The End

All good times come to an end. After 6 weeks on the road its time to hop on a plane one more time and hitch the flight back to San Francisco. Big thank you to everyone who helped to make this such a wonderful trip (there are many of you!).

We will cherish the memories.

And yes, we are already looking for the next adventure. Stay tuned!

Bauer Naumann

While my dad's house is close to the city center of Dresden, its got a quite rural feel. The neighbor (Bauer Naumann) is keeping about 35 chickens, one beautiful rooster, pigeons, dog, rabbit, guinea pig, cat (and probably other animals as well). The kids enjoyed playing with them almost as much as they did eating the blackberries, raspberries and tomatoes off the bushes in Opa's garden.

Party time

The extended family in Germany got together for a rousing barbeque event. Thank you all for coming!

Saurierpark Kleinwelka

The park is a huge areal of pre-historic animals (mainly dinosaurs) and people. A paradise for kids for sure.

Paddle boat tour on the Elbe river

The Elbe is one of the longest rivers in Europe and an important traffic route.

Alex, Eric, Opa and Patrick took a 15-mile ride on the river together to explore. Luckily they chose to only go downstream!

Family visit and research

Our trip to visit Reinhold and Elfriede in Langenau was a trek back to the roots and a chance to learn a lot about family history and genealogy. Thank you, Reinhold for the insights.

Disneyland of the East

....near Zittau, Germany. Thank you, Sebastian for the ride(s).

Dresden

Situated by the river Elbe in south eastern Germany, Dresden is the capital of the State of Saxony and also one of the most beautiful baroque cities in Europe. Often called 'Florence of the North' the city boasts a city center full of interesting sand stone buildings from the baroque era (17th/18th) century which have been beautifully restored.

Finally vacation time!

Family ties

After all this traveling to foreign places, its good to come back to family. Pictures are taken in Dresden / Germany with Patrick and Uroma.

Bye bye and Thank You Bavarian Alps!

Maerchenpfad Bischofswiesen

This 1 mile trail through the forest displays fairy tales and other magic figures carved into trees.

A lot of fun for the kids to explore!

Emma going local

in typical bavarian dress.

Water abound

Its had been raining a lot this summer and the rivers were quite lively. These pictures were taken in the Kimmbachtal, where the walkway was an extended bridge so it wouldn't get swept away.

Rewards

Ice cream and Bretzels as a reward at the end of the day were a powerful motivator for the younger troops to keep moving forward while climbing mountains ....

Conclusion

All 5 of us really enjoyed hiking. We'll do it again!

Mountain hiking tour around Jenner / Stahl House

Our last day in the Bavarian Alps was an easy stroll in higher altitude. We cheated a little bit and took a cable car all the way to the top before setting out on our hike. The weather was amazing (warm and sunny) for the 4th day in a row.

Almen houses

Despite the rugged nature and remoteness of the mountains, the local farmers have found ways to build and maintain farms high up in the mountains. They usually raise cattle and cater to people trekking in the area. And they are beautiful with flowers, farm animals and fresh food from the farm. Our buttermilk was yummy!

Emma's life in the face of danger.

All worked out. No damages to report!

Emma Mobile

Emma did great on all the hikes, thanks to her super hiking seat in which she sat, ate, slept and hopped around. She was very patient and enduring during the trip. Job well done Emma!

The big trekking tour

This was our most adventurous and challenging hike of the summer. Over 12 miles long and leading up to the higher mountain passes, we experienced a lot of different terrain, and yes, used ropes and ladders more than once. The last picture shows the highest point of the trek a couple 1000 feet above the lake, the starting point of our trip.