Having busy weeks!

Starting on September 18 we have been a busy family. September 18th was the day that the Holdens came to visit us in Germany. We spent 4 days in Munich touring Marienplatz with our friends. Then we spent 4 days in Italy. The first 2 days we stayed in a town called Castelrotto in the Dolomites. The first day we hiked in Val Gardena and the second day we hiked in the Lagazuoi Tunnels. The next 3 days we were in Venice. The first day we walked around and found the Rialto market. At the market the kids found little purses to hold our ipods, phones, sunglasses or whatever else our parents didn't want to hold. I was lucky. I found mine last so I never really had to hold my stuff. That night we went to a big square where we saw dueling orchestras and ate ice cream. The next day we went back to the market and I found a leather jacket. The next day we all left Venice. The Holdens left on a train to go to rome and we left in a car to go to Croatia.

Later in the week we went to Croatia for 10 days. The first 3 nights we stayed in Pula, the next 3 we stayed in Zadar, the nights after that we stayed in Plitvice park, and the last night we stayed in the capital of Croatia called Zagreb.

The day after we got back from Croatia the McCrae family came to visit us. They were here for 1 week. When they were here we went hiking a couple of times. We went hiking in Garmisch for the second time, and we went hiking at Berchtesgaden where they had the Eagles Nest which was a tea house built for Adolf Hitler for his birthday from Martin Bormann. We also went out to dinner a couple of times. One day we were going out for gelato but the store was closed. Since we were such a regular they must have known that we were coming they came outside and took our order. They went to the storage room to get the gelato for us. They are a really nice family business. We went to 2 walled cities and we stayed in one called Rothenburg. We took a tour that was called the Night Watchmen. It was really cool. 

The McCraes left to explore more of Germany and Italy. As they left the Blouchs came. We toured Marienplatz and we went to a market for lunch. The Blouchs had a friend in Italy so he came and visited them. They went to Neuschwanstein castle, the castle that Sleeping Beauty was based off of. Then we had dinner at a restaurant with the Blouch's friend and the friend's friend. The next day was spent at the English Garden with the Blouch's friend. The Moms went to see the Residenz while the rest of us went to the Deutsches Museum. We went to Salzburg Austria for a day where we saw a couple of sights that were in the sound of music that The Sound of Music took place in and we saw the Mozart bridge, we took a tram to the top of a mountain where there was a fortress that we got to explore. We also saw Mozart's house and the house on the corner had a big dent in it. 

The day before the Blouchs left, the McCraes came back to stay the night. The next day the Blouchs and my dad and I took the train to the airport. The McCraes took their car. When we went upstairs we ran into the McCraes before security so the Blouchs left and later the McCraes did too.

Now we are having a restful week until tomorrow when we go to Romania.

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Hiking for two Days Straight!

The day after we got to Plitvice we went hiking in Plitvice National Park which thought by many to be the most beautiful National Park in Croatia and is also considered the most beautiful National Park in all of Europe. This was declared by the UNESCO organization.

UNESCOs purpose is to create peace and comfort between countries and nations by using education, science and culture. They try to spread knowledge through out the world by teaching people all around the world about people all around the world.

The water is so clear that you can see the bottom at about 20 feet deep. Since we are here the fall, the trees were many different colors and there was water or caves everywhere you looked. There was a huge waterfall that sprayed mist on you even though it wasn't that close and it was so pretty. It was called the Big Waterfall. On our second day you would see 3 water falls almost around every bend.

Imagine a waterfall without any water. Would you think that the rock was beautiful that the waterfall should have been on? Probably not. The reason that the Park is the most beautiful in Croatia is mostly because of all of the water.

This is what it looked like.









                                                     

This is the Big Waterfall.

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Where in the World is Cecelia #3 and more!

So far since my last post we have been to Italy and Croatia.

The directions for "Where in the World Is Cecelia?" are on my first post.

• This city contains the 6th largest Amphitheater of the Roman Empire.
• After September 29th every tourist attraction closes.
• The first olive oil was pressed here. (Hint: This city is not in Italy.)
• 

Please comment your answers.

In Italy we visited the Dolomite mountains with the Holdens. On the first day we took a gondola up to the top of a mountain and we hiked along the top. Then we went down the other side of the mountain and we saw beautiful sights. We went up a different gondola so we could get a different view of below us. Then we took the gondola down to a bus stop. The bus took us half way to the gondola down the mountain. We were planning on taking it to the top but it didn't go that far. Dad and I hiked ahead so that we could ask the ticket man to keep the gondola going so that every body could get down without having to hike a couple more hours to the bottom. We made it to the top in time. We took the relaxing gondola down the mountain to our cars.

The second day we took a gondola up a mountain and we hiked to the summit. Then we started hiking down the mountain. We hiked in caves and there were racers that kept passing us on our way down the mountain.

In Venice we took a bus (water bus) to the islands and the owner of the apartment met us at the bus stop to take us to the apartment. The roads were just alleyways between buildings. The road signs were hard to find until our last day in Venice. In Venice we took a gondola ride. It was so much fun. Our Gondolier sang some while we were on the gondola. The gondolier in front of us sang almost the whole time. 

While we were in Venice we went to a museum and there was a piece of artwork based on the American Flag.

                          

                          

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Last day in Munich with Friends.

Today was the last day in Munich with our Holden friends. Today I woke up with a sore throat so we went to a drugstore/doctors office to get me checked out. We got prescriptions for sore throat and fever if I got any worse.

Later in the day I got freezing cold inside and had a fever. For some reason when ever you go to a doctors office you feel fine but afterwards you feel terrible. After dinner I felt fine but It won't last long so I should enjoy feeling fine.

Today we went to Nymphenburg palace again. We saw a gondola and it was so beautiful. We went to the bath house to see what it was like. Then we went inside the palace and I read in the main hall with my family while the Holdens went on a tour. After the tour we went home because I felt super cold and miserable. First the ladies went to the grocery store and the men went to get a car to go to Italy tomorrow.

Tonight for dinner we had tacos and for desert we are having sundaes. Bis Bald!

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Are you ready for Oktober fest?

Today was the first day of Oktoberfest. Every year on the first day there is a parade that goes to the Oktoberfest. The first Oktoberfest was a celebration of the wedding of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese. It used to be held in October but now it is held in September because it is more likely that the weather will be better. It is still held because Müncheners loved it so much.

Today we went to the parade even though it was freezing. We waited 25 minutes for the parade to start and then we had to wait for another 20 minutes until the parade got to us. By then we had almost frozen to death.

After the parade started we saw floats, bands, and horses. On top of some of the floats were stacks of barrels of beer. On other floats it was just flower decorations and people. There was another kind of float that was filled with flowers and it was really just a horse drawn carriage. The parade was super cool. I fell bad for the people in the costumes because many of them were not wearing coats. If they were they were very light.

One float gave us pink roses and they were beautiful.

Tomorrow a couple of our friends are going to be in Germany. I can't wait till they get here.

Heading to Vienna and home

Today we are leaving Linz for Vienna but before we go we will be going back to the Ars Electronica festival for the last time. Mom woke us up at 7:00 so that we could get out of here at 9:30. We are going to the festival to use the 3D printer and then we are heading out.

In Vienna we will be taking tours led by Mademoiselle Bonnie also known as Mom. We will be looking at churches and we will be listening to classical music because Vienna is home to many famous composers.

We will be in Vienna for 2 days and when we get back to Munich we will have 2 days to clean before two of our friends get to Germany to visit. I wish them a happy flight and I hope that they won't be very tired after not many hours of sleep on the plane.

I miss you all so very much and I really hope that you are having a nice time back in Maryland, New York, or anywhere.

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When we got to Austria today we went to the Ars Electronica Center and we took a tour because for the next few days we will be at a conference at the Electronica Center.

At the Electronica Center we interacted with a whole bunch of different things. We drew an image on a computer screen and it became a little model. We also stood in front of a screen that showed us made out of flies. There were also these blinking sticks in the brain lab and when you shook your head it would show an image on a pair of eyes.There was a house that odd like it was bent and stretched in the wrong places. It looked really cool.

After we left the Electronica center we went to our new house and it is really big but we only live on the top floor even though we live by ourselves.

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