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European Trip
  • Jessica Anderson
  • Jessica Anderson

European Trip

A 19-day adventure by Jessica Read more
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  • Trip start
    June 29, 2023
  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    2

    Returning home

    June 29, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    We left Elo's house at 8am, and left Germany at 11 am. We arrived at Atlanta at 3:30 pm. We had a smoothie while we found our gate. We had some pizza and listened to the pianist at the piano bar in the airport. We left Atlanta at 630. We arrived in Minneapolis around 830pm. When we got to the hotel, we ordered a pizza for delivery, the kids swam for about half an hour and then we crashed.
    We got up the next morning, had breakfast, went swimming, and continued home. On our way home, I pulled off the road to explore the largest candy store in Minnesota. The kids were super excited and each chose a variety of goodies.
    When we arrived home on Monday, July 17th, we were welcomed by Sonny and our neighbor Dave.
    Makayla came over and I could hear Oaklynn squealing before she even parked. I got the very best welcome from her, ever. She was squealing and running, waving off both Logan and Oliver to get to her grandma. When she made it to me, she held me in her hug for a very long time. I love this baby so very much.    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler

    Our flight to Paris

    June 30, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    We went to bed late last night and got up early. We wanted to be good and tired for our flight! For breakfast the hotel had a buffet. We met some people who were on a "mystery vacation". They did not know what they were going to do, the whole 3 days of their trip were full of surprises! Boy, I thought that sounded like a blast.
    After breakfast, I went to target then back to the hotel to repack, because I didn't feel the best about the original pack...I think we are good and organized now. While I did that, Tim and the boys went swimming.
    After swimming, we washed the clothes and got them packed up. The hotel had the very best shuttle driver who took us to the airport.
    At the airport we had lunch, waited for boarding and here we are! Our flight is 4,107 miles. We will do all these miles in 7 hours and 8 minutes! We are expecting to arrive in Paris at 7:55 am. We are currently traveling at 26,000 feet altitude. Outside air temp is -20!    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    1

    Paris. Shit show #1

    July 1, 2023 in France ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    We were about to disembark from the plane when the airport workers stopped us. There was a 1" gap between the steps and the plane they wanted to remedy. They put the safety rope up, then Tried to shut the plane door. The door wouldn't shut because of the safety rope. They then kept trying to slam it. Meanwhile the pilots and the stewardesses had us back up thinking the rope would snap. We waited for quite some time while they readjusted the steps. When the door was opened, the steps were about 7" below the plane. Then there was an issue with our boarding passes. Then we missed our flight... By 2 min! So now we are in Paris until 11:45, when we will be able to board a plane to Nuremberg at 1:30 instead of Frankfort at 11:25. The next flight to Frankfort is at 8 pm and is full. So to get there today, this was the option. Then I checked on our luggage, and it was not in the system. The kind man found our luggage (we will find out in Nuremberg I guess)
    Paris, you can do better.    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    42

    We arrived in Germany

    July 1, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    After some hiccups, we arrived in Germany! We, unfortunately, don't have luggage, for now. Thank goodness I packed an outfit each in the carry on! When we got out of the baggage claims, we were finally able to see Elo! What a great moment!
    The drive back to her house was beautiful. Germany is a beautiful country. I am excited to explore more, once we're rested!
    We had a delicious homemade dinner and it felt so great to sit back with some wine and just catch up. ❤️🥂    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    1

    Castles ❤️

    July 2, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    We went to Schloss Johannesburg castle in . It was not far from Elos home and it was very interesting. We walked around the gardens and went through the castle museum. It was really neat. During WWII, America bombed this castle. The altar in the church is the tallest in the world and was blown to pieces. Since the war, the altar was put back together again, piece by piece as they found them. Really astonishing!Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler

    Evening of July 2 2022

    July 2, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

    When we came back to the house we had a BBQ with Monika, Elo's mom, Karen, a very close friend of the family, and visited with Marie and Frantisek, Elo's grandparents. They were all very kind, fascinating people to visit with! The food was so delicious and the drinks were amazing!
    We are so lucky to have this opportunity to meet the people we are meeting and to experience all that we are.    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler

    Prague day 1 (.1 for pictures)

    July 5, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Wow. Today was a day of firsts and awe. We started the day with another delicious breakfast of french toast, meat, and cheese.
    We then did some shopping, as our luggage is still missing. We all got a couple things, and found Oaklynn a gift.
    We went on our first public transportation, a subway. We had our first kabob (yum!) We also walked up to the castle. We had a drink in a pub that has been a pub since 1619! We walked to John Lennon's wall, that was pretty neat! We went to a really great restaurant nearby Elos house and, once again, the food was AMAZING!    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    1

    Prague day 2

    July 5, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Tim and Elo have been planning a surprise for me. They planned a "honeymoon"! Tim and I did not have a honeymoon, so today Elo and Marlon, her brother, took the boys to the Prague Zoo while Tim and I went out on our own in Prague! We had plans to go to the station, get on the underground train to go to the city center. We planned to go to the museum and then find a pub to get some lunch and some drinks.
    When we got to the station, it was closed. We later learned that in the 3 years of Elo living in Prague, that station has never closed... Leave it to us .. we asked the employee with the information vest what the best way to get to the museum was and he told us to get on the tram. So we hopped on the tram. Once we got going on the tram, it felt like we were going the wrong direction. We talked to a woman on the tram who suggested we get off in two stops. Which we did. We were unable to find the underground bus station, so we asked a man who was walking. He curtly said that we were a very long way away from where we wanted to be and should not be there. So he gave us directions to climb up a steep hill and get on a different bus. We decided to go back to the bus stop we got off and went back the other direction and started where we began instead of keeping going deeper into the city and really get lost.
    When we returned to the station by Elo's building, we spoke to the first guy we talked to and discovered we went in the wrong direction. We got on the correct bus and finally ended up where we wanted to.
    The museum was interesting, though we later learned we only saw a portion. We went to a closet pub because it looked like it was going to rain. We ordered beer and wine and had really great conversations and people watched. We ordered some appetizers because we didn't plan to stay long. After we paid our bill it began pouring rain. So we ordered more drinks... We decided after 4 we better order a pizza, then we went shopping.
    When we arrived back at the house the kids had just gotten back from the zoo. We cooked together and had a BBQ in the garden. We drank many beers and a couple bottles of wine. The kids played and we visited.
    Today was a great day!    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler

    Prague day 3

    July 6, 2023 in Czech Republic ⋅ ☀️ 75 °F

    Today we just relaxed at the apartment. Elo had an accident that resulted in a small concussion, so we just stayed home to rest. It was a nice break in the running. We had lunch at a nearby restaurant together.
    Elo taught me how to dye my eyelashes. And we made dinner at home. The lasagna was so yummy.
    I am worried about Elo, but she insists she will be ok. We went to bed early so we could get up to go to Berlin in the morning! Tomorrow we will finally get to see Antonia and meet her mother!    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    1

    Berlin day 1

    July 7, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    This morning we woke up in Prague and tonight we sleep in Berlin!
    This morning Elo was not feeling well from her concussion so we all agreed she should rest and meet us in a day or two if she felt better. Marlon guided us to the train station which was quite confusing because the normal way with the subway was still closed. We got to the train station and thank goodness our train was delayed! We got on with minutes to spare! The train was so full that each car had a line of people standing in the aisle the length of the car, and all the seats were taken. At each stop more people got on than got off, so we stood the whole way from Prague to Berlin (a little more than 4 hours). We were thankful to be able to get the ride and continue our journey.
    When we got to Berlin Antonia and Suzanne were waiting for us on the platform. What a breath of fresh air to see our sweet Antonia again! It was so great to finally meet her mother! We had lunch together at the train station/Berlin mall, and then took a subway towards the hotel. We decided to get off and walk a bit to see some sights on the way to the hotel.
    After we settled in and took showers and the boys rested a bit, we went out to explore Berlin. We had cake at Antonia's (and now our!) Favorite restaurant to get cake. It was absolutely delicious. We then took the transit towards the monuments. We explored them. We saw some break dancers, bought some souvenirs and then went for dinner. When we got back to our hotel, the hotel was evacuated and the police and fire department were there. It turns out someone had too hot of a shower and it activated the fire alarm.    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler

    False alarm. 😬

    July 8, 2023 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 61 °F

    Last night when we returned, someone took too hot of a shower and set off the alarms. We returned to the hotel to find quite the commotion.

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler

    Berlin day 2(.1 for pictures)

    July 8, 2023 in Germany ⋅ 🌙 72 °F

    What a fun packed day. We had a very delicious breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the Berlin tour on the hop-on-hop-off bus. We saw so many spectacular sights. We saw the dome, we went to check point charlie. Suzanne lived in the western Berlin during this time and told me so many interesting things that I could never have read in a book. I am thankful to have had her with today to tell me the stories.
    We saw hauptbahnhof, the wall, scheutenhviertel, DDR, the east side gallery, check point charlie, Schloss Bellevue, potsdamer platz, alexanderplatz, museum island, and all the sights in-between. It was a very full day. We also went to haribo, where the kids spent their euros that were gifted them.
    Lunch was kabob (seriously yum). After we returned to the hotel, we began getting ready for the lake.
    Suzanne, Logan, and I drove to the lake, but first Suzanne showed me where she grew up. It is a very lovely part of Berlin, full of beautiful homes and a great community. We then went to the lake where we met Tim, Antonia, and Oliver, who took the subway. We swam for about an hour then walked to a lakeside restaurant. They were full, unfortunately, so we walked to a very beautiful Italian restaurant. The staff were incredibly helpful and so nice. They served food that was fit for royalty. It was delicious. Then, when we were done, we had a complementary shot on the house. The amaretto that I chose was so sweet and smooth.
    We took the subway back to the hotel and we all went to our rooms to rest.
    It was truly a great day, and I am so thankful that we spent our day with the girl who sparked the idea of coming to Germany so many years ago. ❤️    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    1
    3

    Denmark day 1

    July 9, 2023 in Denmark ⋅ ☁️ 68 °F

    We left Berlin to go to Denmark. Elo was feeling better so came from Prague to pick us up from the hotel. We said good bye to Antonia and made plans to catch up later in the week. Our drive to Denmark was thankfully uneventful. Tim drove on the Autobahn. We ate lunch in Hamburg at a small lakeside restaurant. The fish and chips were very good!
    When we arrived at Alex's dad's house, we had a delicious American dinner of hamburger and sausages. We ate outside in the beautiful weather and had a really great time getting to know his family and catching up with Alex❤️    Read more

  • Jessica AndersonEuropean TripTraveler
    11

    Denmark day 2

    July 10, 2023 in Denmark ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    Today I woke up and my back was out. Tim and the kids went to Legoland with Alex, his mom, Katherina, and his siblings.
    I stayed back to go to a chiropractor. Elo stayed back to help me. Marco and Charlotte were very helpful and kind. Charlotte set up an appointment and then talked to air France about our luggage, which is still MIA. Marco drove me to the appointment. After my chiropractor appointment, I just rested with ice. We had dinner together on the patio. It was great.Read more

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