The Story Behind The Trip

This first blog post is going to be a test run as well as give you some background on our Germany trip.

Two years ago (summer of 2008), my family and I were vacationing in Switzerland- visiting some friends from K.C. who had moved there. We were staying with them for the whole trip, so to give everyone a break in the middle of our main trip, we took a side trip to Lake Como in Italy. 

 
While we were eating gelato in this square in Menaggio, where we were staying, we saw a family with a dog, and my dad and brother wanted to pet it. Turns out the dog, who we now know as Bonnie, didn't like them very much, but we started a conversation with her owners. They were a German family from the town of Freigericht (near Frankfurt); Juergen,Edith, and Sascha. We talked with them for a couple hours and exchanged contact information. 

Throughout the next year, we kept in touch with them through Skype calls and emails. Last summer (2009), they came to the U.S. for the first time to visit us. We toured K.C. and St. Louis and then headed to the Southwest for Bryce, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Las Vegas. We then flew home and they spent their last week in San Francisco.

It was an amazing trip and we continued to keep in touch afterwards. They extended an invitation for us to come to Germany to visit them- so that's what we're doing this summer! In April, my mom and I got the chance to see them in New York City- to celebrate Juergen's 60th birthday, and we can't wait to go to Germany and see them again!