de&gr: Photo's from iPhone

No comments yet, but check out the first batch of photos posted from the trip...

http://picasaweb.google.com/brybgr/DEGR2008IPhone

Gegino's for dinner

Jet lagged from a long day, we take pleasure in our haunts while our
energy lasts.

Pizza and some good sorbet ease us out of the days travels. I for one
stabbed to death with a stirring spoon my 3 week dirth of good coffee
with three ice-teas (a beverage lost on the ice-less folk in Europe).

All in all, the troups are safe and happy to be home. More trip post
and pictures to come shortly.

de&gr: an afternoon of eating

Included in our meal were multiple toasts to the birthday 'kids', a
gymnastics performance, a 12 piece band, and a bonus desert of
Schwartz Wald torte.

The Hoheneck resturant takes there time serving but the food is very
good. Years ago now we celebrated our wedding here. The remodeled the
space since then and the more traditional look is much improved over
the pink from before.

de&gr: Birthday Wishes

From today's Pforzheim Zeitung

de@gr: Look, I'm a Picaso!

Emi enjoys that Toy Story quote which came to mind over this iPhone
photo scew up.

Aparently this and other rides near the schloss date from and were
used by a previous king.

de&gr: My other hotel isn't so Baroqu.

A side trip to Luidwigsburg (near Stuttgart) for the Fairytale Park
and a preview of the Korbus (pumpkin) fest.

We are her for the move from summer to early Fall.

Ruth and Hurst do well.

de&gr: Ride that horse!

D & E take a ride on a simple merry go round at the Hermensee on our
way for cake and coffe at Taunt Edle.

de&gr: Emi handed (his) ass

We did a quick trip to the town graveyard where Emi got a free donkey
at the super nice lady at the florest we frequent in Pforzheim.

FYI, trips to the graveyard are common family walks like going to the
park (but with dead people all around).

de&gr: Random Travel Tips

Just some random travel tips that have come up for us on this trip. Most of these are personal to us, but maybe others might agree or get some value in them...

• Kitchenette: being able to cook your own food at a moments notice comes in handy with two monster/children
• Tough Stuff First: Vacation is about relaxing, but if you love sightseeing, do the tough stuff first. Anything that requires more effort then lounging on the sand should come at the start of the trip or you'll have trouble fitting it in (or getting motivated for it) near trips end.
• Vomit Comet(s): Avoid buses, vans, or any other transportation that has too much giggle and wiggle. Even if you can stomach it don't count on the kids doing so.
• You be ill'n: Plan for there to be at least one illness on any trip over a few days. This will help you set expectations, plan for common self medications, and generally set expectations to avoid getting to presumptuous  about "success" of a vacation.
• Snack early and often:  The best defense against cranky children that are way to hungry is to try and keep their stomachs constantly in a state of activity. Bottom line, snacks.

I'll probably post some more of these tips/ideas as the inspiration strikes.

de&gr: Back in Pfrozheim

We arrived back in Pforzheim yesterday all safe and sound. Turns out that the solution to our car sick children was to forgo the van service and rent our own smaller car like in Crete (A Class again).

No pictures for now but with us back in Germany and more easy internet access I'll probably try to go back and fill in some more anecdotes from our trip in Crete to supplement then photos.

True to form, the in-laws have a full schedule already laid out for us with some garden grilling today (Tuesday), visiting one aunt in the Schwarz Wald tomorrow, visiting another aunt in Ludwigsburg the day after that, and than rounding out the trip with a two day birthday party for my father in-law.

PS
For those to timid to ask, the "de&gr" is a reference to the country codes used on license plates for Germany DE as in Deutchland and GR as in Greece.

Too Smokey Mountains

From an email dad sent me...

"Cocke County is on fire. The smoke is not coming our way yet."

Mom & Dad

de&gr: Another 5am departure.

The Greece leg of our journey comes to a close. We had an extra
traveler as Liz was on our same Crete to Athens flight.

The A class Mercedes was stuffed to the gills and I had directions at
hand for our pre-dawn drive, but despite being badly signed I was
familiar with the rout from our beach trips to get us there no problem.

Liz heads home today which gives us a new NYC friend to see on our
return!

de&gr: The ACROPOLIS!!!

As in "we didn't see the Acropolis but we did spend money and time on
a variety of kids games" including this train to nowhere.

Emi also enjoyed air hocky, put-put, and mini-gocarts that he'll be
talking about for months.

de&gr: You live where?

The old city defensive wall serves as a foundation for dozens of
building that sit atop the structure as blip on its history which
began with the Venetians.

de&gr: Just in case it isn't obvious...

...the whole crew is watching the sun set. Were looking out over the
picturesque Xania harbor.

With evening we did some window shopping at some beautiful jewelry
stores, an exhibition of vintage motorcycles (4 of which are owned by
the guy who runs our hotel), and likely the best Italian gilato I've
had in years (which warrents its own post - to come).

de&gr: A great view...

...from near the ol' olive tree.

de&gr: 3,000 years of olives

Chris set the group on a short adventure in search of this olive tree
of an estimated age of 3k years old.

After 45 min and back tracking a couple times we found it which after
stupping to dog kennel use for many years in a hollow center it now
gives up a few branches every four years for the first and last gold
medals given at the Olympics.

de&gr: Cretan Dancing

Chris and Delphie (the latter still recovering from a stomach virus)
get to watch some Cretan dancing while the other half are sitting down
to a feast with our friends' family (on the menu: goat).

de&gr: Del update

She was pretty miserable with her Cretan bug after much ichyness, but
18 hours into it she seems to have turned a corner.

She's keeping fluids and solids (boiled rice) down, and her spirits
and energy seem much improved. Finders crossed for tomorrow and the
rest of the trip.

de&gr: dad 67, Emi 64!

The boys go alone while mom helps del get better: multiple erands, jet
ski, beach, pool, dinner for the girls, put-put, and dinner for us
(pizza & lamb).

de&gr: Hump day

Del got sick half way through the trip making hump day earn its name.
I'll leave the details up to the readers imagination. Update on her
tomorrow.

de&gr: day at (the other beach)

"I saw islands and I loved the food and drink."

Island : dad and others swam to

Food : missed photo op with an octopus hanging out of my mouth.

Drink : dad and nick got silly on a clear drink that smelled funny.

- Emi

DE&GR: my other rental

...is a much newer Mercedes (A class).

DE&GR: Cretan sand

E & D get gritty on the beach just 2 minutes walk from our hotel room.

DE&GR: late snack...

...of traditional Cretan (Xania) fruits and cheeses.

DE&GR: Icecream post swim

We grab some desert after a thermal water swim in Bad Wildbad and
while waiting for the S-bahn home.

DE&GR: Animal Experiments

A lone Guinie Pig is only the start of the Kuhn 'farm'. Also present:
6 rabits, 4 chickens, 2 cats, 1 dog, 2 sheep, and 4 kids (6 including
our two).
Now the trip will be both literally and figratively an animal house.

Little Indie

Sam who?

This is his most recent work and a must see for Chris and I.
Supposedly this theater and group are where he got his start in New
York and in general.

For as much as I enjoy Shepard, this is only the second production
I've ever seen and the other was in an attic in Old Town Knoxville.

I'd blog a review but I'm planning to become a hermit and move into
the desert (if you don't get that joke you should read son Shephard).

Technology answering the tough questions...

Aaron (while in KC): We were trying to figure out which house was your on 123rd.
Answer:

View Larger Map

Musings...

• The trees are way bigger then I remember...Wait, we didn't have trees when we lived there.
  
• Dad's gonna appreciate the BIG ASS light pole at the right of the image.
  
• It looks like there is a brick facade on the house now which would be an improvement, IMHO.
  
• All that said, you have to be kidding me that they've not bothered to replace the posts in over 20 years that flank they drive way?
  

Ninja with a shovel