Tuesday, February 26, 2008
We ended where we started...
Dachau
Salzburg, Austria
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Near Heilbronn


Italy was great! I am sure you could tell from the picutres. We had a great weekend exploring.
Berlin was interesting. I saw the remains of the Berlin wall, Checkpoint Charlie and the museum, the place where the underground bunker was where Hitler and his wife died, and the Brandenburg gate. It is a HUGE city!
YesterdayI had intended to visit with a friend who happens to live near Mannheim where Micah had meetings. We ended up traveling most of the day so that did not work out. I was able to see a small part of Mannheim and grab a bite to eat while Micah and the other guys met at the John Deere factory there.
We drove to Heilbronn this morning (the same place we stayed when we were here in November) and I took a trip to Schwabisch Hall, a small town about an hour train ride west from here. It was pretty as you can see from the above photos. (The top one is of an outdoor market which is common in the city center areas.) I fisnished my second book of the trip and ate yummy german food. We had a lovely dinner out with some other Deere employees and we are off again tomorrow to another town, Ocsenhausen.
If any of you Deere wives ever have any questions about what these guys do on their business trips just call me. The schedule is very demanding and it is exausting being on the road all of the time. I am thakful to have the time away from home but I dont think that I will be volunteering for any of these trips again any time soon!
I will try to post again tomorrow if we have an internet connection.
I love you all!
Jamie
Monday, February 18, 2008
In Berlin
We arrived at the hotel late last night after a long trip from Venice. We were able to make it without messing anything up which is amazing. We only have access to the computer in the lobby right now so I will have to post later. The keyboard is weird and I cant do pictures. Micah is off to work and I will walk around the city. There is snow/rain here. My dear friend Emily will give birth today at 10:00 central time so pray for her, Josh and the new baby!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Day in Florence and arrival in Venice



Made it to Venice. Got on and off of the water taxi with no problem. My friend Jen gave me a handy tip that it is very confusing to get around here on the streets. Underestimated that... We must have looked confused. An old lady started spouting off in Italian, about what, we dont know. We think that she understood that we were lost. We think that she understood where we were trying to go. We were baffeled by the sight of the "streets". They are not really streets, rather alleys. The old lady continued to spout off about things that we did not understand while leading us down the ally. After a short time we think that she says to "go that way, I am going this way" in Italian of course. We misunderstand. She is irritated. She was telling us to go her way I guess because she pulled Micah with her! We were so confuesd. We came to a corner and she motioned to Micah to stay put. He did not move! He said to me that he was in no position to argue. ( I have never seem him so submissive!) The little old lady showed us our hotel and a resturant across the street for which she give Micah a business card and then made some guestures while still going on in Italian. She must have thought that the more she talked the better we would understand. We were glad to shut the door to the hotel and have that situation behind us. Micah said he was done. We should find out what time the train leaves for Milan and stay in the room until then!:)
We went out for dinner, it was lovely. Walked to St. Marks square. The stars are out and the air is crisp. A wonderful place to be!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Correggio, Italy...and Florence, Of course


Micah had meetings this morning and I went to walk around Correggio which is in the Reggio Emila area. The guys at dinner last night gave me a suggestion for what to do today that went something like this..."you should walk around in the city center and go to a resturant called "Tre Spade". There are only about 3 tables and the food is authentic to this area. The food is home made, the pasta is hand made. It is a very strange situation. If the lady is in a good mood she will have many choices to eat but if she is in a bad mood she will only have two choices or so. Very strange." So...knowing I had to go there and after having nightmares...I walked throught the town as suggested (first picture) and went to the strange situation resturant (second picture). It took me forever to find it. The streets are very confusing here. When I did find it the door was locked. You have to ring the bell to be allowed in. The lady and her staff were gracious. I was the only person in the place. It is the kind of place only the locals know about. The food was the best I have ever eaten. Truely an art form. They taught me some Italian. What a great experience.
We took a train to Florence tonight and found our hotel. Had another wonderful meal-after this place the Olive Garden seems really lame. Well, I guess for the price it isnt so bad. I think that the alcohol content in the wine is higher than at home. You can't drink very much of the stuff without feeling goofy. The cathedral here (Il Duomo) is amazing! It shoots way up into the sky. Everything here is charming. More about florence tomorrow when we can see it in the light.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Train from Munich to Bologna

A driver took us to Correggio, a small town near Modena. English fell on deaf ears....Why dont we learn more languages in the US?? Anyway, the hotel is nice. Micah was going to head off to a business dinner and I was going to eat alone but they insisted that I eat with them. I ordered this pasta dish and when it arrived I was very nervous. There were some pasta dishes on the menu which featured squid ink, and the dish I recieved had a dark brownish/blackish drizzle all over it. VERY relieved to find out it was balsamic vinegar. I ate the whole thing (it was great) before the Italian guys ate their food. They stopped eating when about half of the food was gone. I guess the "clean plate club" isnt such a big deal in Italy! I must have looked like a cow. I ate everything on my plate. Even the "basket" made of cheese that the pasta was served in! So much for making a good impression for Americans...
We only have dial-up internet here so it is difficult to post. Will try to post more tomorrow if we have a connection in Florence. We will goof off for a couple of days. Really though, we are goofy anywhere we go!
80's Music
If you are an 80's and 90's pop music fan this is the place for you! It is really popular here--don't know why. This morning over breakfast we listened to The Sign by Ace of Base and Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. I thought of how Joel and Steph would have appreciated it and had a laugh with us. Maybe we can all come over together sometime...I'm sure Rick and Gwen would love keeping 4 kids under the age of 4 at once...
They have the best croissants here. Thanks to Jen on the tip about the chocolate filled ones. I may be a little heavier upon the trip home. I have already had 2 and I've been here less than 24 hours.
They dont have irons here in the hotel rooms. Anyone know why that would be?? This hotel did dig up one iron but no board. Micah is not happy about this situation.
Off to Italy this morning. A 7 hour train ride through the Alps should be pretty. Glad I have a good book and the i-pod--I can escape that 80's music for a time.:)
They have the best croissants here. Thanks to Jen on the tip about the chocolate filled ones. I may be a little heavier upon the trip home. I have already had 2 and I've been here less than 24 hours.
They dont have irons here in the hotel rooms. Anyone know why that would be?? This hotel did dig up one iron but no board. Micah is not happy about this situation.
Off to Italy this morning. A 7 hour train ride through the Alps should be pretty. Glad I have a good book and the i-pod--I can escape that 80's music for a time.:)
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Hofbrauhaus



Made it to Europe...and Farm Camp


Monday, February 11, 2008
Dress up
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Naomi the Hoover
Snow Day
So here we are with about a foot of snow again. I tried to shovel before Micah got home from work and did it with an unhappy heart. Isaiah cried the whole time we were out there because the snow was too deep to walk in. I yelled at him in front of the neighbors. Micah came down the hill at about 1:30 , just in time to get a glimpse of me angrily shoveling and falling down on the hill. He tried to get his car in the drive but this is as far as he got! I am so glad he is home. The day started out with Naomi throwing a glass across the kitchen and me starting a fire in the microwave. God is granting me more patience every day. I am so glad he is not done with me yet.
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