Stories From World War II, Part 2
As promised in last week’s blog, I continue the stories of the two women we met on our trip to central Europe. Both women were living during World War II, although this week’s woman, Anne, was born in Austria at the end of the war. Her mother Marie and her grandmother Etta told her the […]
Stories From World War II, Part I
During our recent visit to central Europe, we met two women that lived during World War II. Their homes and towns were occupied by Germans and they suffered brutally under their occupation. Their stories are so important that I will devote a blog to each one. The first lady we met, I’ll call her Alma […]
Thoughts on Austria and Germany
Back to our trip to Europe in September. We visited Munich, Germany, my least favorite place on our tour. It’s a lovely city, but so much evil took place there that it cast a shadow on my opinion of it. It was there that Hitler began his rise to power that resulted in millions of […]
Thoughts on Deja Vu
Have you ever had a moment of déjà vu? A moment where you think to yourself, “I’ve been here before” or “I’ve lived through this before.” I’ve experienced it several times, but one of the strangest ones occurred while we were in Salzburg, Austria last month. The experience left me shaking. One night during our […]
Thoughts on Swiss Villages and Cities
The second country of our tour Romantic Villages of the European Alps was Switzerland. The weather during our whole stay there was cloudy, rainy, and overcast. Not exactly the kind of weather you want when visiting the Alps. I have a personal theory about why the mountains looked so much bigger there. The valleys are […]
Thoughts on Italian Villages and Cities
The name of our tour was Romantic Villages of Alpine Europe, an accurate description of the places we stayed and visited. Being a small-town girl, this was the perfect tour for me. We mostly stayed in towns with 5,000 residents or less. I loved the small-town feel of the places, with their cobblestone streets, town […]
Thoughts on Our Trip to Europe
I’m back! After spending 23 days in the European Alps, Hubby and I arrived back in the U.S. safe and sound. What an adventure! We saw northern Italy, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, and Germany; saw beautiful sights and centuries-old sites: made new friends and made our way across cobblestone streets; and rode trains, planes, buses, ferries, […]
Thoughts on Going to Europe
This will be my last blog for a few weeks. September marks 40 years that Hubby and I have been married so we are celebrating in a big way. We’re going to the Swiss Alps! We won’t be alone. We’re traveling with the same group that we went to Ireland with last year. Our trip […]