Author Archives: cindybrownmiller
Cesky Krumlov July 6, 2015
Today we’re in Cesky Krumlov, a medieval town in the Czech Republic. Old Town was founded in the 1200s and is surrounded by the Vltava River. We’ve had a lot of fun exploring the cobblestone streets. The shops here are much different than other places we’ve been. There are puppets, lace, crystal, and leathersmiths, but … Continue reading
Berchtesgaden, Germany July 5, 2015
We had the best time at Berchtesgaden Salt Mine today! It’s been in the 90s all week and the temperature in the mine is 53, and it felt sooo good. We took a train ride into the mine, slid down 2 miner’s slides, and cruised across a lake. It was so, so fun. This afternoon we went to … Continue reading
Schonau am Konigsee, Germany July 4, 2015
We’re in Schonau am Konigsee today in the German Alps. This small town is in Berchtesgaden National Park, and we can see Austria from our window. We’re staying in a guest house at the foot of a ski resort and the gondola passes right by our window. There are many hiking trails in the park … Continue reading
Fussen, Germany July 3, 2015
Today we’re in Bavaria – home of biergartens, lederhosen, Oktoberfest, pretzels, fairy tales, and CASTLES! We’re staying in Fussen, a great base for exploring two of King Ludwig’s castles in Hohenschwangau. Hohenschwangau Castle is where King Ludwig spent his summers as a child and later when he became king. He then decided to build Neuschwanstein Castle, … Continue reading
Dachau, Germany July 2, 2015
I wanted to visit Dachau Concentration Camp, which is located just outside Munich. I knew we could visit on our own, but I really wanted an in-depth tour by someone with unique insight. I had read great things about InMunich Tours’ Dachau Tour and we were not disappointed. We met our guide Jon in Marienplatz square … Continue reading
Munich, Germany July 1, 2015
We took an overnight train from Amsterdam to Munich last night. We left Amsterdam at 8:30pm and arrived in Munich this morning at 7:15am. I was looking forward to relaxing in our sleeper compartment with 3 bunk beds, but the air conditioner was broken. Temps have been in the 90s this week and it was … Continue reading
Zaandam, Netherlands June 29, 2015
We’re staying in Zaandam, a small town 2 train stops away from Amsterdam Centraal Station. My son found a picture of the Inntel Hotel Zaandam and loved the architecture. It is in a great location with a good price (for Amsterdam). It’s located in an up-and-coming area with shops, restaurants, movie theater, and nearby windmills … Continue reading
Amsterdam, Netherlands June 28, 2015
This morning we started with a 3 hour cruise of the canals. I knew I wanted to cruise the canals but I didn’t want to be on a large boat full of tourists, so we rented an electric boat from Boats4Rent. They gave us a map of the canal district with an idea of how … Continue reading
Amsterdam, Netherlands June 27, 2015
Walking out of Amsterdam Centraal Station the first time was very overwhelming – buses, trams, canal boats, bicycles, and cars all converge in front of the station. We headed to the Visitor Center in front of the station for directions to the Van Gogh Museum. We hopped on a tram, which was easy to find and … Continue reading
Groningen, Netherlands June 24, 2015
After 3 flights and 4 trains, we finally made it to the Netherlands! Airfare from the Midwest to Europe is always expensive, particularly in the summer. I was able to find decent flights into Frankfurt, but that meant that we had to take 4 trains to travel to our first destination, which is Groningen in … Continue reading