Here is one of the most recent videos of Bellarina dancing with the baby doll that grandma and grandpa Fichter sent her not too long ago. I'm telling you, if Dancing with the Stars is still around in another 16 years or so, she will definetly be on it - the girl looooves to dance!!! And she's got rhythm too :)
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Our Winter Wonderland... Garmisch, Germany :)
First off, let me apologize for this post being a bit long-winded. We recommend you check out the photos first, and then read on if you want more details of the trip. Enjoy!
After a couple days back home, our Winter 2008 Eurotrip continued on to the Bavarian Alps. After flying into Munich, we took the train down to Garmisch, and then a cab to our final destination, Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. Our vacation was only four and a half days, but we sure made the most of it!
On the first day, we took a bus to the Neuschwanstein Castle, or as some call it, the "Disney Castle." Along the way, we stopped by a woodcarving shop in Oberammergau to pick up some souvenirs, and then the beautiful Wies Church. Our tour guide taught us a lot about the cultural and religious history of the region, if you're into that kind of stuff. When we finally got to the castle, we still had about a 40-minute walk uphill. The castle was gorgeous, and you could see why the king that had it built is called the "Fairy Tale King." At the end of the tour, we enjoyed a late lunch that included wiener schnitzel and apfelstrudel (yum-o).
We had intentions of taking a train/cable car to the peak of the Zugspitze (Germany's tallest mountain) on the second day, but when we woke up, there was some heavy snowfall. Since the visibility was going to be poor, and we didn't have any plans to ski or snowboard(really!), we decided to stay in the lodge and go swimming. They have a decent sized indoor pool, but what we really enjoyed was the outdoor hot tub! Who would've thought that the first time Bella would play in the snow would be in a hot tub? Well, we had a blast, and have the pictures to prove it :) Afterwards, we took a cab to check out the Garmisch Christmas market and enjoy some hot cocoa, gluhwein (hot wine), and bratwurst. When we returned, we played in the snow a little more before going into the lodge to warm up.
The next day was spent mostly in Austria. On the way to the city of Innsbruck, we stopped in a town called Watten, and took a tour of the Swarovski Crystal World. It's an eclectic museum full of crystal-inspired art. There was a Brazilian theme when we went, and we even got to experience a Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts-dancing) performance! After the tour, we took some time to shop, but the prices made it obvious that this wasn't your typical souvenir shop. After Swaroksi, we continued on with our tour. Innsbruck is a beautiful little city nestled in a valley surrounded by the Alps. Everywhere you look is a postcard picture view. We had a quick walking tour through the city showing us the historic buildings and then we were given some free time to wander some more Christmas markets. On the way out of the city, we visited another gorgeous church, the Wiltener Basilika, as well as took a quick look at the site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. After a long busride back, we spent the rest of the night lounging around in front of the large fireplace in the center of our lodge.
For our last full day, we took another bus ride. This time, we went back to Munich. After a bus tour of the city, we were dropped off near the Royal Palace. We took a quick walk through the farmers' market into the central square. We arrived just in time to see the Glockenspiel show. It's a large play clock on the New Town Hall that tells two stories, and lasts about 12-15 minutes. After the show, we shopped around some more Christmas markets for more ornaments and toys. We ate a delicious Bavarian lunch at the HofBrau Haus, one of the city's oldest breweries (Brian had a liter of Helles), and then we continued shopping, including a quick trip to H&M. We had planned on seeing much more of the city, but we didn't quite have enough time... which gives us a good excuse to go back :) When we got back to Garmisch, we met up with an old friend from Virginia Tech. We had a nice dinner with Anthony at the lodge, and the guys drank some more German beer. It was a short visit, and we were a bit tired after our busy schedule, but it's always nice to catch up with good friends!
Our last morning in Edelweiss was spent in the hot tub again. We had a late flight out of Munich, so we made sure to make the most of our morning. We caught the train back to the Munich airport, and arrived with plenty of time before our flight home. We enjoyed the HofBrau Haus so much, that we decided to get another quick bite to eat (more beer for Brian) at the airport restaurant. The flight home was a little hard on Bella, but it was to be expected after such a long day.
Unfortunately, our trip had to come to an end, and now we're back in sunny/rainy Sicily. We're not sure when or where our next trip will be, but we have more than enough things to do on this island to keep us busy. Regardless, our trips were amazing and we're glad we can share them with you! We miss all our friends and family back home, and we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
After a couple days back home, our Winter 2008 Eurotrip continued on to the Bavarian Alps. After flying into Munich, we took the train down to Garmisch, and then a cab to our final destination, Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. Our vacation was only four and a half days, but we sure made the most of it!
On the first day, we took a bus to the Neuschwanstein Castle, or as some call it, the "Disney Castle." Along the way, we stopped by a woodcarving shop in Oberammergau to pick up some souvenirs, and then the beautiful Wies Church. Our tour guide taught us a lot about the cultural and religious history of the region, if you're into that kind of stuff. When we finally got to the castle, we still had about a 40-minute walk uphill. The castle was gorgeous, and you could see why the king that had it built is called the "Fairy Tale King." At the end of the tour, we enjoyed a late lunch that included wiener schnitzel and apfelstrudel (yum-o).
We had intentions of taking a train/cable car to the peak of the Zugspitze (Germany's tallest mountain) on the second day, but when we woke up, there was some heavy snowfall. Since the visibility was going to be poor, and we didn't have any plans to ski or snowboard(really!), we decided to stay in the lodge and go swimming. They have a decent sized indoor pool, but what we really enjoyed was the outdoor hot tub! Who would've thought that the first time Bella would play in the snow would be in a hot tub? Well, we had a blast, and have the pictures to prove it :) Afterwards, we took a cab to check out the Garmisch Christmas market and enjoy some hot cocoa, gluhwein (hot wine), and bratwurst. When we returned, we played in the snow a little more before going into the lodge to warm up.
The next day was spent mostly in Austria. On the way to the city of Innsbruck, we stopped in a town called Watten, and took a tour of the Swarovski Crystal World. It's an eclectic museum full of crystal-inspired art. There was a Brazilian theme when we went, and we even got to experience a Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts-dancing) performance! After the tour, we took some time to shop, but the prices made it obvious that this wasn't your typical souvenir shop. After Swaroksi, we continued on with our tour. Innsbruck is a beautiful little city nestled in a valley surrounded by the Alps. Everywhere you look is a postcard picture view. We had a quick walking tour through the city showing us the historic buildings and then we were given some free time to wander some more Christmas markets. On the way out of the city, we visited another gorgeous church, the Wiltener Basilika, as well as took a quick look at the site of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. After a long busride back, we spent the rest of the night lounging around in front of the large fireplace in the center of our lodge.
For our last full day, we took another bus ride. This time, we went back to Munich. After a bus tour of the city, we were dropped off near the Royal Palace. We took a quick walk through the farmers' market into the central square. We arrived just in time to see the Glockenspiel show. It's a large play clock on the New Town Hall that tells two stories, and lasts about 12-15 minutes. After the show, we shopped around some more Christmas markets for more ornaments and toys. We ate a delicious Bavarian lunch at the HofBrau Haus, one of the city's oldest breweries (Brian had a liter of Helles), and then we continued shopping, including a quick trip to H&M. We had planned on seeing much more of the city, but we didn't quite have enough time... which gives us a good excuse to go back :) When we got back to Garmisch, we met up with an old friend from Virginia Tech. We had a nice dinner with Anthony at the lodge, and the guys drank some more German beer. It was a short visit, and we were a bit tired after our busy schedule, but it's always nice to catch up with good friends!
Our last morning in Edelweiss was spent in the hot tub again. We had a late flight out of Munich, so we made sure to make the most of our morning. We caught the train back to the Munich airport, and arrived with plenty of time before our flight home. We enjoyed the HofBrau Haus so much, that we decided to get another quick bite to eat (more beer for Brian) at the airport restaurant. The flight home was a little hard on Bella, but it was to be expected after such a long day.
Unfortunately, our trip had to come to an end, and now we're back in sunny/rainy Sicily. We're not sure when or where our next trip will be, but we have more than enough things to do on this island to keep us busy. Regardless, our trips were amazing and we're glad we can share them with you! We miss all our friends and family back home, and we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Thanksgiving in Prague
It's a little late, but Happy Thanksgiving everybody! If you haven't heard, we spent the holiday in the Czech Republic. It wasn't your traditional Turkey Day, but it will truly be an experience to remember... and we have the pictures to help :) We spent three eventful days in Prague and if you look closely at the pictures you can see why it's called the "City of 100 Spires".
The first day was Thanksgiving, in which we had a walking tour of 4 of the 5 city buroughs. Some of the sites we saw were the Charles Bridge, Prague Castle with its St. Vitus Cathedral, and the Astronomical Clock in Old Town Square. Our tour guide was great and we learned a lot about the city. We finished the day back at our hotel with a traditional Bohemian dinner. The food was good, but there was no turkey or pumpkin pie :(
The next day, we took an hour-long drive to a town called Kutna Hora, an old silver mining town outside of Prague. The first place we visited was the Sedlec Ossuary, a small chapel that was decorated with over 40,000 human bones (very, very creepy). Then we went to the St. Barbara church, which was extremely beautiful! It was a ridiculously cold day, and Bella would not let us put her mittens on. It got to the point where Brian had to pick her up and squeeze her hands between their bodies to keep them warm. We survived that trip and got back to the city in time to catch dinner on a riverboat cruise. It wasn't a bad way to end the day, but we were exhausted, to say the least! (see photos)
After two jam-packed days, we took Saturday as our "chill day" to wander around and do some shopping. We strolled over to New Town (the 5th burough) to see what we missed on the first day. Wenceslas Square, and the National Museum were the major attractions, but we also stopped by some more familiar places. We did the typical American visits to McDonalds (got Bella a Happy Meal), and Starbucks, and did a little Christmas shopping at H&M (whoo hoo). Also, it was the first day of the Prague Christmas markets. We picked up some trinkets, ate some delicious Czech pastries (Trdelnik, yummy!), and Bella's highlight of the night, stopped by a petting zoo. Since it was the first day of the markets, we also got to see the tree-lighting. It was very nice, and a perfect way to end our Prague experience.
The last few pictures were taken in the Prague airport, including Bella saying "goodbye cow." For our first trip outside of Italy, we were extremely pleased! Brian's already begun planning our next trip to Prague. Well, it will have to wait, cause there are a few more places we need to see before we go back. Anyways, on to our next European vacation!
Monday, December 15, 2008
new video
hey there avid blog readers! sorry it's been a few weeks since the last post, but we have been busy traveling to prague and germany (stay tuned for pictures from both of those trips). i just had to post this video of bella from this morning. i laid her down for her morning nap and she never fell asleep. so around noon, i went to pick her up and this is what she was doing in her crib:
it's amazing how clear some of her words are now. she is growing way too fast!!!! right before this, i caught her singing to her bunny and giving him besos - it was the cutest thing and i was mad that i couldn't catch a video of that.
on a different note, bella has had a couple of little accidents in the past few weeks. one time she fell over the side of our blue chair in the living room, trying to get to the laptop. she busted her lip but i didn't get any pictures of that. last week, she slipped on the floor and busted her lip again. this time, i was able to get a couple of pictures:
the first time, i completely freaked out. the second time, i was a little more calm, which i guess is a good thing since i'm sure this won't be the last little accident she has!
it's amazing how clear some of her words are now. she is growing way too fast!!!! right before this, i caught her singing to her bunny and giving him besos - it was the cutest thing and i was mad that i couldn't catch a video of that.
on a different note, bella has had a couple of little accidents in the past few weeks. one time she fell over the side of our blue chair in the living room, trying to get to the laptop. she busted her lip but i didn't get any pictures of that. last week, she slipped on the floor and busted her lip again. this time, i was able to get a couple of pictures:
the first time, i completely freaked out. the second time, i was a little more calm, which i guess is a good thing since i'm sure this won't be the last little accident she has!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Our trip to the olive oil press
Ciao from Sicily! Two weekends ago we went to Bellolio, an olive oil press to see how olive oil is made. After that, we went up to Mariska's and Emilio's house (Emilio was our tour guide) where they prepared a typical Sicilian lunch for us. The food was great and we all had a great time. Our friends Shella and Lawrence, their son Sebastien and baby girl Liana, came on the trip with us and Bella loved playing around the olive trees with Sebastien. Here are a few pics from our little adventure:
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