Hey friends!
If you know my family, then you know why this is a big, BIG deal. If you don't know my family...this is a big, BIG deal!
My mom has maybe been on an airplane twice? Since I've been alive anyway! We were never a 'vacation' family growing up. We went to Northern Michigan and spent many weekends on the lake, but we didn't travel. If we left the state it was with my Grandma and we only went to New York. If we left the country... mmm well we didn't!
I feel incredibly grateful that we were able to invite my family to come for 2 weeks. Let's dive in shall we!?
My Mom Robin, Brother Julian, Sister Danielle, Brother-in-law Justin and Aunt Tina all made there way to Germany a few days after Christmas.
My goal was to fill them all up with many stories to tell.
After multiple delays and 40 hours of traveling, they FINALLY made it! (Pretty sure my mom will never fly again, but that is a story for another time!) And what do you do when you get to Germany? Well you have a schnitzel and a beer of course!
I even made them ride the bus! This trip was sure to be filled with a lot of firsts. :)
We took a day trip to Berlin on their second day here, and we pretty much suck because we I took no pictures! I blame it on the exhaustion that everyone felt! And the jet lag. (Even though I was quite well rested, whoops.) My sister and aunt both took a lot of pictures in Berlin, so that is all that matters. :) I have blogged Berlin a few times before. :)
We explored Berlin, being sure to see some of the famous sights and we were fortunate enough to be able to check out the Christmas market there.
Brandenburg Gate at night! Such a beauty.
We celebrated the New Year in Braunschweig, and I am pretty sure it was an experience NO one will forget! It was incredible! So. Many. Fireworks.
I made a large turkey breast for dinner, like a traditional holiday meal and we played family games. May not be the most wild New Years you ever heard about, but we enjoyed ourselves. About 30 minutes before midnight we walked to the center of town to see the firework display. The display is done independently by anyone who purchased fireworks within the few days approaching the New Year. Fireworks are only sold for three days before the New Year. And I am pretty sure every last one of them gets bought!
We explored Braunschweig and I showed them some of my favorite parts of town. :)
After a few days at my house, we loaded up two cars and set off for a European road trip! Complete with manual transmissions and snow. :) Due to our large group, we had to take two cars because Europe loves their small cars. Blake drove one car, and MY mom had to drive the second car. Pretty sure she felt like she was back in the 80's. :) She did great and we made it there in one piece!
First Stop: Munich!
We arrived at dinner time because of the snow and traffic. We rented a truly lovely AirBnB a few train stops away from downtown. It was perfect!
For dinner we went to Blake's favorite place in Munich. Augustiner Brau. We ate more delicious German food and of course indulged in a few more German beers!
Marienplatz in a winter wonderland.
We started at Marienplatz for day 2 in Munich. My sweet family.
We explored all around in Munich! It was the day we put the most miles in. The family still had gas in them, so we used it!
We stepped up our game of taking photos of US throughout the rest of the trip, I promise. :)
Second Stop: Salzburg
We also rented an AirBnB here and it was darling as well, plus the location was superb!
The direct translation of Salzburg is "Salt Castle", there are many salt mines in the area that you can visit. Or you can do it like we did and visit the salt store! It was awesome. We got cooking salts, bath salts, salt soap, basically all kinds of salt goodies!
Mozart's Birth House
Sweet cold family!
*Fun Fact* - Behind us is Pferdeschwemme or Horse Wash/Well. This is where the Royals had their horses washed. It is said to have inspired car washes as we know them today.
Salzburg is magical!
We even got so lucky as to experience their Christmas market as well. I say lucky because we were there well after Christmas, and in Germany most of the markets close before the New Year.
After a long day of exploring, we went to a German restaurant for dinner. I convinced Danielle and Blake that we should each get a liter of beer. As one does :).
Our 2nd day in Salzburg was a little snowy. After this picture we took a funicular to the top of Fortress Hohensalzburg. This was amazing! I highly recommend this.
Views from the top!
Salzburg Cathedral
We made our way to Mirabell Palace where The Sound of Music was filmed, but if you have ever seen that movie you know that the true beauty is because it's summer! While it was still beautiful, it was completely covered in snow and not as magical as I know a summer visit would be. So here's a tip for you - if you are going to Salzburg mainly for The Sound of Music, go in the summer :).
We aren't even a little bit cold. ;)
Third Stop: Prague
This post is getting all sorts of long, so since I have blogged about Prague before I will keep this section merely fun and short. :)
The Family in front of the Prague Castle.
I am adding this in for fun, because I feel like it is real good info. :)
I had to show them the Prague Beer Museum.
Mom and Aunt Tina with Prague behind them. :)
Lastly, the family on the Charles Bridge.
I hope you enjoyed reading about our family trip! If you are contemplating your own family trip to Europe, might I encourage you to go! I have great tips on planning, saving and traveling with a group! :)
