The "UN" plan.... European adventure with kids...

First... Awwwww... Thanks for all of the bloggy L O V E ... I wasn't in so much in a funk because of not having any more babies... not really sure why or what it was.... maybe it IS because I was outside doing summer stuff.... I dunno... but looks like I am back on the horse...

So I thought I would share the "plan" - which isn't really a plan because we are going to "WING" it

R I G H T?
Eeek.... It will be interesting to see what we actually end up seeing/doing.....

The thing I LOVE about living in Europe is that you are only a car ride from pretty much EVERYTHING...

Granted my idea of a car ride may be different than most American's.... I grew up in TEXAS... so a "road trip" to Grandma & Grandpas was a mere 17 hours in the car... STRAIGHT ...through Texas.... Oklahoma... Ill... (I usually konked out by then... or mom & dad drugged us so we would all stop whining" HOW MUCH LONGER....."

Point being... I grew up with 8 hours min. just to get out of Texas... so when I break it down that way.... In just a few hours I can be anywhere....

So the "un"plan....
JULY 4th

just 6 short hours from our home to Copenhagen...

the "unplan" is we will stop in Copenhagen for a little Danish brunch...

Copenhagen is really a weekend getaway for us almost Norwegians... I would have liked to take the kids picture in front of the Little Mermaid... but I think she is on tour at the moment...(right Kelli? )

We will spend most of the afternoon trying to get through Denmark so we can catch the afternoon ferry over to Germany... where we will pop our TI PI for the first night....

(can you tell I am still a little bugged about the TI PI? but alas... I am out voted 3-1 so it looks like the TIPI it will be.... I am thinking FUN MOM..FUN MOM... I can do this damn it...) the Ti Pi could be fun right?

So out first real stop is in Berlin ... where I hope to take the kids to the Brandenburg Gate... what remains of the Berlin Wall...Check Point Charlie,

etc. I was there in '90 not long after the wall came down... GOOD TIMES... Germany in the 90's was a rocking good time...

So the little carrot for my adorable children being well behaved & interested in all things historical will be a stop at

TROPICAL ISLANDS... a "little" tropical getaway not far from Berlin....

Tropical Islands Resort is an artificial tropical resort in Brandenburg, Germany. It is said to be the world's largest tropical indoor pool which can accommodate up to 8,000 visitors a day.

Tropical Islands > Visitors
I kind of wished I hadn't brought it up...because spending 1 or 2 days THERE

Means we probably won't have time to go

HERE

PRAGUE... only a few short hours away...& not really out of the way... but one of the stops we are just going to have to "WING" cross your fingers... I would really like to go back to Prague

moving further south ... we plan on stopping in Salzburg, Austria... so I can take my kidlets up to the mountains and reenact one of my all time favorite movies

The Sound of Music (1965)...

I have been to Salzburg several times & I act like a total dork every time I go...Love this little GEM..

I plan on having some good wine & relaxing when we get here.... Not far from Salzburg is Bavaria... back into Germany...

Where it looks like we will be able to meet up with one of my oldest & dearest friends....

the darling, millionaire,world class athlete friend & his BEAUTIFUL model/Dentist wife...

the two of us (Jochen & I) really have nothing common but our SICK SENSE of humor which has gotten us through 22 years of friendship....

I keep imagining his face as we all roll out of the family truck-ster like the Beverly Hillbillies & the soda bottles & candy wrappers fall onto his driveway.... LOL

(did I mention this guy is a pro athlete who doesn't even own a TV... but loves my Roley Poly, high heel boot wearing-trying to climb a mountain self? -that was the last time I went to see him...)

We are planning on crashing in Bavaria for a few days to enjoy swimming & going into the mountains to feed the mountain goats.... (I found a camp ground where you can do that!) & practicing out yodeling... (that part I made up...)

We HOPE

(oK I hope...) We will have time to stop in Heidelberg & Mannheim area were I spent a year of University... call me crazy & sentimental but I would really like to drive past my old dorm & University.....

We are then not planning... on heading west over to France.... where I can take the kiddos to Paris...

(I am NOT TIPI-ing it on the outskirts of Paris.... mommy is drawing the line here... I have no intention of showing my kids PARIS as a funk monger... )

So we will see as many sites as possible....(take my Christmas pictures.. he hee heee...) & then go to Euro Disney... (yea... lucky me...)

I will bet of all of the AMAZING things my children will get to see & do this holiday it will be Disney that wins.. (This isn't my FIRST choice of a vacation stop... but then again it is all about the "carrot" for the kids... Who knows, maybe Eurodisney will WOW me this time around...- I doubt it... but... I am going into my FUN mommy mode now... I am SURE it will be a highlight of my trip... LOL )

I think at this point I will be burnt out & READY to get home... but we are thinking we will be able to stop by the town my dad's family is from in Northern Germany... we'll see....

Get this... almost ALL of the campsites have Internet... is that CRAZY or what? I am hoping I will be able to post once or twice while we are away.... Any tips /advice... throw it my way..

I still have to figure out what the heck I am going to pack...or NOT pack...