European Vacation

We're back and we had such a fun time in Germany and Austria!  This was my first time overseas and though I didn't get to explore Europe like I wanted to 10 years ago (backpacking and staying in hostels all over Europe all summer long just wasn't feasible or practical), we still had a wonderful time and we were able to meet some of George's German relatives.  We met his Aunt Renate, his Uncle Norbert and Uncle Dieter, and his cousin Thomas and his family.  Though we did a lot of sightseeing, visiting with his family was probably some of the highlights of the trip.
I'll spare the details of our daily trip activities and include photos with brief descriptions instead (in the next post).  However, I do want to share some impressions and some experiences we had while we were there.

• If you ask for water at a restaurant, chances are you'll get mineral water.  If you ask for plain water, chances are it will be served to you in a doggy dish, even if you ask for it in a Burger King.  Apparently plain ol' water is free for dogs but you'll have to pay for it if you want some for yourself. 
• It costs money to use the bathroom.  On average, it costs 50 euro cents to use bathroom facilities to relieve yourself.  Though at first, I didn't understand why there was a man or woman standing outside the bathrooms with a plate of euro change, I continued to play ignorant once I did know what was going on.  I did pay to use the bathroom later, but only when I had the change to spare.  
• One more thing about the bathrooms, most of them were really clean.  They had better be if I'm spending money to use them!  There was one bathroom that had a self-cleaning toilet lid.  After the toilet was flushed, a wipe would press down on the seat and the lid would spin around like a record player. It was pretty cool.
• I like the way Germans live.  We stayed with George's Aunt Renate and his cousin Thomas and they both had very nice, clean smaller-scale homes.  They utilized space very well and I admired the modern wooden furniture. Better than IKEA.  
• While we stayed in Berlin, I observed that not a lot of people drive cars.  There were cars, but there were also a lot of pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transportation users.  We utilized all methods of transportation except the bicycles.  You could rent a bike, and after you're done with it, leave it wherever you want.  The GPS locator on the bike makes it so no one can steal them.
• Garden houses are very cool.  If I ever have a chance to build a garden house, I'm all on board for it.  George's cousin Thomas has a garden house that we stayed in while we were in Berlin.  Their garden house was in a mini-neighborhood not far from their apartment.  There were two rows of garden homes about the length of a city block and in between them was a sidewalk.  Every house has fences, gates, yards, gardens, greenhouses, outdoor lights, refrigerators, beds, kitchens, bathrooms, and hot running water.  It was almost like camping in a trailer, but better and the home was made of brick.  It's not uncommon for apartment dwellers to have garden houses and spend an entire weekend with their family at the house.  And almost every one lives in an apartment in Berlin.
• I love the idea of a schultüte and throwing a party to celebrate a child going to school. Schultütes are given to German children for their first day of first grade. Schulüte translates to "school cone" or "tote" and is stuffed with school supplies, toys, and treats.  The children bring them to school and carry them around proudly.  Parents are invited on the first day of school and a play is usually performed by the older kids.  After two hours every one goes home and a party is thrown with family and friends to celebrate the momentous occasion.  I love this tradition! Instead of emotional mothers dropping their kids off at bus stops or at the school and distraught children left crying, the kids are excited and ease into school.  Jaren was ready for school and had no problems starting kindergarten, but there were several kids in his class crying and both moms and children were having a hard time letting go.
• Germans and Austrians love their dogs.  They are treated almost better than people.  Where people cannot walk, dogs can.  Dogs are welcome anywhere and are given water for free!  While we were in several restaurants, dogs would quietly sit under the table while their masters ate--you'd hardly know they were there. They were also in shopping malls, plazas, public transportation.  You name it, they were there!
• Germany and Austria, maybe all of Europe, are very "green" and less wasteful than Americans.  Recycle bins for paper, plastic and glass were near many garbage cans.  We were given many drinks in recycled bottles.  You could tell, especially in Salzburg, because of the all the deposits on the glass bottle.  Also, if you purchased a drink in a glass bottle, you would get 15 euro cents back for returning it.  It could almost pay for you to use the bathroom two hours later!
• Though we were in the "touristy" (is that even a word?) areas of Berlin, Vienna and Salzburg, I did notice a slower pace of lifestyle.  There was time to relax and enjoy ice cream, people watch, walk around, sit in parks. People take time to appreciate all the beauty around.
• It seems every one in Germany and Austria has a green thumb.  Flowers and shrubbery abound on every balcony and every yard.  
• The stake choir that performed during the stake conference in Berlin was incredible. They sounded better than most of the stake choirs I've heard in my life.
• After having spent many hours on the autobahn, I have to agree that it is superior to US highways.  The drivers know how to drive, especially at high speeds, no one sits in the left lane, the roads are well-maintained, the scenery along the autobahn is beautiful-even the walls have hanging ivy.  The only thing I didn't like was how confusing the exits were.  Maybe that's just because I don't' speak German and I was so clueless! We definitely made more than one wrong turn off an exit!
• I love the architecture, history and culture of the places we visited!  I could spend all day learning about the history of different cities, castles, fortresses, cathedrals, and museums.
• Overall, the German people were very nice.  Austrians tended to be a little more laid back and open.  

We had such a great time on our trip!  I missed the boys like crazy towards the end, but we really did enjoy our time there and now it all seems like a dream.