We left Amsterdam today and drove to Germany... happy to be leaving the country where it costs money to go to the bathroom. Though we did encounter some very interesting toilets in the Netherlands, including one that cleans the seat by itself. I wasn't entirely sure I trusted it, but if I have to pay 50 cents, at least it's doing something. We were on our way to Oberwesel on the Rhine River, home to Castle Hotel Auf Schoenburg... the medieval castle-turned hotel where we were staying that night. Angie and I had been keeping it a secret from Mom so we could surprise her. We made it to Oberwesel and though we were able to see the hill-top castle from anywhere in town, we had considerable trouble figuring out how to get up to it. ... read more

Today we went to the Anne Frank House... the house where the 15 year-old Jewish girl and her family hid from the Nazis for two years until they were betrayed by one of their confidantes (who exactly betrayed them remains unknown.) They were arrested and sent to concentration (extermination) camps, and only the father, Otto, survived. Anne died just a few weeks before the liberation. Her diary writings were published by her father after her death and are world-known. The house remains unfurnished by the request of Otto, but a scale model shows the inside of the house as it would have looked in 1942, when 8 people hid in the 1000 sq. ft. apartment above Otto's business offices. Anne's room still has magazine clippings and photos of movie stars pasted to the walls. Just standing ... read more

My flight to Chicago was pretty uneventful, though I was a little afraid that I would be late due to a late take-off from Colorado. Mom was already waiting at the airport, and Angie arrived just a few minutes after me. While we waited for the plane to board, Angie decided she wanted to go get her shoes shined... in Detroit. An hour later, when the plane started boarding, Mom and I sat there wondering A) if she would make it, and B) if she didn't, what the heck were we going to do with her carry-on bags?? Finally, Mom boarded with her seating group, leaving me with a scripted motherly-scolding to give her, and I sat there fidgeting until she came running up, out of breath, with a wild story about her shoe-shining adventure. Something ... read more

Today was the best day of the trip... we set off in the morning on a 3 1/2 hour hike on Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods). Luckily, it was much cooler today than on previous days or it could have been a seriously uncomfortable 3 1/2 hours! Antonio had been telling us all week that everyone always says this is their favorite part of the trip, and I can see why. The views were simply amazing! The hike was not hard, but it was on the very edge of a cliff and I can see why they insist on hiking shoes and poles. Our local guide for the hike was Maurizio de Rosa... he was a pretty cool guy, he even climbed a tree to pick cherries for us, and they were the best ... read more

Today we did the famed drive along the Amalfi Coast. I had been planning on sitting on the right side of the bus to get the best views, but by the time I got down there, everyone had already boarded. Luckily, Chris offered for me to sit next to her by the window since she's tall and can see over me. The coast is amazing... at one point we saw a swimming pool carved right out of the side of a cliff. There's a cute miniature version of the town of Praiano set into the cliff by the highway. We saw another one of these mini-towns later in the week also, I wish I could have taken a picture, but the bus was moving too fast. The traffic on the road to Amalfi is almost as ... read more