Kurt & Amy's European Vacation, Sept. 28 - Oct. 12

Well, well, well. My baby brother and sister finally came to see us. We really wanted them to make the most of their two-week vacation so planned a full-scale European blitz: Hannover, Cologne, Amsterdam, Paris, Aachen, and the Rhine River valley. We loved having them here and can't wait for the rest of our family and friends to see it up close and personal.

This is how we found Melinda when we finally got back to Cologne.

I could be wrong but I do believe this castle was called "rabbit ears castle" back in the day.

Heading back to Koblenz, time to look at some castles!!

Here's the view from the tower: Bacharach sitting on the Rhine River below.

We made our way to the tower above the town of Bacharach for a wonderful view. The way there wasn't too bad either.

Yep, the Rhine Valley is wine country.

The day before Amy and Kurt were to go to Hannover to fly home, we thought it would be a good idea for them to first see Koblenz, Bacharach and the Rhine River valley. We went by train to Bacharach and took the last tour boat back up the river to Koblenz, admiring all the castles and vineyards along the way. In this picture Britt shows that big brothers never grow up.

Here's to a perfect afternoon in Aachen.

We spent the rest of the day in Aachen enjoying the sunny weather while eating and drinking at local restaurants and pubs.

After Amsterdam, our two world travellers went off to Paris for three days before returning to Cologne where we took them on a tour of nearby Aachen and it's beautiful cathedral, built by Charlemagne. For 600 years it was the coronation church for over 30 Holy Roman emperors, starting with Otto I in 936. I snapped a shot of the ceiling.

Checking out a Rembrandt inside the Rijks Museum. So close you can almost touch it.

Checking out the red light district. Hey, why are you two looking so blurry-eyed?

Should we go in? Well, OK.

Did I mention that Amy and Kurt REALLY liked Amsterdam? They had grins like these the whole time.

Amsterdam's answer to Zoom. That's the Rijks Museum in the background. Who is that sitting on the "t" and "e"? Damn tourists!!

I like this shot Amy took of Kurt, the lonesome traveller, wandering Amsterdam's darkest districts.

Welcome to Amsterdam!! We took a two-hour train ride from Cologne to the city of red lights and herbal entertainment. We liked it so much we decided to stay for a couple of days.

Coffee anyone?

While at a bar in Cologne's Belgian quarter we were approached by a rather talkative, animated and DRUNK local. She talked our ears off and even gave Kurt a smooch. We decided to leave before things turned ugly but not before doing an eagle impression.

Good news!! While touring Cologne, Kurt found his German twin brother...Sven.

Here's our prize for climbing to the top of the Dom...a huge German lunch consisting of Amy's favorite dish, pork knuckle!!!

Amy enjoyed counting the steps on the way back down...378, 379, 380.

Here's my girl and the rest of the clan, out of breath at the top.

We decided that instead of some rest, what Amy really needed was to climb over 500 steps to the top of the Dom. Here's a shot from the top.

Guess who decided to show up?!!

Kurt just loved the new fall colors at the Adidas store in Cologne, HA!

Kurt and I hung out in Cologne for a couple of days waiting for Amy to arrive. We spent an afternoon at the EL-DE Haus where, in 1935, the Gestapo took over the building and made it their local headquarters. The basement was frightening; dozens of Jews and regime opponents were emprisoned, tortured and killed here. It's still possible to make out names, poems, calendars, and love letters etched into the walls. A very sobering afternoon.

Little brother was blown away by the size of Cologne's Dom.

Here's Kurt hanging loose in front of Hannover's Rathaus (Town Hall).

While waiting for our train back to Cologne, we killed a couple of hours touring Hannover. Here's a shot of Kurt in front of the Market Church, built in 1349.

That's no hippy...that's my little brother, Kurt. All smiles at the Hannover airport after 13 hours on a plane.