A few months ago my mom and niece came over for a 2 week visit. This would be their first trip to Europe so I had to make sure they saw a lot of typical sights Americans hear about.
After picking them up in Frankfurt we headed south west to Paris/Fontainbleau for the first 5 days of their trip. Julie found a great place for us to stay in a little B&B ___________ with great breakfast and info for things to do in the area. The next day we were there we headed into the town of Fontainbleau to tour the palace there. This would be the 3rd time I have been to the palace but it didn't matter to me, it is a wonderful place to roam around, mess with swans, laugh at the funny water fountains and learn new cool facts in the palace tours.
And, What's a trip to France without seeing the Eiffel Tower and walking through the Louvre. Seeing the tower was impressive and was exactly what one would expect, a shit ton of people looking at a huge tower of steel placed in a busy city with super crazy cab drivers. It was impressive and I feel everyone should make one visit in their lifetime. The Louvre, is the other must do and is great for rainy crap days such as the day we visited. Julie walks into the Louvre and makes a B-line for the Mona Lisa. Being from the states we all here about this world famous painting and wonder why all the hype. Its not very big or impressive at all, but when you are standing in front of it there is a surreal moment when you realize that's the most famous painting in the WORLD! There's a lot more about this painting that I could ramble on and on about but I'll refrain from boring you more than I already am. There is so much to see in this mega museum you will just have to go and see everything for yourselves!
While we were in Font, Julie had to try and get on the boulders even if the weather was, Super Shit! Lets just say Climbing was not happening and isn't worth trying to talk about right now. So instead of climbing we toured the small towns in the area and got an idea of everyday french life in the country side, plus we were able to see some super cool old "things". In one little town there was a church that burned to the ground back in the day and was left in its original state. In another little town there was an old fortified city surrounded with stone walls, a river, and huge gates. It was a great relaxing day to see the "Mini Sights". For our last little hora in France I had to take my mom to try some Champagne and see one of the super rad cellars where its stored for fermentation. We stopped at Mercier where there was a tram through the tunnel and the millions of bottles of Champagne. I am always impressed with the whole process of Champagne and it taste pretty damn good too.
For my mom's time in Germany it was kinda the same thing, a whirlwind! There is the Cinderella Castle (Neuschwanstein Castle) that is a must see and for my third time was still just as impressive. I was glad when we arrived to see the restoration work on the main tower had been finished and with the snow off in the distance made this the perfect time of year to visit the castle. With this being their down season the place was like a ghost town, and stress free. With Innsbruck only being about 90 minutes away I opted to take them into the Austrian Alps and Innsbruck. With this being a month before Christmas the markets were in full boom and the whole touristy, fancy section of town was full of food and booths selling Christmas "junk". On another day we headed up into the mountains to see the Linderhof Palace. The Drive was amazing and kind of reminded me of my time in Vail, super snowy roads and low visibility. We arrived at the palace did a quick tour and busted out because mom was a bit scared of the snowy roads and wanted out of it, but I have to say I felt more at home in the snow :) Another thing my mom really wanted to do while she was here was visit Dachau. There is something about walking into a place where you know the worst possible things one human has done to another which chills you to the bones and wipes the smile right off your face. I will always look back and appreciate the time I spent on the grounds. Once we were done with this my mom needed something to cheer her up so what better way than dinner at the Hofbrahaus! Eating a whole chicken and a liter of beer will for sure put a smile on any ones face. Its kind of like Oktoberfest year around in this beer hall.
For a last hora we spent a day roaming the Frankfurt Christmas market. This was a crazy adventure because it seemed 2 million others had the same idea for the day. It was a shoulder to shoulder 5 hour ordeal that was a bit stressful but fun to be part of. Then for dinner Julie and I decided to take my mom out for a super late Birthday dinner since it was a big one for her, 50! The evening went great and I hope my mom enjoyed it a lot,
