Germany was great!

I had the BEST time in Germany with my parents! Check out the photos on my Yahoo site. There aren't many 'cuz Dad took a bunch but at least there's a few. We had great weather everyday but the last, when it rained, and though it was cold, it was wonderfully sunny with a lovely blue sky the rest of the time. I arrived on Wednesday eve after an eventful trip... I flew KLM from Tokyo, connecting in Amsterdam. On the way to Amsterdam, some lady got sick, and after much discussion, the pilot told us we had to stop in Helsinki so she could go to the hospital. I've heard that the Helsinki airport is one of the most beautiful in the world, but unfortunately we just sat outside it for an hour while they did the paperwork so we could take off again. I know I should feel bad for the old lady because I'm sure it sucks being sick on a plane and then stuck in a hospital in Finland, but I missed my connection and was pissed as heck! I thought about writing to KLM and demanding those extra few miles we went out of our way to stop in Finland... Yeah, I'm nuts, what can I say?!

The first day and a half I hung out with my friend Silke and had a great time getting ready for her birthday party Thursday night. I was still jet-lagged so I didn't stay up too late but it was nice to spend some time with her.

Friday I met my parents at the airport and we began our adventure! We drove (ok, actually I drove them) to Hannover where they had lived for a year before I was born. We met the Haley's, friends of theirs and had tea and dinner with them. Mr. Haley is from England and Mrs. Haley is German. We had a nice time with them and I'm glad I finally got to meet them.

Then we took a trip to a rather unknown wine region in eastern Germany. We spent the night in Freyburg, where we toured a sekt (German champagne) factory and bought lots of wine. It was surprisingly good! (Dad thought it would taste like Amana wine, and for anyone who knows that stuff, you know it's bad!) What a pleasant surprise.

Our next trip was to Neubrandenburg, 2 1/2 hours north of Berlin, to visit the Lange's and see where Teddy lived for a year. They surprised us by having taken a day off work, so we were able to spend the day together walking around the town, having lunch, and visiting one more winery - the northernmost winery in the world! I've known the Lange's for almost 12 years so it was about time that my parents met them! We had a wonderful time and ate more than enough amazing food to last a lifetime! Thanks, Lange's!

On our way to Berlin, we went to Waren and had tea and cakes with Oma (Grandma). Oma is one of my most favorite people in the whole world and I just had to see her. It's a pity we didn't have more time to go for a walk around the Muritz Lake but it'll have to wait til next time.

Our last 3 1/2 days were spent in Berlin, where we walked and walked and walked... I had no idea how much whining 2 people could do! We saw all the sights, did some shopping, went to the Pergamon Museum (highly recommended!!!), and met Silke for dinner at Potsdamer Platz. We had wonderfully heavy authentic German food and got lots of good exercise. Our flights were on Sunday morning and unfortunately, no one told us that the time would be "springing forward" Saturday night! My flight was at 10am and their's was at 10:40 so we planned to arrive a little after 8am to give us time to have breakfast together and do a little more souvenir shopping. When we arrived and I looked at the board to find my gate, I discovered that it was 9:26am! Talk about a heart attack! We said a quick goodbye and I ran for my life! No worries in the end but that's not the way I like to end a vacation with my parents :( All in all, it was a terrific trip and I'd do it again in a second!