a new season

It has been five years since I last posted on my blog. There were some exciting trips during that time- to Sweden at Christmastime in 2014 when our daughter was doing a semester abroad in Stockholm, a three week trip to Hawaii where our older daughter’s husband was stationed, and a week long trip during the Fourth of July to our nation’s capital. We also became grandparents and have two beautiful grandsons! I guess I had abandoned the technology because this blog started as a way for me to fill my husband in on everything I was doing while traveling to see our daughter and he was at home.  The other trips I didn’t blog about, we were traveling together, therefore no need to “keep him abreast”. I regret not keeping up with the blog because we had such great times on all those trips and I’d love to have had them recorded. Especially now. Now that a new season in my life has arrived.

The biggest part of my journey since I last blogged in 2013 and the reason for starting up this blog again, is that I lost my husband to cancer on March 12th, 2018 and four months later lost my 94 year old mother (of whom was in my charge) to congestive heart failure. The year 2018 was a life-changing year for me. My friends all told me I should blog about what I was going through instead of just writing posts here and there on FB. They thought it would help me with the grieving process and it could help others. But I just couldn’t. It was too raw and I was too broken. And exhausted. I had nothing left in me, yet I had so much to do. When someone dies, it’s a lot of work! That sounds callous, but oh my gosh, that’s one of the reasons it’s so hard. So much to do and that person that you need so much is not there to help or to share it with. Maybe someday I’ll write more, but I just can’t right now. I’m still trying to get through it. Trying to get back on my feet. I had to immediately start preparing the house to move out and sell, then in the midst of that Mom died and I had to switch gears and start all over with the “things to do” that have nothing to do with the grieving...all the legal paperwork. Then I had to go through her things rather quickly to make room for my things so I could move, then go back to preparing my house to sell...My things still remain in boxes at Mom’s. I am living in limbo. Move? sell? Lease. Whatever I decide, Mom’s house needs major updating. Most everything in it is how it was 50 years ago. Old. Tired. Like me.

Has it been that long?

I can't believe I haven't written in my travel blog since the Christmas of 2010, especially since Lee and I went on a BIG trip to Alaska last year!  After this trip, I may have to go back and recreate that trip....but for now, I am headed for Germany!  Again!  My daughter is about 3 months pregnant and I want to spend some time with her now while she is pregnant!

I will be gone from June 22nd - July 14th!

Edelweiss Lodge Interior

The Edelweiss Lodge (Military Resort) in Garmisch-Partenkirchen reminded me of Disney's Wilderness Lodge, only this is the "real" thing, as Emilee reminded me:

The Pullman Place Restaurant:

Neuschwanstein horses

Neuschwanstein horses
Originally uploaded by seaberry6

Two horses pull a covered wooden wagon up the very steep incline to the castle and back down. Emilee, Alan and I walked up most of the way. We weren't interested in going inside, so we didn't walk the full way up. Coming down, however, we decided to take the horse and cart. I just can't imagine what it is like for these horses to pull a wagon with 16 people in it, up the mountain and back down, over and over! Is that considered cruelty to animals?

Schloss Neuschwanstein

Schloss Neuschwanstein
Originally uploaded by seaberry6

Today we visited Neuschwanstein. We didn't go in the castle because a) I've already been inside, and b) we were pressed for time. I was hoping to get a photo like Emilee took last year, but it was too cloudy. This was the best I could get. At times, you couldn't even see the castle because of the clouds. But I kind of like the ethereal look the clouds give it.

The walk up to the castle is a killer! I think it's easier in the winter than the summer, though, because you work up such a heat climbing, it keeps you warm in the cold. However, in the summer you are already hot, and then you just get even hotter. Plus, there are many more people visiting the castle in the winter.

The city that surrounds Neuschwanstein is beautiful. The hotels are as fairy-tale looking as this castle. The drive to and from Neuschwanstein also provided many interesting and beautiful views.