wandering coyotes

After our white knuckle landing at the Chania Airport, we proceeded to the baggage carousel and then out to meet the car rental respresentative. Once we had signed all our agreements, we went about packing up the cars. Curtis and I rented a Toyota Auris while the others both chose Peugeot convertibles, both cars sleek and silver, however my brother's was a bit smaller and did not offer much in the way of leg room. On more than one occasion, Kellan and Bobby have pretty much eaten their knees while travelling!! Love our car - nothing fancy, but it is easy to get in and out of and we remain protected from the intensity of the sun. We stopped just beyond the airport to gas up. WHOOOOAAA! Gas is extremely costly here, especially when they automatically ... read more

It is so hard to believe that we are headed back to Europe but this time we get to enjoy it with most of our family! Monday was busy with a trip to the eye doctor to try to pass the peripheral vision test (failed in February!), a much-needed pedicure, and a final visit to the bank to pick up the euros we had ordered before going home to weed my gardens, clean the house, and pack our bags! We awoke early Tuesday morning to grey skies but knew that we were heading to a place where the weather promised nothing but sunshine and hot temperatures. We loaded the car and headed to my sister's, the central meeting place! We arrived around 8:30am, well shy of the time that was agreed upon (remember my need to ... read more

We love Paris! The sights, sounds, smells, and the overall vibrancy of the city certainly breeds excitement! Wednesday morning dawned overcast again but we were hopeful, as sunny skies were forecast for the afternoon. After breakfast, we headed to the Metro and made our way to The Louvre. As we walked through the huge stone archway Curtis got his first glimpse of the glass pyramid. We joined the not so long line, and proceeded inside. As we organized our belongings before entering the museum we heard this ungodly screeching! Curtis, and dozens of others, went over to investigate. Apparently a lady, who was coming up the escalator, got her skirt stuck and it was pulling her down! Security was soon there to help! Whew-glad I didn't don my skirt today!! Opting for one audioguide to share ... read more

Our drive from Herleshausen to Cochem was very picturesque. As we got closer to our destination, we found ourselves travelling down steep switchbacks heading into the valley where the Moselle River flows. All along the river are several campgrounds filled with trailers. We passed through small town after small town sitting along the river with beautiful bike/walking paths joining each of these postcard perfect places. As we drove along we were amazed at the vineyards that lined the steep hills. Row after row of grapevines sat in terraces along the sides of the hills. The Moselle Valley is famous for its wines, white ones especially. We finally came to Cochem, a small town of just under 5000 people. As we drove in we could see numerous river cruise boats lining the banks, cyclists everywhere and a ... read more

Tuesday morning we drove through the beautiful German countryside towards Herleshausen, the town in Germany where Curtis' mom still has family, and with whom we would be staying for the next 9 days. We followed the map, taking a number of different roads, winding our way towards Herleshausen. Upon entering the town, Curtis attempted to rely on his memory of where his aunt and uncle lived. Well after 20 minutes of driving around in circles we found the Tourist Information booth, however it was closed. We continued to drive around again. After fruitless attempts, we finally stopped to ask a gentleman on the street. It turned out that he was the local pastor and instead of trying to give us verbal directions he hopped in the car and we drove him to his house. Once there ... read more