Munich

So, while we travel for hours to get back to our home, here are the photos we took in Munich. First, I have to tell you though, that we had a great time in Munich because of my friends on Facebook. I didn't look anything up for the city, because we only had about two hours of free time. I posted something on Facebook asking friends what to see, and their suggestions made for a lovely bit of free time seeing the highlights of this great city. I have to say I enjoyed the city very much. Here you go:

The "free stuff" on the train.

We thought this was sort of random. When we boarded the train from Vienna to Munich, we were issued some orange juice and a Kit Kat. Random, yes, but we took it! This reminds me of our flight to Vienna as well - an 8pm flight from Amsterdam to Vienna - the "snack" they wanted to hand out to each passenger was a chicken sandwich! We passed - again, seemed a bit random.

It was a four hour train ride. 

When we arrived, we caught a cab with the crankiest guy in Munich.

And we went to sleep!

A department store decked out for spring.

The old church in Munich, undergoing renovation.

A bronze city model, church front and center. 

The glockenspiel!

A real highlight, and oh so German, the glockenspiel plays three times a day. We caught it at lunch, eating at the Marineplatz for this purpose. I took video, but it's too long to upload...

The royal couple

The clock.

The tip-top!

The cuckoo.

One knight wins.

The dancers.

A beer at the Hofbrauhaus, the most famous Munich Beer Garden.

Check out the guys in traditional garb...lederhosen included.

There are some tables reserved for the regulars - Stammtisches

The stein vault - for the regulars.

Where the Bavarian band plays. They were on break.

The fresh food/flower/meat, etc market.

With a beer garden in the middle.

I took this for my dad - Dad, look at all the cheese!!!

Finally, dinner at another beer garden - Hacker Pschorr

Beautiful city, so glad we got to experience it for a little bit. Please pray for our safe travel back today. We look forward to being home. Ahhhh...

See you soon.

Eindhoven and Vienna

Today is our last full day in Europe - here are some photos from a few days ago - in Eindhoven, Netherlands and also Vienna.

In Eindhoven, on the square near the hall, this!

There are few actual carousel animals left - but in their place, these very cool retro vehicles!

We had lunch over there - because they had wifi!

We were able to FaceTime with LM and Nana.

More of the square

Then, in Vienna...

We went back to this Italian restaurant where we had a nice meal when we were last in the city. We are not fans of Viennese food, or of Vienna, really. Someone who loves this city needs to show me around sometime and let me know what to like about it. Anyhoo - the restaurant did not disappoint - last time we had orange sorbet in a frozen orange - this time - a lemon!

We also visited the St. Stephens Dom for a few moments.

The last time we were here, it was a Sunday and an old parishioner scowled at me. This time it was just us and the tourists, so no one minded my photo taking. Last time we were in Vienna, it was very cold and rainy. This time it was lovely weather. I can't say it helped my view of the city, however.

Then, we saw this guy...we couldn't figure out his gimmick. I posted it on Facebook, though, and a friend figured it out for me. Here is his schtick:

And, if you want to know, here is the secret.

OK - that's it for these towns. We have our last meetings today, and an early morning on Tuesday to get home. I can't wait to hug that boy. I've missed him so much! Every child we see that is around his age is completely adorable to us. FaceTime is an amazing thing, he kisses us every day through the screen. But, it's not the same, and I'm ready to see my baby in person once again!

See you soon.