Thanksgiving in Europe 2024

I'm so behind on chronicling our vacations! Last Thanksgiving, we took a family trip to Europe. We flew into Frankfurt, but had multiple other destinations on the agenda. First up we needed to get to Switzerland, so we took a quick detour into France so that our kids could say they've been there. We stopped in Mulhouse at the National Automobile Museum and it was really, really cool. If you're going to be in the area, I definitely recommend a visit. From there, we continued our drive to Zurich, where we stayed at Hotel Sedartis. If you've ever been to Europe, you know the struggle is real to find hotel rooms that comfortably fit 4 people. We found a family room at this hotel that offered two connecting rooms, so that was perfect. 

Our first big adventure was to visit Mt. Titlis in Engelberg, Switzerland. The weather was perfect and the views were insane! We all braved the "Cliff Walk", which is the highest suspension bridge in Europe, and checked out the Glacier Cave. 

The next day we went into Zurich and visited the FIFA Museum. Even for casual soccer fans, this was a fun museum, especially if there are kids in your party. There were interactive challenges for them, while Meezy and I checked out the history of FIFA and lots of memorabilia and jerseys from over the years. 

We also shopped at the Lindt Factory store, climbed up the shipping containers at the Freitag store to get a good view, and checked out a menacing-looking playground.

The next day we left Switzerland to head to Germany, with a couple detours along the way. First up, we drove to Vaduz, Liechtenstein and mailed off some postcards and got our passports stamped at the Tourism Center. From there, we stopped in Dornbirn, Austria to add another country to our tally. Lastly, we drove by Neuschwanstein Castle to see it from a distance before eventually ending up in Munich.  

Our hotel in Munich was Hotel Gio, another place where I could actually find a suite that could accommodate a family of 4. My only complaint was the parking garage. I know that parking spaces are slim in Europe, but this was a new level of torture. Not only is the parking garage underground with little room to maneuver, but you were expected to park your car on an inclined ramp, which meant scraping the ground was inevitable for any car that wasn't an SUV, and everyone needed to get out of one side of the car. Also, to leave, you were supposed to pull down a chain to open the gate (which no one told us), and essentially floor it up a steep ramp, but then quickly stop in case anyone was walking or driving by. It wasn't for the faint of heart.

The next day we drove to Garmisch-Partenkirchen to check out the Olympic stadium. The town of Garmisch is so charming, and worth a visit. We met up with my sister's family, who were also on holiday in Europe. 

That night, we went back to Munich and visited the Tollwood Winterfestival, which is an eclectic Christmas Market. It had lots of cool shops, food, and performances. 

We booked a late night dinner at a restaurant that offered "igloo dining." I figured we had to give it a try! It was a cute holiday experience. 

The next day we spent time running around in Englischer Garten and then checked out a Christmas Market in Munich by the famous Glockenspiel. Lots of hot chocolate was consumed! 

That day we finally got to meet up with our favorite Germans (my former exchange student turned honorary family member and her husband and baby). My sister and I had already met their baby girl earlier in the year, but no one else in our family had. So, we loved the chance to get everyone together! We visited a Christmas market, ate some yummy treats, and spent time laughing and catching up. 

 

Our final day of the trip was spent driving from Munich to Frankfurt so we could catch our flight home. We took the opportunity to stop at another Christmas market in Nuremberg on the way. I think the kids were over it, and it was pretty chilly, but I'm glad we got to be in Europe during this special time of year. 

First Week with the Germans!

Our former exchange student, Kim, and her brother Mik, arrived in Dallas on Monday afternoon.  They'll be here for four weeks, and we are very excited at all of the adventures that are in store!  First up on the agenda was taking them to Fossil Rim in Glen Rose.  It's a bit of a drive from the north part of the metroplex, but it's always a great time to go there.  Here are some pics of our awesome encounters with the wildlife.  We saw a ton of animals, but as you can see below, the zebras and giraffes were our favorite!

On Friday night, we went to the rodeo in Fort Worth.  Meezy and I had actually never been before, so it was a new experience for us as well.  We enjoyed the show, and had a great time catching up with some friends.  Afterwards we headed over to Billy Bob's to grab some food and watch people two-step!  It was a fun night, and a great way to end the first week.

Academic Year in America

Two years ago, at about this time, Meezy and I decided to host a foreign exchange student for a semester.  We were looking to give someone an opportunity to experience our country, while also granting us the privilege of learning about their culture.  It was an incredible experience, and we made a life-long friend out of our student and her family.  (We visited her family in Germany last year, and she's coming back to the US for another visit later this year).  I know that we'll be a part of each other's lives for many years to come.

Hosting someone in your home for 6 or 12 months is not easy, but it's not daunting either.  There are minor inconveniences associated with it, especially if you've never had a child previously, but the benefits far outweighed them.  We loved introducing Kim to our families, taking her on trips, showing her some American culture, etc, etc.  It was an amazing 6 months, and we have hundreds of fun pictures to help us remember it.  

Some people thought it was odd that two 20 somethings with no children would want to host an exchange student, but it made perfect sense to us.  We had the time, money, space, and desire to devote to the experience, and it couldn't have been more perfect.  Other hosting families we met during the process consisted of families with teenagers, or retired couples.  I think an exchange student can fit into most home situations, because there are various advantages for each.  In other words, it doesn't matter if you're 25 years old or 55 years old.  It doesn't matter if you're single or married.  It doesn't matter if you have kids or not.  As long as you have the desire and willingness to share, you can make a good host!     

If you'd like to learn more about hosting, check out the AIFS website here.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  If you want to take the first step towards hosting, even if it's just to get more information, let me know and I'll refer you. It's never too late or early in the year to get started!  There are always kids looking for host families.

     

Kim's Farewell Weekend

Well, our journey has come to an end.  Our hosting experience was amazing, and we are so glad we did it.  To celebrate Kim's time in America, we planned a fun-filled weekend for her and the friends she's made along the way.  Even though it was long overdue, I took Kim to downtown Dallas for a little sight-seeing.  We went to the sky lobby of the Chase building and had a really neat view of the city.

We walked around and visited some of the other skyscrapers, then made our way over to Dealey Plaza.  We saw the 6th Floor Museum and the JFK Memorial.

We met up with Jer for dinner at Five Sixty, the restaurant at the top of Reunion Tower.  The food and the view were spectacular!  It's really hard to take pictures from up there, so you'll have to take my word for it!

On Saturday night we held a going away party for Kim.  We covered the entire house in German-inspired decorations and served some of her favorite American foods.  I had printed out every picture of our fun adventures taken over the past 6 months and had them scattered throughout the house for people to view and for us to reminisce about.  Everyone that attended the party was asked to get their picture taken and write a message for Kim to go in a memory book.  I contacted those that weren't able to attend and had them send something to me separately to include.  The finished product turned out wonderfully!  Everyone had a great time, but it was a bittersweet moment for Kim to realize she wouldn't be seeing some of those people ever again.

On Sunday we got a group together to play Whirlyball.  It was a blast, as usual, and Kim even scored a goal!

Once the weekend's festivities came to an end, we knew we only had a couple days left with Kim.  I took her for one last trip to Rosa's Cafe for delicious tortillas and queso, and then to ColdStone for her last American dessert.  My sister Jo and I also took her for a pedicure (her first one ever!), and let her spend as much time as possible with Jo's daughter, Olivia.  Kim and Livy formed a special bond in her time here, and it's really cool that she got to witness 6 formidable months in Livy's life.  My sister will attest to the fact that Livy wakes up some mornings and says, "Mama?  Dada?  Kim?"  Too cute.  Thursday's trip to the airport was a sad experience.  We were so sad to see her go, but knew her family and friends in Germany would be overjoyed at her return.  We feel very lucky to have welcomed such an amazing person into our home for 6 months and are excited at the life-long friendship that is sure to be ahead of us.  Cheers, Kim!  We love you!