rome was amazing. from the cobbled streets to the ornate and majestic architecture, i could not stop thinking of all the people whose feet had walked the same streets for centuries and the history and lives of these people. we walked a lot. we shopped. did the touristy bus thing which afforded us a roof top view of the entire city. we ate real pizza. real italian pizza, tortellini, ravioli and martha shared her knowledge of exquisite wine. and then more wine. and a little bit more wine. italian people seem to have themselves beauty wrapped every morning with the makeup and earrings and stylish clothes and shoes. even the homeless are fashionable. made me feel a bit dowdy. the sistine chapel was my favorite. i gasped out. loud.    it is tear inducing. overwhelming. there was a service happening and i am not a religious person but there was something soothing and quieting to witness and hear the voices echoing, the music, the incense, the art, the light.

back in germany, the kids fell down hard with exhaustion and martha made a peruvian meal for us. she is peruvian turned german. oh. my. god. it was the best food i have eaten since i got here. i'd tell you what it was called 'cept i cant remember but it was chicken cooked to perfection with peas and a sauce that i wanted to bend over and lick right off the plate with rice. a salad with homemade dressing that is truly nectar of the goddess. tangy, sharp, garlicy goodness! and of course bier.

then came the marathon wii games. tennis, baseball, boxing. the kids played hard and fierce and woke the next day unable to lift their arms. i played tennis. martha and dagmar played too and truth be known i think we're all a little sore. but the kids....they are the hurtin' puppies! 

we got up late the next morning (like 8, ha!) and drove to bavaria. i got to drive some and im just going to say here....there is something thrilling about seeing the speedometer up at 160! i know, i know it's kilometers and i was really only driving about 80, but still! and on the drive, every 5 minutes i would yell (yes, literally yell above the music blasting from their headphones) "LOOK! Looook, are you guys looking??" the views were so postcard. snow covered mountains on the horizon. green fields dappled with flowers. brown roofed cottages stacked in neat clusters. we even saw some young, fine man wearing what i can only compare to lederhosen and he was smiling.....like he didn't mind! i tried to get a picture but he was loading his car with cases of pints of beirs and well, i was slow on the trigger.

last night we had more biers (may be would be easier if i told you when we DIDNT have bier) and ate. and walked around our hotel. ok. here i'll say....everything you are picturing in your mind is wrong. wait'll you see the pictures. sweet quaint house, in a field, balcony, wood, windows, tapesties, and a hostess with a real live bavarian frock on. i cant tell if she's serious. is it a costume she is forced to wear as her uniform or do folks really dress that way here? i mean for real! we walked to a creek that looks like it lines the property of our hotel but apparently, it actually belongs to an authentic bavarian asshole and he didn't seem to like us walking around!

hallmark scene here:  picture the girls laying in a field reading and making daisy chains for their hair. the sun setting behind them and the sound of running water from the stream. i stood and watched them be their age and laughing and running and my heart swelled and i had thoughts of them remembering these days for the rest of their lives and telling the stories forever.