Griswolds take over Bavaria

Something my Mom and Dad had been wanting to do for years was get the whole family together for a European extravaganza. It took a lot of coordinating on their part as well as a lot of scheduling, but we did manage to get all my siblings and their significant others here in Germany and Austria.  And it was AMAZING.

Clark Griswold, aka Terry Cassidy, rented a 10 seater van, which was hilarious to witness on the road.  We rented a chalet in the town of Strobl, Austria, and did several day trips together - going to Wolfgangsee, Salzburg, Hallstatt and Berchtesgaden.  We had beautiful weather for the most part - more sun than I'd seen in days - and there was no end of entertainment with having the whole family around.  The Austrian Alps were a beautiful backdrop to an amazing vacation!  Thank you, M&D!!!

On our first day, we took the cog train above St. Wolfgang to see the spectacular views.

Many a photo opportunity...

The next day, we all toured Salzburg (yes, in matching German fedoras) and took the Sound of Music Tour.

Our guide Beatrice was very kind.  Erin and Zach got A+'s for their attentiveness.  But everyone enjoyed it.... the tour may have been enhanced by some beer sipping on the tour bus by some members of the Griswolds, as well as very enthusiastic singing by most of us.

In the words of Liesl von Trapp in front of the "I am 16 going on 17" gazebo: "eeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Mom and North about to enjoy some warm apple strudel.  North was dressed in his traditional checked shirt for the occasion.

This guy never says no to apple strudel.

View of St. Gilgen

The "SOM" tour ended with this awesome luge!  Everyone went on it except for us preggos...

Clark Griswold was not afraid to go fast.... Ellen Griswold was a different story.  Colin almost ran into her on the way down!

On our next day trip, we visited the gorgeous town of Hallstatt, Austria.  We toured the ancient salt mines and rented little electric boats to glide around the lake.  It was a spectacular setting.

Oh gosh they are still such lovebirds!

The best part of the salt mine tours was the slides... and the outfits they made us wear.... they were something like thick scrubs that no one looked good in, but made for lots of fun photos.

Poor North wasn't feeling well on a couple of days, but he was still a trooper and went on nice walks and bike rides with Kevin and Tisa. 

We also toured Eagle's Nest and spent time just in and around Strobl.

Eagle's Nest

Eagle's Nest again...

Colin and I met up with M&D at Furberg to enjoy a day in the sun.

One surprise that happened during the week was my mom and Erin put together a family baby shower for Tisa and me.  Colin and I found out the day we left for Salzburg that we are having a LITTLE GIRL!  So it was fun to share the news with the family (nearly everyone guessed we were having a girl anyway, not sure why!) and get excited that Tisa and Kevin's little girl will be just a few weeks age difference from ours.  Very fun.  The baby shower was adorable- we were gifted with mini dirndls, and everyone made us onesies.  I treasure the onesies my family members made and can't wait to put the baby in them!

Kevin and Tisa have named their baby Adeline, but Colin and I are still pretty undecided!

Another fun highlight was our "rent a dirndl" night, where my siblings put on Colin and my lederhosen and dirndl and posed for some photos in traditional German/Austrian gear.  It was hilarious, particularly in front of the donkeys that lived across the street from our chalet.

 

We were definitely sad when this trip came to an end!!  It was so amazing to be with family in Europe and we made many a great memory.  

On our way home, Colin and I spent one final glorious Bavarian day in Munich together.  We ate lunch at the Viktualienmarkt and rented bikes and had a great time riding throughout the English gardens.  Colin finished the day with a couple steins of beer at Paulaner and the Hofbrauhaus. The weather was perfect and it was one of those flawlessly fun days in Europe that made us so grateful for our experience here.  We ended the trip with a very sobering yet good visit to Dachau.  All and all, we felt it was one of our best vacations yet.

Bump Alert!  The 22 wk bump was in full force.. although wimpy compared to what is now in place. :)  I loved the "sea of humanity" in the English Gardens... people sunbathing as far as the eye could see.  It was such a fun scene.

We had a fun time watching these guys surf in the river that runs through the park.

And a visit to Munich wouldn't be complete without one of these...