Grandparents are Great!

October 19, 2018: Grandma Sharp came to visit us from Abu Dhabi! We were all so excited to have her come, I don't think she had a moment's peace that first day :)

Her adopted German daughter Nelle came to visit, and we had fun catching up with her, since we got to know her when she visited in Abu Dhabi. We checked out a park near our house. 

Colby got this cape in the mail as a birthday present from his BFF in VA and has worn it every day since! Tyler was an awesome big brother and held it out for him while he rode his bike since he wanted to look like he was flying :)

On our way to trunk or treat at the church!

We "borrowed" a trunk since we were car-less and gave them all our candy to hand out :)

Karla got this picture of us walking to the bus after church.

We took Grandma Sharp for a downtown tour. Which was really good for us since we're still trying to figure things out! 

We tried a cinnamon roll store called Zeit fur Brot. Naturally, we had to try like 4 different kinds to get the true flavor of the place :)

Pumpkin, chocolate, walnut and regular cinnamon rolls - all delicious!

We walked around the Zeil (an outdoor mall) and Karla helped me find things I've been looking for - a hair dryer, a straightener, things like that :)

Having her here was so good for my soul! Someone to help me find my way, find the household goods I was in search of, and to listen to me talk her ear off about the good, bad and the ugly :) I'm so grateful she and Mark needed some adopted grandkids when we met them years ago in Abu Dhabi!

The Romer platz

The lock bridge. 

Colby, doing his thing and making friends.

Colby got hungry and we stopped to eat lunch. I got to try some German potato salad -two thumbs up! Colby liked his extra long hotdog. 

One night, Grandma Sharp took us out to dinner and we tried a little place by our house. We got to try out all different kinds of schnitzel, and Hailey liked this concoction she ordered!

Pretty sure she read all the books we had approximately 15 times each...

And her last night here, she gave us the gift of a date night! Our first one here. We tried out a Mexican place. Can't wait until the next time she comes to visit!

Bad Hamburg

October 13, 2018: Still no car, so we did a metro trip out to the nearby city of Bad Hamburg. 

A cute fall produce market.

Ice-cream. Always a good choice!

We checked out the castle, then went to see the gardens.

The church. It had a pretty interior, with a statue of St. George and the dragon (Ken's favorite)

Hailey and I wandered around the outside of the church while the boys went in search of a bathroom (always an adventure in and of itself)

Scenic Switzerland Part II

Our next hike in the Alps was in Lungern. We got to the base of the mountain in time to see the cows being driven from one field to another. 

We really lucked out with the weather - it was not very cold, especially once we were hiking, then it felt almost hot!

At the top of the mountain there was a tiny old village, with just a few buildings, no longer in use. 

Grandpa is pretty brave to travel with all of us! And we love it.

The view coming down the cable car off the mountain.

We got to the city of Lucerne in time for the sunset, and walked around taking in the sights and shops.

The inside roof of the bridge.

We found some chocolate shops!

And cuckoo clocks!

This is a monument to the Swiss mercenary soldiers who fell protecting the French king during the French Revolution.

Owen wanted a picture in front of it. He LOVES any historical story we tell him when we're out adventuring; it can distract him from being tired and grumpy, so good thing Ken and Grandpa know so many!

I picked a restaurant ahead of time I wanted to try, including food like raclette, rosti, and other things I've already forgotten what they were called... It was delicious, and our servers ended up being these sweet Mongolian girls who kept coming out to speak Mongolian with Ken!

On our drive home the next day, Ken found an AWESOME castle for us to visit. I'm beginning to see why people love this part of the world so much! Here is Ruine Dorneck:

Every stick becomes a sword, naturally.

Secret tunnel under the castle! Perfect for a sneak attack on your brothers...