The Rhein River at sunset.

This photo was a papparazi moment. Jamie and I have defined our pictures and some of our moments as "blogable...or unblogable"...this one just seemed too funny.

The Rhein today just isn't a tourist attraction (although there are alot of us), but was and still is a very popular way of transportation. To give you an idea of the size of the barges on the river, the tractors are full sized. Way back in the Middle ages the castles were used not only as a fortress but also used to extort tolls on the ships coming through the Rhine. The Rhine is the 3rd largest river in Europe.

This big piece of rock is the Lorely, which has a mythical legend of a siren that used her singing to bring sailors out into the currents and then to their subsequent deaths.

The Rhine isn't just all castles and romanticism...this is also wine country...and about 2/3 of the wine in this country comes from this region. The Rhine valley has almost a Mediterrean climate and is also able to grow olives, almonds, and lemons.

The Rhein

Burg Pfalz is on a sliver of an island in the middle of the Rhein.

Schoenburg

Marktsburg

Burg Lahneck

A trip with the Miller family always includes some sort of side trip...this time was
to the Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) area. We really just took a scenic drive and gawked at the beautiful landscape and numerous castles. I want to go back for a longer stay.

The girls on our last day in Hannover. Allie is becoming a true German baby...she loves wurst and spaezle and she says "Danke" (Thank you). It is really adorable.

The Kreuz Kirche

A couple of apes on the monkey bars.

Teeter toter.

Another view of the beautiful Berggarten.

Flowers abound in the Berggarten in the Herrenhaeuser Garten.

The Berggarten had a very impressive area full of azeleas and rhodendrons in bloom. I wish I could post a link of the wonderful smell!


The baroque Grosser Garten in the Herrenhaeuser Gartens. They were established in 1666 and the gardeners were out planting the area.

Die Grosse Fontaene (The Big Fountain) is 80 meters high.

Indian elephants were housed in this elaborate south Asian geographical style area.

The big kitties...


This lioness wasn't shy as she was sitting about 2 inches away from the glass. The "daddy" was roaming the perimeter.

There was also quite an assortment of monkeys, apes, and other primates swinging from the trees.

A look at the Rhinos on our boat ride.

There was a baby boom in the zoo...lots of little ones near their mommy...soooo cute!

The zoo had a small river and we took a boat ride around to see some of the exhibits.

Isabelle, Allie, and I took a trip to the Hannover zoo last Tuesday. I never used to be a "zoo" person, but seeing the excitement on the girl's faces makes it so fun! Isabelle was literally shaking when we walked in with anticipation. The European zoo experience is definately different then the States. You can really get close to the animals and they seem to have very big open spaces to roam.

The Leine River that runs through the city.

This is INI where Jamie was able to see surgeries performed by Dr. Madjid Samii. The architectural shape is in the likeness of a brain. You can even see a cerebellum in the back.

Hannover was established around the year 1100. It was heavily destroyed by bombs in WWII. This is the Marktkirche, 14th century, and has very typical northern German architecture with Gothic style.

Last week took us to the city of Hannover which is about a 5 hour drive north of Tuebingen. Jamie shadowed a famous neurosurgeon at INI (International Neuroscience Institute). The girls and I took the opportunity to see some of the city sights. Hannover is home to over 500,000 people. Although this isn't a big tourist destination, it does host many trade shows and the International world expo. The city is very clean, the people are so friendly, and it is very green filled with parks and forests. This is the Neues Rathaus.

On the way to the post office today, we saw a policeman answering what I am assuming was a domestic dispute down the street (loud shouting, couldn't exactly decipher what they were yelling about, police getting a report). The police station wagon you see here is very typical.

On the top of the hill you can see part of the Schloss (Castle). The city is so green with flowers bursting out of every corner.





Mud puddles are a strong magnet for Isabelle and her boots.

This week Isabelle was on a break from kindergarten due to school holidays. We had alot of opportunity to play, go to the park (I can make a sand castle after I sweep up the floor every evening), and otherwise enjoy the beautiful days in Tuebingen.

The Stockerkahns on the Neckar River. We have enjoyed 70 degree temps and sun this week!

Allie having a blast swinging at the Freibads spielplatz (playground).

Isabelle prefers to swing with someone but is having a good time nonetheless.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

The Tuebinger Freibad (Swimming Pools) opened the beginning of May. We spent a sunny, warm (with a cool wind) morning splashing and playing. Isabelle LOVES the water and Allie does too, although she tends to be a bit more cautious then her sister around the pool. No water is too cold for Isabelle! Rosi bought the girls these swimsuits...it is common for the little girls to have just the brief bottoms here in Germany.

Look Ma! No hands! Allie has been letting go and doing her precarious balancing act on her little feet. She also has discovered the joy of climbing stairs and opening and shutting doors. This week she had the rest of her vaccines that she didn't receive at 12 months and was measured at a mere 8.4 kg (18.5 lbs) and 70 cm (27.6). She is such a tiny thing!

Isabelle's stats were on the other end of the growth chart...15.3 kg (33.7 lbs) and 99 cm (39 in) tall. She loves to sing and dance, and lately she has been obsessively singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" so much that Allie is attempting to sing and even do the hand motions right along with her!

Caught in the act! An open yogurt container proves a little too tempting for Allie's fingers when she was inspecting the refridgerator contents.