In Review... Eating our way through Europe!

Overpriced cold salmon/scrambled egg open-faced sandwich - Oslo

Overpriced cold shrimp open-faced cold sandwich - Oslo, Norway

Restaurant in Sunne, Sweden

My favorite meal - Salmon in Slämtegen, Sweden

Smorgas-torte - Slämtegen, Sweden

Best cake ever! - Slämtegen, Sweden

We called this Peanut Butter Cheese. It's really Norwegian goat cheese

Robin at breakfast

Breakfast/Lunch at Ånkasa, Slämtgen, Sweden

Buffet in Örebro, Sweden

Bacon spread in a tube - Stockholm, Sweden

Ice cream in Stockholm, Sweden

Shrimp & Ham pizza - Stockholm, Sweden

Wienerschnitzel - Monschau, Germany

Mussels in Brussels

Robin trying Mussels in Brussels

Robin doesn't like Mussels in Brussels

Rhonda doesn't like Mussels in Brussels either

Robin found a pearl!

Val eating a fake Belgian waffle

Val eating a real Belgian waffle

Belgian waffles - Yum!

Food in Paris - the burger was mooing at me!

Crêpe in Paris, France

Croissant in Paris, France

A French baguette with Pâté

German BBQ (meat was still on the grill)

Black forest cake

Lindt chocolate store

Big boxes of our Lindt chocolate

Best ice cream in the world - Aachen, Germany

Mmmm - Ice cream!

Cake - Braunfels, Germany

Cake at Naemi's dad's house

Delicious meal at Naemi's dad's house

Kebab in Witten, Germany

Goulash - Cologne, Germany

Sauerkraut and sausage - Cologne, Germany

Dad eating his hamhock - Cologne, Germany

Dad and his hamhock - Cologne, Germany

Berliner - All over in Germany!

U.S.A or Bust!

Quick, let's go back home!

It's been an amazing adventure for us, but it is time to return home to our families, our friends and our reality. By now, it seems as if we've been gone for months! Living out of a suitcase gets old. Wearing the same clothes over and over gets old. Seeing the same three Americans day after day gets old (hehe...though we all get along surprisingly well).

We head to Düsseldorf and say our goodbyes to Naemi, who has been nothing short of a spectacular hostess for us during the last 10 days. We had plenty of time to check-in, go through immigration and arrive at our gate. In a couple hours, we would begin to board the Lufthansa airplane that would take us back to the U.S.A. Our seats were not all together, like they had been on the way but that was okay. One of the seats was in the emergency exit aisle and I was voted most likely to be capable of saving the lives of strangers in the event of an emergency landing. The other lone seat went to dad, who was engrossed in the book about Germany Naemi had given him. Rhonda and Robin sat in the seats next to each other, six rows behind me. As we boarded the plane, I was given the nod to step to the side so I could be strip searched. I guess I looked pretty shady in my t-shirt and sweats. The lady felt me up one side and down the other and wasn't even slightly amused when I giggled. She made me open my backpack, all 25 zippers, and unwrapped my glassware and did a thorough search of my carry on. Fine, lady... have at it, I have nothing to hide. I collected my belongings and my dignity and walked down the hall to the plane and quickly found my seat. I had so much leg room, I almost felt guilty. I considered it the first-class seat of Economy class. While others were trapped staring at the seat in front of them, I was able to stretch out and get comfortable. My individual TV was attached to the arm rest, instead of within the seat in front of me. I got a visual confirmation of Rhonda and Robin and dad, then I settled into my seat. The flight was smooth and they served us food and beverages and I watched The Hunger Games and This Means War, which I had seen both previously. Lufthansa didn't offer as many in-flight movie/TV/music options as Swiss Air. I tried to sleep, but wasn't tired. This was going to be a long nine hour flight. However, the time was going by relatively quickly and I decided to look back to see what Rhonda and Robin were up to. It was then I noticed three flight attendants attending to a passenger. Hmmm... I wondered what was wrong. I saw a blood pressure cuff and started to become concerned because they were gathered around where my sisters were seated. I got up just to check things out and it was Robin they were attending to! Rhonda saw me and said, "Robin passed out, but she's better now" and I looked over to where dad was sitting and he was looking concerned, so I made my way over to him and let him know what was going on. I went back to my seat, but kept checking to see when the flight attendants would leave so I could go check on her myself. Finally, they left and started the snacks and beverage service so I went back to find out the scoop. Robin still looked pale but was feeling a little better. I'm sure she was just dehydrated and being trapped on an airplane for nine hours probably didn't help the situation. They were giving her a lot to drink and hopefully that would help. There were two hours left until we landed in Chicago. I can't imagine being sick on an airplane and just having to sit there. Finally, we landed and they had a wheelchair waiting for Robin. She really wasn't feeling much better and was still pale. The wheelchair dude, Koco, escorted Robin with the three of us following behind into the airport. The line for immigration was extremely long and we were happy we had plenty of time before our connecting flight's departure. Koco pushed Robin to the wheelchair lane and we were able to get through Immigration quickly. Next stop, Customs and again, we were quickly escorted through the process easily. Then, through security and on to our connecting flight's gate. It was around 4 p.m. Our connecting flight was scheduled to depart at 8:30 p.m. Koco checked on the flight and came to inform us it had been delayed until 10:50 p.m. Ugh! Meanwhile, Robin was beginning to feel better and the color was coming back in her face. We said our goodbyes and thank-you's to Koco. Rhonda checked to see if there was an earlier flight to Wichita, and she found one was leaving at 6:03 p.m., however there was just one seat available. When we went to the gate, we found out there was actually a 4:30 flight to Wichita that was beginning to board. We quickly got on standby and waited. Soon, our names were called and we boarded the flight to Wichita six hours prior to our scheduled departure. We were so relieved! We never did get our Chicago pizza but by now, we were just ready to be home. Knowing our luggage would not be on the flight with us, we just hoped it was in an air-conditioned place since we had a ton of Swedish, Belgian and German chocolate in it. The flight from Chicago to Wichita was smooth but as we were landing we noticed a loud, squealing noise. That's never a good sign but we landed without incident. Then, as we sat on the runway, the pilot announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have landed safely in Wichita, however our steering equipment has gone out so we will need to be towed to the gate." Hey, whatever... at least we are here! Soon, the rescue squad towed us in and we notified United about our luggage that would be arriving much later and we'd just pick it up in the morning. We were just ready to go to sleep, since our bodies thought it was 2 a.m. Rhonda's husband picked us up and we relaxed for a bit at their house, then ate good ole Sonic cheeseburgers and fries before turning in for the night. I slept well and by 7 a.m. Central time, I was ready to begin my day. We dressed in some "clean enough" clothes and headed back to the airport, hoping our luggage had made it to Wichita. We were very happy to see those worn-out pieces of luggage and the chocolate was not melted! So, now we get to go home!

Rhonda, Ronald, Valerie, Robin

Cologne

Our last full day in Germany would consist of a trip to Cologne, which is less than an hour away from Witten. The weather forecast once again called for rain but only till around 1 p.m. At home, we are missing out on 100 degree Fahrenheit and very dry conditions. We wish we could send some of the rain and 65 degree temps back home to our families. Philipp was going to take the train from Aachen to Cologne and join us today. We arrived and it was only a light drizzle, so it was manageable. We met up with Phillip and rode the elevator to the top of the Cologne Triangle, which provided a view of the city in every direction. Philipp told us that during the war, most of Cologne was destroyed, except the cathedral. Next we crossed the Hohenzollern Bridge and approached the Cologne Cathedral.
It was a spectacular site. We toured the inside and it was beautiful as well. Robin, Rhonda and Philipp decided to climb the 533 steps to the top of the cathedral. I decided to pass this time, since I had done the 366 steps in Brugge. Instead, Naemi, dad and I went to a bakery for coffee and a 'Berliner', which we have enjoyed a few of on this trip. It's basically a jam filled donut. So, jam filled donut or 566 steps... donut wins! We did some souvenir shopping while waiting for the others. Soon, we could see Rhonda and Robin dragging themselves towards us. They were very tired and will probably be sore tomorrow. We walked around and did some more shopping since it was now nice and sunny. Then, in true German fashion we stopped for a late lunch in a brewery. I ordered some kind of sausage with a side of sauerkraut. It was all very good. We said goodbye to Philipp and headed back to Witten. We began packing our bags for home. We tried to leave some things behind to make sure we have enough room for all the chocolate we bought! We've weighed all our luggage and it remains under 50 lbs. so we should be good to go. We had visions of having to eat a bunch of chocolate at the airport if our bags were overweight. And speaking of overweight... the diet will start the day we get home! We have eaten so much good food and so much cake on this trip we will have to pay the price as we begin our exercise regime and food deprivation. And just for one last hoorah, we went out for ice cream. We have learned a lot about the different countries we have visited. For example, in Sweden, ice cream is 'glass' and cake is 'kaka'. In Germany, ice cream is 'Eis' and cake is 'kuchen'. In France, ice cream is 'glace'. We didn't eat cake in France because nobody was friendly enough to serve us any!

Now, we are sitting around soaking up our last night with Naemi. She has been an amazing tour guide for us. Anything we wanted to do, she made it happen. It will be sad to say goodbye to her at the airport tomorrow. :-(

Amsterdam

Amsterdam, here we come. Weather forecast says it's going to be a rainy day, but we've been pretty lucky so far. It took 2 1/2 to 3 hours to get there. We found a parking spot easily and headed to the center of the city to take a canal tour. We arrived at our pier and waited for our boat. It was just beginning to rain. Luckily, the boat was covered. The tour would last an hour and a half and we were hoping it would be done raining by then. The canal ride was nice and relaxing and out of the rain but we could hardly hear the tour guide. We managed to hear Anne Frank House which was on our list of things to do. The ride was nearly over and the rain continued to fall. Instead of getting off at the same pier we got on, we stayed on until the pier closest to the Anne Frank House. This way, we didn't have to walk as far. The line was long and there was a steady rain but we only had to wait half an hour. The tour was very detail oriented and very interesting. I had heard the story before, but to actually be in the place Anne and her family and four others hid for two years was a very moving experience. When I go home, I plan on re-reading the Diary of Anne Frank.

Anne Frank House

After that, we walked around and saw a few shady characters and speculated on some deals happening in the local coffee shops and alleys. We never really saw anything "Amsterdamish" except some signs and smells of marijuana and signs in stores that advertised "free HIV testing". Definitely not a place I'd want to live in or hang out in after dark, but that's just me.

The rain put a damper on some of our touring but we were very happy we made the trip. We looked like drowned rats, but overall it was a good day.

When we arrived back in Witten, we stopped at a Turkish restaurant for a kebab. It was very good, of course. Then time for bed and tomorrow, Cologne.

Back in Germany

After leaving France in one piece we headed towards Germany where the people are much more friendly. We arrived at Philipp's parent's house and Philipp and Naemi took us on a walk on a trail out in the German wilderness.

At one point on the trail, we were able to stand in Germany and Belgium at the same time. That was pretty awesome. Tonight, Naemi and Philipp would be cooking a German BBQ feast for us. This consisted of many types of meats plus sides of pasta salad, lettuce salad and the baguette Robin picked up in France. As expected, it was all delicious. Philipp's mom had prepared a Black Forest cake for dessert which added a perfect end to our perfect home cooked meal.

Philipp & Naemi

Philipp's parents, Konrad and Anna Weiss

The next day, we said goodbye to Philipp's wonderful family and thanked them for their hospitality. We drove to the city of Aachen, which was only a few miles away. This is where Naemi goes to the university. We went into the cathedral and it was the best one we'd seen so far, including Notre Dame and St. Michael's. It was definitely a sight to see. Also, we were introduced to the ice cream in Aachen, which is the best we'd ever eaten! When we stood before the window to try and decide which kind to have, we noticed it was not your ordinary tub of ice cream. Each flavor was whipped and billowing out of its container, almost like colored whipped cream. And the taste was so creamy. Mmmmmm

Our last stop in Aachen was at the Lindt chocolate warehouse. We bought a lot of German chocolate to bring home to our friends and family.

Thomas & Patricia Kanthak, Fabian & Selina

Now we're heading towards, Braunfels, the town Rhonda's second exchange student, Fabian is from. His mom had prepared a couple types of cake and we sat on the patio and drank coffee and ate cake. People in Sweden and Germany can sure bake! When we say cake, we think Betty Crocker with canned icing. When they say cake, they mean layers of rich, tasty goodness topped off with whipped cream, and not just Cool Whip. Real whipped cream. We enjoyed the cake and conversation with Fabian's dad, mom, Fabian, and his girlfriend. All of them could speak English quite well, as could most of the Germans we have gotten to know. After cake time, Robin, dad and I were taken to the Schloss Hotel, which was located at the foot of the Braunfels Castle. Rhonda and Naemi would stay in the guest room at Fabian's parents house. We all took some time to freshen up, then headed to dinner at an Italian restaurant called Pizza Pie. Our food was, of course, delicious and we were stuffed to the rim!

Braunfels Castle

We said goodnight and got a good night sleep. The next day, Fabian's dad, Thomas had arranged for an English guided tour of the castle. Since the castle was within walking distance, we strolled through the village and they just happened to be having a Renaissance Festival so everyone was dressed in old time costumes. What a perfect prelude to our castle tour!  It was awesome to be able to see the inside of a castle.

Fabian, Rhonda, Naemi

Afterwards, we went back to Fabian's parents house and ate more cake and had coffee. We then drove to the next town and strolled along the rivers edge and found our way to a restaurant in a quaint area. I had something that resembled meatloaf and fried potatoes. The food was delicious as well. The Germans really know how to eat!

The next morning we said our goodbyes to Fabian's family and thanked them for their hospitality. We have made many new friends on this trip. Everyone has been so nice and friendly!

Next stop, Witten. This is a town with approximately 100,000 inhabitants and Naemi's mom is the mayor. We went to Naemi's home and since her mother was away on holiday, we had the run of the house. The house resembled something from a magazine or something you'd see on Trading Spaces. It is really incredible. The home has been refurbished and dates back 1000 years. There's an underground area that, at one time, led to the castle. They have since closed it up. This will be our home for the rest of the trip.

It was time once again to eat cake so we went to Naemi's dads, Uli's house. His wife had prepared yet another scrumptious cake. We drank coffee and visited, then headed to a neighboring town where we toured the gasometer. It looked like a big can and inside was a huge fake tree that made you feel like a tiny person in a huge, dark forest. You could call out and hear your echo. It was fascinating.

Also, there were art and photographic exhibits, that displayed many of the wonders of the world. It was very educational. We even rode an elevator to the top and walked around outside, where we could see for miles in every direction.

Robin, Val, Uli, Rhonda, Ron

We rode back to Uli's house where he had prepared soup, potatoes, green beans and a fancy rolled up beef dish. Then for dessert, strawberries and whipped cream and a tasty fruit salad dish. Once again we were stuffed!

Now, we are back at Naemi's house to turn in for the night. Tomorrow, Amsterdam!