Europe Schedule

Schedule World Studies Europe 1998

What we did - my report

Date	Our trip: Mom said you can take trips in many ways, you can sightsee or visit people. On this trip we got to visit people and see wonderful things.
Thursday through Sunday traveling....58 hours! Yikes!	Minneapolis depart 7:30 pm...waiting .... waiting.... waiting So much for plans Mom and Dad even finished work on time and we were at the airport early....Then a bird got into the engine and we waited for 26 hours before we got to take off...Mom took me shopping at the Mega Mall, Dad went back to work and golfing. He was just hitting his best game ever when they told him that he had to quit and get back to the airport. He didn't get the eagle and he will never know his score.
	Iceland ....oops bird trouble continues We were so late getting to Iceland that we missed our plane to Denmark so we had to wait at the airport 5 hours to catch the 3rd flight out!
Sweden Sweden Sweden Statistics Oland Stockholm Vasteras Mushroom Picking Linkopping Sunday, September 6 on Oland	Copenhagen arrive 5 hours late and pick up car. We got to the airport at about 5:00 on Saturday. Mom brought an Avis coupon so we got a free upgrade, that was good or I wouldn't have had any room. Mom and dad decided to take the short ferry to Sweden at Helsingor and Helsingbro, since we were so late. That ferry runs every 20 minutes and the ferry boat was huge. We drove late into the night. Dad kept seeing these moose signs and asking mom what they said, mom had lost her glasses and couldn't read the signs, so even though dad can't speak Swedish he tried his best to tell mom what was on the sign...Something about "The Fence Ends Here". Later we learned that is what the signs said, since when the animal fence ends the moose can get out on the road. We got to Ulla and Lars on Oland on Sunday morning at 2:00 am. Dad's GPS mapping system and mom's memory from 24 years ago even let us find the right house in the back country. We stayed 2 nights. Ulla and Lars took us to the south end of the island and we saw Eketorp - A Viking Fort, Swans migrating to Africa and the windmills. Ulla and Lars reminded me a lot of grandma and grandpa and it was nice to be at their home.
Monday, September 7 to Stockholm	We got up early and visited with Ulla and Lars and then headed off to Stockholm to Anders and Helena's House. They had prepared a wonderful dinner and I enjoyed meeting Marie. It is interesting that mom's family left Sweden in the 1800's and they still keep in touch. The next day we took the subway into Stockholm and visited Galma Stan - that's the old part of the city. We saw the old Cathedral and the Kings Palace and visited the Medievel Museum. Then we headed off to Johans House.
Tues 9/8 Wed 9/9 Thurs 9/10	We drove to Vasteras and mom and dad looked at the information map and we ended up at Birgitta, Erik, Lena and Johan's house. We had a wonderful dinner and a good nights sleep. On Wednesday we went mushroom picking in the forest. Mom and dad loved it, but it wasn't my thing so I slept in the car to get rid of jet lag. Then on Thursday we went to Mom's schools and met her teachers. We had dinner at Rolf and Gunilla's house and Dan came from Goteborg to meet us and Sonda his sister came from up north someplace.
Fri 9/11	We drove back to Stockholm to meet with Tomas, who we couldn't find when we were Stockholm before and Dan's brother who is a radio personality. We ate lunch with everyone and then headed down to Linkopping to visit Staffan's family. Staffan's parents took us to the old part of the city, where they had a chocolate factory and it was a place where they had loads of craft shops. Kajsa let me go to the video store and get a movie. I chilled in their TV room with ice cream!
Sat 9/12/98	We took Dan and drove through the middle of Sweden to Gothenburg. I let Dan know I wanted Pizza and he found me a Swedish Pizza Place - I ordered olives just the way I like them. In the morning we took the 3 hour ferry to Denmark.
Denmark Denmark Denmark Statistics Middlefart Legoland Sun 9/13 Mon 9/14	We drove from the northern part of Denmark to Middlefart. The land was filled with large modern windmills among ready to harvest crop lands. Mom kept seeing grass roofed houses (called thatched roof) and saying "wouldn't it be fun to stay in one of those." I kept saying "Could we at least stop at McDonald's one time!" Dad found me a McDonalds and when we got to Middlefart, we met Henrik and he let us follow him to his farm on the Ocean. ...And mom got to stay in a little grass roofed house. Better yet I didn't have to stay with them. I got to stay with Inge in her loft in the top of her room. We spent the next day in Legoland and then mom and dad bought me a goose quilt and pillow for the back seat...I snuggled up and slept on the 10 hour drive to Frankfurt
Germany Germany Churches Ricarda's Family Home in Oberusel The Roman Fort Heidelberg The Castle Road Susi's Family Farm in Vaihingen/Enz Vineyards in Germany Kaufbeuren, Germany (in Bavaria) King Ludwig (was he really crazy?) Oberammagau (the secret story is at the bottom of the church page) Oktoberfest Tues 9/15-Thurs 9/17	First we got lost finding Ricarda's family home, but then mom and dad read the instructions again and decided they we wrong and they went a different way. Renata and Reinhold had a beautiful dinner planned...I got a lot of practice with manners on this trip and a lot of beautiful dinners. We explored Oberusel and went and visited their new nursery...actually it is an old torn apart greenhouse and nursey ...dad says its historical and fantastic....I decided to sleep again. We went into Frankfurt for the evening AppleFest...to the Saxony house. It was the first time I had every been in a pub. It was smokey and noisy, but the food was good and eventually I got used to the atmosphere. We also visted a Roman Fort. Those silly Roman's conquered everything. The liked olive oil so much they brought it from the Mediterraen. They also liked hot baths so they put furnaces under the house and heated the water and floors.
Fri 9/18	We crowded into our car with Rici and headed to Heidelberg. Rici wanted ice cream and knew the best place to get it so we headed off the road to find the ice cream village. Rici lives in the university town of Heidelberg, right above the art supply store with a little bear that blows bubbles unto the people in the street. It is also a shopping city....and I SHOPPED. Rici works as a cake and candy maker, she has a boyfriend who joined us climbing up to the top of the castle. I raced mom over 300 steps and I won...poor tired mom.
Sat 9/19 Sun 9/20	We found the castle road an drove along the Neckar on a Castle Hunt to Vai Hingen Enz, mom and dad like back roads so we went across country the rest of the way to Ulrich and Hella's and Susi's farm. It was wine harvesting time and we saw lots of vineyards. I like Susi's dog and Susi let me sleep in her room. We visited an old monastery from the 1100's. Everything is so old here compared with the USA. Mom and dad had soda and talked with the German Ambassador emeritus and his wife so we had to take the autoban to Bavaria.
Mon 9/21 Tues 9/22 Wed 9/23	We reached Gerd and Lisa's house in Bavaria. They have a son Julian. We both like the Backstreet Boys. Gerd had fun plans for us. First we visited King Ludwig's castle Neuschwanstein and and old old catholic cathedral that was one of the most beautiful places I have every seen. It was my favorite place we visited. The next day we visited another church and castle and the we went to my FAVORITE PLACE OF ALL -- THE OKTOBERFEST!
Thur 9/24	We left Gerds for Frankfurt and take off to Iceland. The airplane ride is always fun and they have movies and good food. We found a little guesthouse in Iceland -- Hotel Kristina and stayed overnight. We ate at the Rock and Roll restaurant.
Fri 9/25	Dad rented a 4 wheel drive truck and off we went into the country. We visited the village that hides elves and then headed out over a little lava covered road past geysers and mudpots, volcanos, mineral springs and lakes...Iceland is very beautiful it is in the tundra.

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