have time. On Saturday we headed out for The Grottoes of Castellana, to take a look at the underground caves found it that area. By the time we found the place we had missed the tour in English, so ended up taking the 2 hour tour in Italian. According to Daniel,our translator lol, a lot of information on stalagmites and stalagtites, and what shapes they kind of look like :) Being in Italy, you had formations that represented the Virgin Mary, three wise men and I think there was Jesus's face :) It was a fun,cool trip and got us out of the heat. Of course while we were waiting for our tour we did some damage in the stores. The kids picked up some mounted insects,we got various olive oils, and I got some regional pottery and amber earrings.It was a great day :)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-28551539259076237472011-07-12T05:27:00.000-07:002011-07-12T05:27:56.278-07:00zip line, beach and other good times<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoOROpFMdbOLxiS1aZ1IMmGVyTIrLeGRVUpkQigVGAAjn7dHP_Ns4IfCw17Iz5OpxBraoEgMAWwfGj7wzocj30kl4hB19hMLvBciRYa5Kr66VQZ4KCmZV5keevy6N_zj3VeIAJireaOL6/s1600/IMG_2239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicoOROpFMdbOLxiS1aZ1IMmGVyTIrLeGRVUpkQigVGAAjn7dHP_Ns4IfCw17Iz5OpxBraoEgMAWwfGj7wzocj30kl4hB19hMLvBciRYa5Kr66VQZ4KCmZV5keevy6N_zj3VeIAJireaOL6/s320/IMG_2239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGulBd6Sp2y9-Xjl57qtvWMix5KJ0vcaeYb9xX04rxbrIkjuys4taYIiFJbh9V7iwoiRTK7BYjWYfVq5nJ5rnA6UIl4aJ3hr9Z1f1-_CJ26RR7mLOasvhj_V3rUZjAhe4kRGQkVU5F3HMb/s1600/IMG_2276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGulBd6Sp2y9-Xjl57qtvWMix5KJ0vcaeYb9xX04rxbrIkjuys4taYIiFJbh9V7iwoiRTK7BYjWYfVq5nJ5rnA6UIl4aJ3hr9Z1f1-_CJ26RR7mLOasvhj_V3rUZjAhe4kRGQkVU5F3HMb/s320/IMG_2276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Havent ventured far out of town yet, just learining all the necessary and happening places around Brindisi. Saturday the weekend after we arrived, one of the boeing ex-pats put together an excursion to go Zip-lining. The kids were all for it, Daniel and I made it immediately known that we would take pictures, pay, and go for support :) When most people think of zip lining you think of going over the tropical rain forest, with the canapy of trees underneath you. Well in this case think of traveling about 40 minutes up into the hills of Italy, and having a zip line strung from one mountain peak/rock to another crossing over the land below. Having seen the line as we ascended, and verbalizing "That can't be it, it's too dangerous" two of our children decided they weren't risking their life, I wont say who backed out, but Sarah and Samuel said they had a great time,although they said after the heat and the 1 mile hike to come back across the line, they didn't need to do it again. Yesterday, Monday ???, I have no idea of the date,and barely can figure out the day (happens when you have all day everyday to do whatever) anyways, we went to Boomba beach with Jaime (new friend :) and her daughters. In Brindisi there is a strip of beaches, and I use the term beach lightly, think rocks with a small strip of sand. We can get to them either walking about 2-3 miles or by taking a 10 minute bus ride. I'm going to veer off topic here a little to talk about the common courtesies we take for granted in America, or at least I experienced in California, that are not found here, because we exerience most of these on the bus ride. There are no lines, it's push your way to the front. Young people will not give up their place on the bus for even 70+ men or women. Smoking is all over the place, and there isn't any thought to make sure your smoke doesn't go directly into someone elses face. Deodorant is optional :( Staring,pointing, and talking about a person as your staring and pointing is okay,don't need to guess if its you their talking about lol. Back on topic, the beaches are either public or private. The nicer ones are private and you pay a membership which guarantees you your assigned spot with an umbrella and 2 beach chairs. The locations also have snack bars,storage closets,showers,kayaks,floaties,lifeguards,bar and of course a coffee bar. They are pricey to join but if you go often enough you will get your moneys worth. The families went for about 4 hours and had a great time. Tried for the first time to take the bus home,and was told by the nice bus driver,who pulled over a cop to help with the translation, that we were headed out of town and needed to get on a different bus. Only the second time we have had an Italian local go out of their way to help us :) I hope after all the gracie's we said he will not hesitate to help other lost foreigners. Fun was had by all :) We got home showered,ate and watched the rest of Season 1 Supernatural(Samuel's DVD's)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-31749326468907197032011-07-10T07:00:00.001-07:002011-07-10T07:05:06.641-07:00FriendsFriday found me meeting with two new friends :) For their privacy, I wouldn't want you trying to contact them lol, I shall refer to them by their first names only. Anyways, Hollie was a facebook friend since February when I joined the Boeing in Italy fb group. I followed her travels and wished, and still wish, that I will be brave and venture out as she has. I would post an occasional "like" or "comment" on her page. After having been in Brindisi for around 4 days, I sent out a fb SOS. Holly replied with a message and her phone number and the rest has yet to be written. After I left a voice message on a non-existant voice mail(the italian lady was trying to say that there wasn't a mail box for the number) Hollie called me and a location and time were set up to meet at a cafe, it was there that I met Roberta. Of course I had my side kick Johanna, and over the course of 2 hours?? we had all our questions answered. There was the most important question from Johanna "Where can I go to get my eyebrows waxed?" to my "Where can I get money from my Bank of America card" lol :) All were answered with patience and understanding. Both ladies had come to Italy with their husbands only and had to go it alone. I told them that if I had to stay in an apartment/hotel alone while Daniel was at work all day it would have been the shortest turnaround trip in history. They have my admiration for having done it alone for so long. The rest of the day was spent driving around finding the essentials:bakery,meat market,cheese place??,bank, and where to buy tickets for the bus and water taxi and least I not forget, THE BEACH. God puts people in your life at just the right time :)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-23983257123093520562011-07-07T06:40:00.000-07:002011-07-07T06:40:00.565-07:00Italy First 6 daysThe long awaited, living vicariously through me post :) This one will be anti-climactic. What does a family do when mom feels nauseous, they stay in the apartment until she feels better,at around 3pm everyday. And just to answer what some of you are thinking,I'm not pregnant haha Actually we got a lot of housekeeping and errands done. We went to the local Auchon(think Wal-mart)and stocked up on supplies Daniel didn't know he needed :) The family,minus myself(needed to stay very close to a toilet) drove around for 2-4 hours, depends on who you ask, trying to find a 4th of July party. European GPS is done by longitude and Latitude and apparently Daniel had the wrong coordinates. They gave up and had a lot of funny stories to tell of their time spent in the car. Around day 5 i started feeling better so we took the water taxi to downtown. That will defiantly be where the kids will be hanging out. Apparently the whole town hangs out after dinner. Its pretty cool to see people of all ages just coming to the promenade to get out and socialize. Think a nicer uptown Whittier with more shops and gelato/espresso bars and you can get an idea. Oh yeah put ages 13-80ish just kicking it together :) good times. Apartment life takes getting used to. Never lived in one, so am getting used to the sounds at all hours. The boys "Americano's" are pretty popular, whenever they go to the street to kick a soccer ball around they are instantly joined by the 3 neighborhood boys :) The Italian boys have even taken to standing in the street and bouncing their ball while looking up at our balcony. The girls are doing good. Sarah has pretty much put together all the Ikea furniture in the house and Johanna has taken up cleaning :) What would I do without them??? Have to go for now, trying to plan a day trip up the coast to Bari or Barletta :) CiaoDarleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-42612823327720762732011-02-24T11:05:00.000-08:002011-02-24T11:05:00.899-08:00pictures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduhN6K7ATQdoeORoRcVnV3wPD2PSHSR4C2Y4wHmRRLWoV666aaPHlUO8jkAxAPzlkJOBFeRfbPZdqDuM7ilSE-shVoEGso5zO1Kenq8TBJiObE7OvwRO1pfY2EM2zfr4d_g28_F9WEZxO/s1600/Italy+009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">chips for Sarah <img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduhN6K7ATQdoeORoRcVnV3wPD2PSHSR4C2Y4wHmRRLWoV666aaPHlUO8jkAxAPzlkJOBFeRfbPZdqDuM7ilSE-shVoEGso5zO1Kenq8TBJiObE7OvwRO1pfY2EM2zfr4d_g28_F9WEZxO/s320/Italy+009.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuu9Jbd59sQZTbwoyTvyKtRBDwDPGEQHqvOSj6Bl3y0GC1isrUcWdQJ545BXXjC2rHaqyKFuPwxKP3fE1-TfCtgf54DXn_4ZHbmzv0jbO5_2gQSJPEiKlkwJB41z1Az3dE-voq2vI5lWnW/s1600/Italy+001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">our hotel <img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuu9Jbd59sQZTbwoyTvyKtRBDwDPGEQHqvOSj6Bl3y0GC1isrUcWdQJ545BXXjC2rHaqyKFuPwxKP3fE1-TfCtgf54DXn_4ZHbmzv0jbO5_2gQSJPEiKlkwJB41z1Az3dE-voq2vI5lWnW/s320/Italy+001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IGzbPDm99-h7ta9GdQsH48TC1udR_v2kN_PCa6l_iIB-vgzlUBOwmqRk1LD8ywg04ON2azyEzE1MYlYg-ui-VuAbpSSLj5cP7Q4LT5I_5ZkSJsvlmKOAm4aF1_1sugOmbkMFb5Xrqudi/s1600/Italy+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IGzbPDm99-h7ta9GdQsH48TC1udR_v2kN_PCa6l_iIB-vgzlUBOwmqRk1LD8ywg04ON2azyEzE1MYlYg-ui-VuAbpSSLj5cP7Q4LT5I_5ZkSJsvlmKOAm4aF1_1sugOmbkMFb5Xrqudi/s320/Italy+002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;">at the entrance to a villa that was too far out of town</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_bTx346KkUOxQYOWtiQ_qBC-sfUj9yeS75ph6P8x9em77FKW0YrIXclb1UCsqtFAZfZsx_adrblQe6HEif3YrbAmZ1q3_AKHX5Rc_6DBr7CCN3qHpjng6yGzi43g6S-ExrPecHpouRH7/s1600/Italy+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">looking at bins of olives for sale in the market<img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_bTx346KkUOxQYOWtiQ_qBC-sfUj9yeS75ph6P8x9em77FKW0YrIXclb1UCsqtFAZfZsx_adrblQe6HEif3YrbAmZ1q3_AKHX5Rc_6DBr7CCN3qHpjng6yGzi43g6S-ExrPecHpouRH7/s320/Italy+003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKJhaqXgYjLpvljem5E-zrHRY7NM1-rPdqxc0nznODjFrdGGJp3UKeTlnnouU3CFNBYs2Nd8M1BNYqiAvBOvkqXuQtEvwvvCSvRkCK8gOLBKCxIjIFTDEMfKYLaiScNSktVwQQH-Mwamt/s1600/Italy+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKJhaqXgYjLpvljem5E-zrHRY7NM1-rPdqxc0nznODjFrdGGJp3UKeTlnnouU3CFNBYs2Nd8M1BNYqiAvBOvkqXuQtEvwvvCSvRkCK8gOLBKCxIjIFTDEMfKYLaiScNSktVwQQH-Mwamt/s320/Italy+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> outdoor pizza kitchen<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPBt3uiiHosL1IK7BBfQl9cnzGwoqc2viONK_pP3JfvCbTS-HVcXYuwiZN0aK7XMmMzc5FKhw8ZU90Pc49iosHZ0injNfbtgOGx_AHHPwkCjH_wRpY2GE911v4jwRBCY7TZbHZtGJXbJZ/s1600/Italy+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPBt3uiiHosL1IK7BBfQl9cnzGwoqc2viONK_pP3JfvCbTS-HVcXYuwiZN0aK7XMmMzc5FKhw8ZU90Pc49iosHZ0injNfbtgOGx_AHHPwkCjH_wRpY2GE911v4jwRBCY7TZbHZtGJXbJZ/s320/Italy+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> proscuitto for Johanna<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGoapzg2Kl0WFMxs9ouEcATueJ2ha7gAk3b1zudDWEoCaKAm0VuYnCsj5OS0mHTy4ANFemyQbcrPh0JNipxSmJ_beRZPK3Opa2yNwQn2b_OeSO6G_QM45oBqmTO8B0osK4yfk7hM0kglE/s1600/Italy+006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGoapzg2Kl0WFMxs9ouEcATueJ2ha7gAk3b1zudDWEoCaKAm0VuYnCsj5OS0mHTy4ANFemyQbcrPh0JNipxSmJ_beRZPK3Opa2yNwQn2b_OeSO6G_QM45oBqmTO8B0osK4yfk7hM0kglE/s320/Italy+006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> new apartments we will be living in<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2RUigwDFeXixGceD0Tz5rJ48hXtHpfzdZdU2eu_xxDfFxcISoM1yPahnX8wnVkVp5sXexrmVxvayu4EAWj09YCEpMS0aXzIX0rnSOqfd4P_IKAsxO3h-GeYW-kmwa_-arwiAIhi24-vB/s1600/Italy+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2RUigwDFeXixGceD0Tz5rJ48hXtHpfzdZdU2eu_xxDfFxcISoM1yPahnX8wnVkVp5sXexrmVxvayu4EAWj09YCEpMS0aXzIX0rnSOqfd4P_IKAsxO3h-GeYW-kmwa_-arwiAIhi24-vB/s320/Italy+007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> in Brindisi looking across the Adriatic at Casale<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFBJP2jNFhWSEs6lSgi0EVmfs-N-OvZSlixP-R7ecJGxI2nG_ATwwbfCHICLayj5teeeUTy_aNAMqtb_UNFvCPSc2_wcpLlE52WyZP1K5RnlX7g0_ZRro1MebmtIN2JgOT48Pbi6vIF7t/s1600/Italy+008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">j<img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFBJP2jNFhWSEs6lSgi0EVmfs-N-OvZSlixP-R7ecJGxI2nG_ATwwbfCHICLayj5teeeUTy_aNAMqtb_UNFvCPSc2_wcpLlE52WyZP1K5RnlX7g0_ZRro1MebmtIN2JgOT48Pbi6vIF7t/s320/Italy+008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> In Casale looking across the Adriatic at the city of BrindisiDarleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-27661671016393283742011-02-24T03:21:00.000-08:002011-02-24T03:21:37.531-08:00food in italyThis is my unscientific,unquantifiable,untested and all the other "un's" view on Italian food and why the people aren't gigantic. First, take at least an hour and a half to eat your meal. The first night Daniel and I finished our 4 course meal in 30 minutes. Can you say,open the hatch and shovel it in :) it was quite embarrasing to see the Italians sipping their wine and enjoying their appetizers. Make sure you talk<u> alot</u>, enjoy the company of the person or people you are eating with. Scoot back your chair,stretch out your legs and let your body language say "Tell me what's on your mind, I'm listening" For the Italians the meal is the final destination, there not rushing to get anywhere,not thinking what they need to do next or more importantly what they should be doing at that moment. So, basically take your time and enjoy. Second, they don't serve huge portions like Olive Garden :) Their servings are basically half to one-third that size. NEVER eat bread with pasta,it's unheard of. Bread is served as an appetizer with different olive spreads,and I'm not talking bread sticks, their tiny rolls or crusty bread slices. There is also no such thing as Alfredo sauce, the Italian joke is "Who is Alfredo and how much money is he making from his sauce?" Which leads me to my next point, any sauce/oil put on the pasta is very light and sparse,the flavor is mild. Most importantly, pasta is usually a side dish and not a main course.Lastly, you must have wine or water with your meal, anything else kills the flavor of the food. So I think I am actually losing weight while I am here :)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-59564830448764307972011-02-23T06:34:00.000-08:002011-02-23T06:34:01.524-08:00found our home :)Well its 3pm Wed.here and daniel is meeting with his new staff at Alitalia/Boeing. I just returned from a second look at a new apartment in the city of Casaela-Brindisi, that we have decided will be our Italian home. It will be really large and since it is in the finishing stages they are kinda customizing it for us. I told Daniel we needed extra rooms for all the company that will be visiting :) It is literally across the street from the local soccer team's stadium. They only play sat. or sun. at 2:30, so I thought it would be great to get to see live Italian soccer up close and personal(that's for you Joshua and Samuel,ask and you shall receive) I figure we will become their biggest fans!!!!!! Anyways, the town is a taxi boat ride(the ride is short , no seasickness involved) a major league ball player could probably throw a ball across the water, to the city of Brindisi,which is considered the "city" . Casaela is considered a "suburb" of that city. Dino and I walked about a 3 block radius in Caseala and found all the "must haves" pizzaria, gelato,supermarket,coffee shop,cleaners,bakery,meat market,newspaper stand,and so much more :) The kids and I will be able to walk to get anything we need. If we want more than we would take a boat taxi to Brindisi which is roughly 500 yards across the Adriatic Sea. We could drive there,but it would take about 20 minutes versus 3 hhhhhmmmm wonder which 1 I will choose :) anyways I will try to attach some pictures in the next blog because Idont know how to do it and I need Daniels help.Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-80256227238873374192011-02-21T13:21:00.000-08:002011-02-21T13:21:42.987-08:00home search day 1We had a very busy day. We viewed 8 homes in the city of Martina, Brindisi,and Grottalie. Really need to decide if we want to live in the city or country. Country is lovely but we might have a hard time getting into town because after being in a car I definantly will NEVER drive in Italy!!!!! We will be going into the city tomorrow to look at apartments. City will probably give us more things to do when we aren't traveling, but will mean tighter living quarters. I'm leaning towards the city, but Daniel likes the country. Realizing that this will be my first time in a foreign country without a translater a VERY scary thought :( Up late because of my cappucino,green tea, and Cafe Americano I drank today. Can you say caffeine high :)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-60813531171579374362011-02-20T13:42:00.000-08:002011-02-20T13:42:59.490-08:00the trip overLeft on our 11 hour trip on Alitalia business class. I hope everyone once in their life gets to fly business class. Seats like recliners,meals served on a linen placemat using real china and silverware,six courses served one at a time. Liquor was FREE but I still had no business having sparkling wine,chardonney and Limoncello for dessert. And nobody told me the effects of liquor are magnified in the air(something to do with the air pressure??) After our great flight we had to sit in the Rome airport for a 5 hour delay. Normally I could people watch but I was so tired from jet lag and sick from the liquor that I literally just watched the time go by. Oh wait I forgot, I watched other people watching Daniel as he laid across the benches snoring loudly. You know me, I gave each of them a dirty look and they looked away quickly :) Then it was a quick 45 minutes in Economy class to Brindisi. It humbled me quickly as I became a contortionist just trying to cross my legs :( We rented a car that was brand new never having been driven to make our way to Taranto where our hotel is. Needless to say the cars in Italy are very small and Daniel and I looked like circus clowns, we barely fit the luggage in the car hahaha lol :) After getting lost once we finally made it to our hotel which is a restored medieval masseria. Tomorrow begins the house hunting:)Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-75554650795338370592011-02-19T11:17:00.000-08:002011-02-19T11:17:18.890-08:00Getting ready to leave :)One last run through with Joshua,just to make sure I can do this haha lol. Business class here I come, and you know I will be getting all the freebies.Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-138974697548386399.post-57132973582793436872011-02-14T17:35:00.000-08:002011-02-14T17:35:40.975-08:00House Hunting In ItalyHey Everyone,<br />
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Daniel and I are getting ready for our house hunting trip in Italy. We will be leaving February 19th and returning the 27th. We are crossing our fingers we find a home that can fit us all in a great area. I will try to post a few pictures when I am there maybe we can all take a vote if we are stuck between one or two options :) If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to comment or email me at Dtulcan@hotmail.com<br />
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Look forward to getting this Blog started and sharing all my experiences with you!<br />
<br />
Darleen and Family Darleen Tulcanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365590366109659253noreply@blogger.com0