Today was Katherine’s second birthday. We decided to have the party outside in the garden at our bed and breakfast. The grounds are lovely and it’s bordered by a cute little stream with ducks and geese. Katherine chose a Minnie Mouse theme. We had cake and Iron Bru. Katherine got bubbles and a teddy bear, but the best part was being able to spend time with her aunt and grandmother. [View Full Entry]

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Katherine's doing better, so you don't have to worry about her. She got two rounds of shots, but I think she's done now. We leave for Rome tomorrow. Hopefully, we won't have anymore troubles, but if we do, I know the address of an american hospital there. [View Full Entry]

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Hello, I can't write for long Katherine and Papa are waiting in our rental car. We had a great time in London. I'll have to write more and post pics later, so check this entry again later. On our first evening in London we went to Tafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Very impressive museum. Got a free tour... Michaelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, Rembrandt, etc... Simon met up with us and we went out for Indian food. Katherine loved it. Then we walked by the river as the sunset, Big Ben, the big ferris wheel. Our next day was even more packed. [View Full Entry]

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Last night was our last night at the Novotel hotel, but before we checked out this morning went next door to the British Library. They have lots of historical books and many of them are on display in the “Treasure Room.” We saw old maps, lots of old Bibles, old books from a variety of cultures, pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook, words written by Shakespeare, the Magna Carta, etc… My favorite book was a wonderful little book called the Golden Haggadah. The first few pages were full of beautiful artworks with stories from the old testament. The interesting th [View Full Entry]

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Today we walked a ring around the Thames. We started at Tower Hill tube station and went to the Tower Bridge. (We didn’t go in the Tower of London. Everyone says it’s a must-see sight in London, but I wasn’t sure that it would be enjoyable for a toddler, and I didn’t want to $27 per person to visit an attraction my two-year-old might be bored with after 20 minutes. We saw it from the outside and it was lovely.) After walking across Tower Bridge, we went to Hay’s Galleria and Southwark Cathedral. Southwark Cathedral was lovely (and air-conditioned). Friendl [View Full Entry]

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Today we got up extremely early and caught a bus to Frankfurt Hahn Airport. We arrived at the airport four hours early, but that’s just the way it had to be, because it was the only bus from our village headed to Frankfurt Hahn, and we didn’t want to leave our car in their parking lot for two weeks. We flew Ryan Air to London Stansted. The airline is very cheap and considerate of families with small children, allowing them to board first. We arrived on time and took the Stansted Express train to the heart of London, Liverpool St. Station. [View Full Entry]

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We'll be here in Germany for three more days. On Wednesday we're flying to London where we'll stay until the 27th. Then we're going to Rome for four days. Then we'll fly back to Germany and meet up with Pam. There's a picturesque lake in town, so today we went out and had a picnic. Katherine enjoyed feeding the ducks. She was especially fond of the mother duck and her babies. [View Full Entry]

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Renting a car in Germany during busy season... 45 euros a day. Getting a car repaired in Germany...Expensive. Driving around in the "Willkommen" mobile... Priceless. P. S. We weren't just riding in the "Willkommen" mobile, that was actually our rental car for two days. [View Full Entry]

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Today Katherine and I and two of our friends went on a historical walking tour of Baumholder. We were the only English-speaking people on the tour, but a very nice German (the assistant mayor) offered to translate for us. He also helped me carry the stoller up and down stairs. Everywhere we went, there were lovely people eager to share the history of their village. The fire was going at the Blacksmith's and we actually got to see someone work the metal. At the protestant church the organist serenaded us. At the watch tower a “witch” greeted us. The best thing [View Full Entry]

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David taught Katherine how to put her hands in her pockets, and we took some cute pictures. This journal entry is probably not very interesting to people who want to read about Germany, but I'm sure the grandmas will be enthralled. Also, I've included a picture of my favorite mannequin (just in case you missed him in the two previous entries). [View Full Entry]

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